CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
"Always treat people the way you wish to be treated, train your replacements and never, ever forget where you came from," are the words which have echoed throughout my career.
I don't recall exactly who told me those simple bits of advice, but they have been the frame work of my career. This advice couldn't be more poignant as I have been entrusted with duties as a first sergeant and charged with taking care of all Airmen that I, and all of your "shirts," encounter.
The Golden Rule of treating people properly can obviously be applied to all aspects of your life, but is extremely important at work. How many times have you tried to recognize someone only to hear, "You can't give a senior airman an Air Force Commendation Medal because that medal is reserved for junior NCOs, or "What? You want me to put Staff Sgt. 'X' in for an award?" and to be told, "No one did that for me. So, why should I do it for them?" and "I can't approve that because they already have too many points and it wouldn't be fair to their peers."
Those answers should be as extinct as the dinosaurs, but unfortunately they are still uttered by supervisors at all levels. As supervisors it is our duty and responsibility to stand up for those we supervise, so please be strong enough to defend your position and fight for your Airmen if they are deserving.
To develop tomorrow's leaders today we must mentor and train them, without ego, to make them be better than we are, which means we have to give up our closely guarded secrets of success in order to make that happen.
It may be difficult to give up one's "savior or hero" status, but think of the dividends which will be paid when you have put a few super troops out into the Air Force. By taking the time to work with your Airmen to solve issues or problems, it will encourage them to teach their subordinates those traits as well when they start to supervise.
Never forgetting were we come from is crucial to professional development. Remember what it was like to have an idea and not be heard because of your rank. Empower your people to make decisions, allow them to fail, but be quick to help them recover. Then, propel them toward success, not mediocrity.
I am sure we have all had supervisors who we felt went out of their way to help us progress, so emulate those actions. Sadly, we may also have had or heard about supervisor's that were self-serving and cared more about their career than that of their troops. I hope you have learned from both types of supervisors and will follow the positive traits, and not forget or perpetuate the negative ones.
I encourage all readers of this article, in all ranks, to break away from the "dinosaur" mentality and recognize individuals based on their achievements. If we go out of our way to take care of our people now, I believe they will pay it forward to their subordinates in the future. Like it or not, we are all role models, or at least our actions are very closely monitored by our subordinates.
It is critical to remember our actions and words will be engrained in the minds of current and future supervisors so we must lead by example to develop the next generation of Air Force leaders.