CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
All of us have heard the phrase, "train your replacement," at some point in our careers.
Usually we hear this phrase when we make rank, or when we are moving to another section in our squadron. This is especially true when we are deployed overseas and a new team comes. We usually have a few days of overlap to get our replacement up to speed on how things run, so hopefully there is a smooth transition for our replacement to be successful and able to operate more effectively than hopefully we were.
We often hear that phrase and think of the short-term solution, but do we ever think about the long-term one? When I say train your replacement, it has more to do with training, mentoring and shaping the future of our Air Force. We often hear, and sometimes see, how the Airmen entering the Air Force of today are different than those who enlisted 15 to 25 years ago. With the rapidly changing world, our society is different than it was a quarter of a century ago. Throughout the years, our Air Force has continued to maintain its high standards and successful ways, and this was done through the efforts and sacrifices of the men and women who came before us.
For me, as a young Airman, I had some NCOs take me under their wings and groom me to be a better NCO than they were. The same is true when I became a NCO ... there were senior NCOs who spent time mentoring and molding me how to become a better SNCO. What did all these NCOs and SNCOs have in common ... they were training their replacements. The SNCOs were schooling me on how to be a productive member of the Air Force and to carry on the same high standards which were instilled in them.
My question to supervisors is this: are you training your replacement? Are you spending time with your Airmen? Are you mentoring them and instilling the Air Force lifestyle in them so they can be successful in their careers? We want, and we expect, our Airmen to follow the road map to success the Air Force has given them but we cannot forget that it is our job to teach them how to read and use this road map.
We want to succeed -- this is part of our Air Force culture. We should also want our subordinates to want to succeed as well. This is accomplished by instilling in them the things necessary to succeed and how to be successful.
When you spend time mentoring your Airmen, no matter what rank, you are instilling the foundation of our Air Force culture. In doing this, you are training your replacement, you are setting up your Airmen for success, but more importantly, you are ensuring the success and high standards of the Air Force continue.