Gen. Lorenz speaks on leadership, success at community dining out Published July 6, 2009 By Brandice J. Armstrong Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 36th annual Tinker Dining Out, June 25, was an evening of military traditions, and laughs. Hosted by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and held at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, approximately 500 guests attended the black-tie affair. After dinner was served, Gen. Stephen Lorenz, guest speaker and Air Education and Training Command commander, addressed attendees and spoke about leadership. "Everyone in this room is a leader in one way or another," the general said, "whether you're in business, government, the clergy, whatever it is, you're all leaders." Utilizing slides and a several comedic video examples and anecdotes, General Lorenz introduced leadership principles he brainstormed in 1987 as a squadron commander at Castle Air Force Base, Calif. But, before launching into his talk, the general kept the mood light with a David Letterman-style Top 10 List of reasons why he should be at the Tinker Dining Out. Reasons included number seven: "We're honored that you named your NBA franchise after our Thunderbirds. Number six, "Oklahoma, where the wind is so strong, you can do in-flight checks on the ground." Number four, "Only in Oklahoma does a naval station nowhere near an ocean make sense," and number one, "Because we thought it would be hilarious to put a Texas Aggie (Maj. Gen. David Gillett, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center commander) in charge of Oklahoma Sooner nation." As the crowd cheered, laughed and banged their spoons against the table, per a rule of the mess, General Lorenz spoke about his idol, Sir Winston Churchill, a former British prime minister. The general said he respects Mr. Churchill's determination to succeed, more than his actual successes. The general said Mr. Churchill failed at most everything he tried and he respects him for never quitting. "In 1899 he ran for parliament, he lost. In 1901 he ran again. He won," General Lorenz said. "He never ever, ever, ever gave up. This meant a lot to me. He's been an inspiration to me." General Lorenz said in several ways, Mr. Churchill's struggles resemble his own. The general, a third generation Airman, decided at 9-years-old he wanted to go to the Air Force Academy. But, his road wasn't smooth or paved. He attended four high schools in four years and once he was accepted by the military college, he struggled with several classes. Through much of his tenure, he was on academic probation. But, the general eventually succeeded and graduated the academy, proving to be a valuable member of the Air Force. Looking back on his experiences, the general introduced his principles for leadership. "Learn the art of balancing shortfalls because you never have enough time, money or manpower both in your personal and professional life," General Lorenz said. "This is called the scarcity principle and it's really called stress." To manage the principle, the general said, it is crucial that people learn to utilize schedules budgets and schedules. "Time, people, manpower, they're all critical items," General Lorenz said, "the sooner you teach your young people that they're going to be doing this the rest of their life, the more efficient and effective leaders they will become." The general also said it is imperative to learn to say "yes," as it will benefit both you and other parties. By saying "yes," others will be more accommodating and eager to help you succeed. Another of the general's principles is to learn to work your boss' boss' problems and train to run a marathon, not a 50-yard dash, after all, a career is not a sprint. General Lorenz concluded by reciting a favorite quote, "'My deepest fear is that I look back on my life and wonder what I did with it,'" he said. "This is sort of a heavy thought, but it's something to think about every day ... and tonight when I put my head on the pillow, I'm going to have to be a little bit depressed, because it's one less day in the United States Air Force and having the ability to serve in this great Air Force and this great nation. "So, every day I come to work, I think about that," he said. "What I did yesterday was interesting but irrelevant, what I do today and what I'm going to do tomorrow is important." During the two-and-a-half-hour event, former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys and Maj. Brenden Shaw emceed the affair and upheld the rules of the mess.