Collegiate Times

Barqawi

COMING UP IN THE CORPS

Barqawi's leadership style was born of his unique Corps experience.

He said he wasn't sure what to expect when he came to America in August 2005 and readily admits he chose Tech because it was accepting applicants and, he jokes, because of the well-known slogan, "Virginia is for Lovers." When he reached campus, however, his decision to join the Corps happened almost immediately.

"The number one reason was that I saw someone walking in the uniform ... I walked up to him and said, 'I want to be like you,'" Barqawi said.

After reading the corps' mission statement, which he can now recite from memory, Barqawi was hooked.

"We develop leaders of exceptional character who are imbued with the concept of selfless service and are willing to serve the nation and the commonwealth whether in or out of uniform for a lifetime," Barqawi said, eliciting knowing grins from his fellow cadets and leaving the impression that such a recitation is not unusual for him.

A dark-haired, dark-eyed man of medium build and height, Barqawi speaks in clipped, unaccented English and uses subdued but noticeable hand gestures to reinforce his points; rarely does a question faze him or leave him without a ready, considered answer -- a trait that his fellows say carries over to his leadership style.

"It's always a great experience," to be working with Barqawi, "because you know he's planned out every aspect" of the project, Gaddis said. "Rarely do you get something that you say, 'This isn't going to work.' Usually it's something that -- at most -- we're going to have to tweak."

At the beginning of his Corps career, Barqawi readily admits he felt he was overwhelmed by the culture shock of both a new country and the transition to the corps' highly regimented lifestyle. He did, however, find an ally in fellow cadet Adam Smith.

"Adam Smith was instrumental in helping me make the adjustment; he was very sensitive culturally," Barqawi said. "He was trying to protect me from corruption, while trying to expose me to something I've never been exposed to."

Smith said he was sympathetic to Barqawi's initial plight.

"It's a lot of training and adjustment to an atmosphere that you're definitely not used to," said now-Cadet Lt. Col. Smith, a senior mechanical engineering student and the regimental executive officer. "It's a huge shock for anyone, and for Adnan it was a huge culture shock."

While Smith was helping with the cultural component, Barqawi also struggled through the corps' demanding physical regimen.

"I fell behind during our first long run; I didn't give up and when it was over, all I remember is being given my time and then waking up in the hospital," Barqawi said.

After finishing his freshman year, Barqawi found himself in his first leadership position leading a "fire team" of a few cadets.

Barqawi said he found the existing leadership and training model too focused on discipline and not enough on leadership consisting of positive reinforcement and mutual respect, traits he had picked up in his studies of effective military leaders.

For an institution such as the Corps of Cadets that places a premium on continuity and tradition, this was not a popular position -- but he used his ideas to form a new theory of leadership.

"What's key to keep in mind is that tradition is not a 'Gospel,' set-in-stone concept," Barqawi said. "There is good tradition and bad tradition; we keep the good and with time, we set aside bad traditions."

Barqawi said he found a syncretistic approach -- combining Western and Middle Eastern ideas of leadership and culture presented a far preferable alternative to the approach used during his induction.

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