General Christine M. Burckle - How to Embrace Change

“People don’t want to see you being super wishy-washy,” Burckle said. “When you’re a leader, they want to know you have the fortitude and strength to lead.”

But, leadership is more than strength. It also includes accountability and fairness. Leaders need to be friendly while also being strong. Fairness is critical, as while a decision might be hard, it’s essential to maintain fairness.

“The fair part, I think, is another huge thing as accountability and fairness,” Burckle said. “But the friendly part is the hugest thing. You don’t have to be a jerk to be a good leader.

It can be tough to ensure fairness when having a bad day. Burckle makes sure that when getting emotionally involved, she still makes fair and accountable decisions.

“The firm, fair, friendly was something when I was having a tough day, or I was getting too emotionally involved in something I would just say to myself ‘Is it fair and are you presenting this in the right light,’” Burckle said.