More toxic leadership, but this one got a star for it
Then-Col (now Brig Gen) Jennifer Grant
Another 122-page Air Force IG report has come to light. This one deals with the commander of the 50th Space Wing at Schriever AFB, CO. Then-Colonel Jennifer Grant is described by rank-and-file as well as leadership underneath her as “tyrannical” and “toxic.” She reduced many of her subordinates to tears, many left rather than work with her, and one subordinate she often clashed with committed suicide.
Task and Purpose quotes the IG report;
“Col. Grant created an environment infused with fear and intimidation, which stilted communication and reporting, and undermined the welfare and morale of her subordinates,” the investigation said.
“In doing so, the AFSPC/IG [Air Force Space Command Inspector General] determined the conditions Col. Grant created were the worst the IG team had seen in 20 years.”
Among the accusations found in the report were;
- Calling a subordinate in mental health treatment for suicidal ideations to criticize her for listing an enlisted service member on her safety plan, making the woman even more distraught.
- Lecturing a subordinate at her promotion ceremony for not personally informing Grant that a brigadier general would be the presiding officer at the ceremony.
- Berating her executive officer to the point that she crawled under her desk and cried.
- Publicly humiliating a briefer in front of investigators.
- Exploding at an enlisted airman for a get well card to the command chief before Grant could sign it.
She commanded the 50th Space Wing from June 2017 to June 2019, and left a considerable impression in that short time. Her immediate staff were the worst witnesses against her it seems.
The IG’s report came out in October of 2019. Despite the significant questions about her leadership style, the Air Force selected her for Brigadier General. She pinned the stars on July 2nd this year and is now working at Air Force Headquarters at the Pentagon.
Sources; Task & Purpose and Military.com
She’s no Com. Dave Fravor (I don’t know him, but he seemed like the kind of CO you’d want in the PBS doc ‘Carrier’)
My bet is she has like that her entire career, or that was the culture that existed at that command. There is no mention of that in the article, so I would say that she is the problem. That and the failing up that takes place in too many gov’t agencies.
BG Grant is a piece of work. Wonder how she treats her children?
I bet she doesn’t have any children. Seems to be a recurring theme 1) with high-ranking women 2) in the Air Force and 3) I can’t say it out loud, but maybe she has a “wife”? Alot of these career driven women seems to be of that “persuasion” lately.
Military officers crawling under their desks and crying doesn’t inspire confidence either. I bet they don’t have a problem with that in the Chinese Air Force.
So did she ride the EO wagon, know & blow someone, or a combo of both?
Probably so. The Obummer years, yo!
Maybe mid career, but the time in the article is definitely current .
Wow… a real charmer. I wonder how she deals with the fact that at least one Airman took their life while assigned to her command? Stepped all over and destroyed a lot of people for that tiny little star on her collar.
She followed Hillary Clinton advice as to “How To Be A Successful Woman In A Man’s World”, such as driving your staff to suicide, and treating subordinates like shit. But at this point, what difference does it make?
Had the opportunity to work for/with several female 0-6’s and 0-7’s in USAF. They were nothing like this. Too bad the example yesterday and this one today were not properly trained by the ones I knew.
On the other hand, I have worked for/with plenty of males who acted something like this. Neither gender should be allowed to treat their people this badly.
It’s sometimes a fine line between appropriate attention getting verbosity and abuse. Never cross the line. Besides, when you get this much rank, you have folks to enforce the rules. Let them.
So now the AF has investigated her and found her a petty tyrant – and then rewarded her. I wonder what lesson she learned there.
Yes, there are asshole commanders of both genders. Despite this and the post from yesterday, I don’t think she was an asshole because of her gender – that’s just stupid. I can’t but wonder, however, if these are examples of women who got by where a male would have been shit canned. It is my opinion that that be the case. I would bet there is a lot of pressure to make “ladies” GOs.
I submit the following evidence:
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-general-lee-levy
When I was looking over the T&P article linked for this post, I saw another link to a “story you may like”. It was of another toxic leader, a man, who was a 3 star in the USAF. the end result of his investigation was a reduction in rank in retirement to 2 star (a substantial loss in retirement pay). Sounds like the sphere of his tyranny was larger in that had a 3 star command, so I can’t say that they are exactly analogous to the two toxic ladies. It was, however, at about the same time. Just something to chew on.
The only time that tyrannical command may be appropriate is under battlefield conditions. Other than that, the military may have assigned her to desk work to reduce negative claims against her.
Wow. What kind of XO hides below a desk to cry?
A very, very abused lady XO.
Just because they are in the military does not stop them from being ladies – or in the case of the example at hand, full-blown bitches.
Graybeard:
Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
👌👍👏
BTW, Slow Joe, men do it as well.
Personally witnessed a Navy O5, Male, get under his desk, crying his eyes out when Saddam fired off his SCUDS at us during the beginning of OIF.
