Communicate more than just the good news

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Jon Robinson
  • 71st Logistics Readiness Squadron commander
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  One thing I stress with all my team members during our "Get to know you" sessions is the importance of good feedback up and down the chain. The old adage holds true - "Bad news, unlike wine, does not get any better with time."

My team members know to fill me in when I do or say something that can be misconstrued and seem all wrong. I am not infallible and make mistakes every day -- just ask the 71st Mission Support Group admin section, my operations officer, my wife and a host of others.

I will not be aware of everything others are aware of and I want to improve on my bad habits and guffaws. There are several different ways feedback can be constructive.

I recall one instance at Base X where my superintendent advised me a member of the squadron had relocated furniture from the dorm common area to their own dorm room and planned to ship it in their household goods back to the United States.

This act had been noticed by other dorm residents and rightfully bubbled up to the superintendent. The individual was reprimanded, the furniture was returned to its rightful place and normalcy was restored.

A more difficult feedback is when bad news about leadership needs to be communicated to leadership.

Not too long after the Enron scandal unfolded in October 2001, a pioneer of the contemporary field of leadership studies, Warren Bennis, did an interview with the New York Times. He said, "Unlike top management at Enron, exemplary leaders reward dissent. They encourage it. They understand that, whatever momentary discomfort they experience as a result of being told they might be wrong, it is more than offset by the fact that the information will help them make better decisions."

Face it, we typically don't want to bring up information that can be construed as negative. But trouble uncovered and dealt with early-on, will usually be solved or at least contained.

That's why it's important to foster an environment where information needed to function effectively gets to the right people.

I like Samuel Goldwyn's humorous but serious motto -- "I don't want yes-men around me. I want everyone to tell the truth, even if it costs them their jobs."

I've been so blessed these past two years to work with outspoken civilian and military members who are not afraid to let me know how they feel about my decisions and offer their advice. I've grown from those experiences and I believe they have as well.

Whether the decisions at hand regard the future careers of military or civilian members or the personnel makeup of the Installation Deployment Readiness Cell, they are all important.
Sometimes honest feedback can hurt. It is not easy. And not everyone is capable of giving you the kind of answers you seek, even when you ask.

You'll find some simply don't want to provide feedback, aren't responsive enough or do not have the right attitude.

As much as possible, surround yourself with people you value and respect who are willing and honest enough to provide you with the kind of constructive feedback you need about yourself and your unit.

The next time you have a feedback session with your supervisor, insist on providing feedback on their performance as well so the growth is mutual. This mutual feedback can only make us a stronger team as we all strive to accomplish our mission to Develop, Deliver and Deploy...to Fly, Fight and Win!