Corrections_Today_May_June_2020_Vol.82_No.3

Annual Luncheon

Polson began her presentation, entitled “Lead- ing from Any Seat: Stories from the Cockpit,” by playing a video showing Apache helicopters in action. Polson described the first day she stood on the tarmac to fly an Apache. She recalls asking herself “Who am I to fly this? I was an English major in college.” Polson said she had to decide she was better than the doubts she was feeling, deciding to “claim [her] narrative” and “own [her] own story.” According to Polson, when taking a helicopter off the ground, you have to turn the helicopter’s nose to face the wind, as the resistance will help it rise into the air. That sort of reaction to resis- tance was what helped give Polson her strength to become a leader. As she put it, leadership does not come from rank or position, but “you are a leader when you decide to be a leader. When you are committed to making a difference.” Polson explained that before a leader could lead, they must start with a story that matters the most. Polson says this is the kind of story she tells herself. When she applied to fly helicopters, she was told she couldn’t fly attack aircrafts and had to accept it at the time. “There are times where ‘Yes, sir,’ is the only thing to say,” Polson said of this adversity. However, once Congress changed the combat exclusion clause, Polson did everything she could to qualify to fly attack helicopters, making sure she was an honor graduate. “You have to ask for what you want,” she explained, describing how she had to knock out all

additional duties to get her first flight platoon. Polson described how she had to earn oppor- tunities and ask for them, as no one would know what she was working for. This meant having to train and ask to fly and serve her country. Polson explained that she had to find her “grit,” which she called “innate to every single one of us.” “Once you have done the work to identify your core purpose, once you’ve drilled down into that … that core purpose is your target,” she explained. “You put it in your crosshairs and never ever take your eyes off it.”

Polson said her most important leadership skill is that the leader owns everything the team does.

Polson said her most important leadership skill is that the leader owns everything the team does. She described her time serving in South Korea near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). As she explained, serv- ing near the DMZ carried a “real sense of threat,” as most Koreans are in a perpetual state of readiness for war. This was also compounded by having to often fly near a no-fly zone and in tricky weather in South Korean mountains. Polson also knew that the South Korean military would sometimes fly without lights and communication, giving Polson concern that they could have mid-air collisions. When Polson’s aircraft nearly went down in dangerous weather, she was required to make quick, strategic decisions to avoid crashing. As Polson explained, “leaders begin by listening first.” She also talked about one incident when she was serving in Bosnia when her helicopter was being tracked by lethal anti-flight systems. She explained that she was told to return to her sta- tion if she was too nervous to continue, but she hesitated as her mission wasn’t completed. There

82 — May/June 2020 Corrections Today