Leadership means forming a team and working toward common objectives that are tied to time, metrics, and resources.

The National Guard has served America as both a wartime force and the first military responders in times of domestic crisis. Hundreds of times each year, the nation's governors call upon their Guard troops to respond to fires, floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

When you form a team, why do you try to form a team? Because teamwork builds trust and trust builds speed.

If I'm a leader, I have a mission.

Superstorm Sandy inflicted havoc and heartache throughout the Northeast, hitting the Big Apple and its surrounding coastal towns hard.

Before Katrina, it was a longstanding tradition in our country for political officials to wait until the last minute to warn, to take action, to evacuate. No more. With Irene, you had mass evacuations - mandatory ones - issued days ahead of time. That was the right thing to do.

You know, we lose more homes every year to flooding than we do any other event in America.