Also saw a Senior NCO, Male, dart under his desk, but kept his composure.
I did not think anything about what those two did that day and still don’t question how they reacted.
“Navy O5, Male, get under his desk, crying his eyes out when Saddam fired off his SCUDS at us during the beginning of OIF.”
Crying after days (maybe even hours) of bombardment – understandable if not OK, but not for an O-5. At least it’s not ok for an O-5 that keeps his job. Sobbing under your desk after just hearing the warning (I’m assume that is what happened because you didn’t mention any other details) is not OK. When troops witness their leader crying due to fear, that tells them it’s every man for himself. At that point, someone will step up or the unit will likely cease to be combat effective.
I’ve been within about 200 meters of several 120 or 100mm mortar rounds landing in Iraq. I was in a tent with big barriers around it so I was reasonably safe except for a direct hit. There was, however, a pucker factor I’ll admit. As a leader, however, you just can’t fall apart like that and not have it affect troop moral.
(Incidentally, my platoon was sent out to find the POO (point of origin) of the mortars the next day. We found it. It was a heavy mortar and we had found 100mm munitions in the area so we estimated 100 or 120. Here is a picture of the mortar position with my rifle used for scale: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z8PwYZSntjjhVzp57”
Can I get a second on that?
The desk was probably the only cover in the room. Had I been there there would have been two of us under the desk. I once dove into a garbage pit under similar circumstances.
Executive Officer in Air Force not an XO as Marines Navy Army view the term (#2 person in organization). In USAF the Exec is the Commanders aide. At Wing level typically a mid level Captain.
I believe old school Army referred to them as “dog robbers”.
At Wing level in AF the #2 is the Vice Commander.
Hmm. Good to know – because I didn’t. Of all the services, the USAF is the biggest mystery to me. I even get the USAAF way better!
Watch out for these bitches on wheels. I have never understood why, with their inflated egos, their heads simply do not explode. But then, I always figure they’ll have high blood pressure and eventually cop a stroke, and that will be the end of that.
Such bad habits are difficult to get rid of.
It’s okay when females do it, they’re special…
All about maintaining equity, diversity and a gender balance, regardless of the outcomes….
Yes. This our future.
Get ready for Kamala Harris.
No, it is NOT okay when females do it. It means they’re incompetent, and they know it and try to cover it by being screaming bitches.
Happens in the civilian world, too, and for some reason, all those bitches are solo. I believe Joan Crawford was like that.
Hack Stone has been inspired to open a celebrity themed restaurant, The Joan Crawford Cafe. Chef’s special is liver served rare (it’s not rare). And don’t worry, the cloakroom does not utilize wire hangers.
Mommy, dearest!!!
Wait a minute, wasn’t there yesterday another Air Force female General in trouble for exactly the same thing?
Once is coincidence, two is a trend.
Do this gentlewomen believe that being “mean girls” make them better leaders?
I think the Rolling Stones might have had a song back in the early 1970s whose title describes this “lady” to a “T” . . . .
Here ya go:
https://youtu.be/a4g8PxsG_j4
From what I say is their best album, “Stickyfingers”, especially side 2 with this song, “I Got the Blues”, “Sister Morphine”, “Dead Flowers”, and my favorite song by the Stones, “Moonlight Mile.” Just solid songs all around.
This is my DD-214. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Wonder what the re-enlistment rate was for her staff?
I knew a lot of commands that had great reenlistment rates, cause that would mean orders elsewhere.
Her promotion harkens back to the good ol days in the Army where if you wanted a promotion you got a DUI. Sure seems alot like screw up to move up.
It’s called female privilege.
And it exists and is persuasive.
A certain major/national telecommunications company was rife with her type. And it got to where they were in everyone’s report to chain, so no matter what department/group you worked in, you had one. Not all of them were pure bitches, but the majority were, and no reason to be that way. We you to say, privately around the crews when word came down that so and so Ms Thang was hired/promoted; “Well was she born a bitch are or they going to send her to bitch school?”
Oddly, too, they were bitchy to females that were good workers and fawned over some male techs that were dead weight. Go figure.
Second bitch in an Air Farce flight suit in as many days. Seems like there may have been a motion picture that had a bunch of bitches in Naval Aviator flight suits…but they were male bitches.
I just checked and her official Bio is not on the USAF web page the the rest of the G.O.s and SES
What I never understood–and probably will never understand–is why people act like this.
I get high standards and a no compromise leadership style, but treating people like this is not that.
It’s like they get off on it. If true, it points to a serious psych problem.
Also, let’s not pretend that this behavior started at Colonel. She has been an abuser for years and no one held her accountable.
This level of toxic narcissism is not rare. Every Brigade or Division level I served in had at least one Commander who had varying degrees of this type of toxicity on display, but except in one occasion, seniors did not tolerate it once they were informed.
That one occasion, however, was a real doozy.