CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
What do you know for sure and where do your loyalties lie?
I once heard a prominent television personality ask during an interview, "What do you know for sure?" and I recall thinking to myself, "That's very profound." So I adopted it as a tool to use when giving feedbacks or for mentoring.
I have learned the answer you give may be an insight to where your loyalties lie. Asking people what they know for sure isn't a telltale sign of where all of their loyalties lie, but I have learned you can really see what's important to them by just listening. Of course you could just ask point blank, "What are you loyal to?" Be prepared though, you may get an extensive laundry list or just a few line items. So, when I ask a subordinate, "What do you know for sure?" the answer gives me a picture of what his or her state of mind is. This is vital in that it lets me know what I need to do because we, as supervisors and leaders, are expected to meet the mission while guaranteeing the safety, security and health of our team. We must know for sure our Airmen are taken care of and are ready to do their part for mission success.
All of us in Team Charleston have a stake in mission success here and in the fight for freedom abroad. Clearly we can't do this without many things, and arguably one of the most important must be our loyalty.
As wingmen, unwavering loyalty to ourselves and others gives us a firm foothold on that mission success. It may be loyalty to simple things like wearing the uniform properly or by adhering to our task checklists. How about the loyalty to the health and welfare of our most vital resource -- the members in our charge? Believe it ... no matter how we reach mission success; we all have a stake in it. One of the most enlightening things I've experienced as an acting first sergeant is seeing someone take the time to make sure something or someone is taken care of ... knowing for sure.
It makes me proud to have witnessed the many examples of loyalty on different levels from the lowest rank on up and even from squadrons reaching out to deployed members' families. And you've likely seen instances of this in and around your unit as well. It happens daily, automatically and without fail. It is reassuring to see that a supervisor knows for sure that an Airman's dorm issue is resolved, or when a civilian coworker knows he or she will be provided the right resources to do the job.
It's uplifting to be part of this cohesive team that gives allegiance to our commanders. How gratifying it must be to a commander who knows, without a doubt, that his lower levels pledge their loyalty so that, in the end, they are certain to have Airmen locked in and driving toward mission success. So at the end of your day when that last aircraft has departed or that last customer has been taken care of, you realize your unit succeeded because of loyalty -- because you dedicated yourself to know something for sure.