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Purpose: This qualitative study describes the behaviors that exemplary naval aviation commanding officers practice to lead their squadrons through turbulent times using the leadership attributes of personal temperament, concern for the collective interest, resilience, and moral purpose.
Methodology: This phenomenological study explored the specific leadership behaviors of exemplary United States Navy Aviation Commanding Officers. The study sample for this research is active-duty naval aviation commanding officers who have served a minimum of fifteen years of service and commanded an operational naval aviation squadron from 2016 to 2021. The researcher used the leadership attributes and behaviors described in Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Leadership in Turbulent Times to collect descriptive data on the participants’ lived experiences.
Findings: The findings indicate that naval aviation commanding officers relied on personal temperament, concern for the collective interest, resilience, and moral purpose to lead their squadrons through turbulent times. The study identified four major findings related to leadership effectiveness in high-stakes environments, emphasizing the importance of emotional control, ethical decision-making, adaptability, and team cohesion.
Conclusions: The study concluded that personal temperament and ethical leadership played a critical role in sustaining mission success and squadron cohesion. Commanding officers who prioritized collective interests over personal ambition, demonstrated resilience under pressure, and maintained ethical leadership standards fostered trust and operational stability. Additionally, adaptable leadership styles ensured that officers effectively responded to dynamic and high-pressure situations, reinforcing the importance of flexible and integrity-driven command strategies.
Recommendations: It is recommended that future research expand upon this study using mixed-methods approaches to include both qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys; such an approach will help the U.S. Navy assess the long-term impact of leadership training on resilience and ethical decision-making. Additionally, a comparative study between military and civilian aviation leaders could provide further insight into leadership adaptability. Finally, a longitudinal study tracking the careers of commanding officers could assess how leadership approaches evolve over time, and the effect of this evolution on squadron performance and personnel retention.