CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Taking care of Airmen sounds like an easy task, but ask yourself, is it really as easy as it sounds?
Throughout my career, I have learned many things and have had many experiences that have shaped my thought processes. Many of those experiences dealt with supervision and all had one thing in common, people. Taking care of people is not easy and simply requires three areas of focus: balance, understanding and discipline.
When we talk about balance, sometimes it seems almost impossible. We hear terms like, "I don't have enough time in a day," "why do I have to be the one who has to do this," and my personal favorite "I can't do two things at the same time."
Let's talk about, "I don't have enough time." I don't know how many times I've heard the term or even used "time management."
When I was a young Airman, my chief said to me, "Success is measured in one step, one minute at a time; you have to prioritize your efforts." He gave me a quick and simple definition of "time management."
Now, as to "why do I have to be the one who has to do this?" The answer of course is simple. It is our responsibility to help our Airmen learn that some things are done for the mission and to help them understand their role in the mission. One of the most difficult tasks we take on as a supervisor is to teach our Airmen to balance personal and work life.
To close on balance, we have to discuss "I can't do two things at the same time." I don't believe a person can be in two places at the same time but they can have two activities running at the same time. We go back to teaching them how to prioritize their workload and teach them to understand they don't have to do it all themselves. We need to teach them that it's okay to ask for help.
With all the talk about balance, there must be some understanding. What can be said, except that people make mistakes? We must teach our Airmen to understand that when a mistake has been made, to learn from it and educating ourselves on the correct way to accomplish a task or handle a situation; this is what taking care of Airmen is all about. Understand that whether we are a chief master sergeant or an airman basic, we all make mistakes. The key is what we learn from them.
Finally, we must take responsibility for our actions and take steps to improve so that it doesn't happen again. When you have understood and done all you can to educate our Airmen, it becomes time for corrective action.
Discipline is better known as a corrective tool some would call "tough love." Unbelievably, most of the time, discipline is meant to save an Airman.
Utilizing the discipline tools is a tricky and after 20 years of service, I still find it somewhat difficult.
When administering discipline, take into consideration the whole person concept and most of all remember punishment should be fair.
Discipline is necessary to maintaining a top-notch organization. It's appreciated by all Airmen from the bottom to the top. There is also another side to discipline called, "self discipline," "knowing right from wrong," "making smart choices," or whatever term you choose, the meaning is still the same.
We as Airmen, whether leaders or followers, have a responsibility to each other to maintain the high level of discipline that has come to be expected of the greatest Air Force the world has ever seen.
To say that we completely have this process down would be false.
Every day is a learning experience as we take care of our Airmen and our future. We all have a lot to offer and a lot to learn. Pass those experiences on by talking about how to have better balance, understanding or discipline. There is something for everyone.