View Airmen positively, because 'what you see is what you get' Published Nov. 28, 2006 By Maj. Richard Folks 71st Communications Squadron Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- "Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions ..." Harold Geneen Former chairman of International Telephone and Telegraph There are many things in the Air Force we cannot predict, but the one thing we can predict with 100-percent accuracy is every one of us will one day move on and the people just now joining the Air Force will succeed us. I don't know about you, but when I retire, I want to have full confidence the forces replacing me will be as competent, and hopefully more competent, so I can enjoy my retirement knowing the greatest military force in history will continue to be strong and defend my freedoms as an American. To ensure the future of America's defense, all of today's supervisors and leaders have a sacred duty to develop the leaders of tomorrow. As a supervisor or leader within your organization, what do you see when a new troop reports for duty? Do you see a training burden or do you see potential? I believe how you see your new troops has a great deal of effect on who they will become within the U.S. Air Force. Having a small squadron, I'm very fortunate to get to meet each and every new troop joining our unit. I tell each Airman that when I see them I see a future chief master sergeant, and I tell every officer that when I look at them I see my replacement and a future senior officer. And while the words conveyed to our troops are important, the actions we take in dealing with them and developing them into future Air Force leaders are so much more important. How then as supervisors do we go about training our replacements to lead tomorrow's Air Force? While seemingly a simple question, there are hundreds of books on developing leadership. I don't pretend to be an expert on the subject, but I would like to offer a few ideas that consistently stand out in military and academic circles. First, to raise a great leader, you must instill in them an understanding of the value of human dignity and respect. Many of us have had first-hand experience with bosses who publicly berate their subordinates and who rule by terror and intimidation. As a lieutenant, I personally observed a boss throw a coffee mug at his secretary. This same officer launched a tirade of expletives my way when I made a mistake during a briefing. My take from experiences with this officer was, "I don't want to be anything like him." The inverse of leading through terror and intimidation is leading with dignity and respect. A real leader values every member of his or her organization, sees their potential and seeks to develop it. Col. Bryan Benson, our new wing commander, summed it up nicely in his introductory meeting with the group and squadron commanders. He said we should apply the platinum rule in dealing with our people. The platinum rule is "Treat others the way they want to be treated." This rule focuses on the feelings of others and finds value in their individuality. Second, to develop a great leader, we must teach them to communicate. Great speakers, listeners and writers must be valued and developed so that Air Force issues can be communicated effectively. Moreover, since our troops are promoted based on written products, all future leaders must be exceptional writers to take care of their people. As for the importance of listening, an unknown wise man once quipped, "I never learned anything while I was talking." One way of developing communications skills is to ensure new people are given the opportunity to brief during commanders calls or in some other "low threat" forum so they can build confidence in their speaking abilities. In addition, we must take every opportunity to develop Air Force writing skills, especially those that don't necessarily make sense, such as EPR and OPR writing. Finally, we must let out troops know they are valued. Our young Airmen, be they enlisted or officer, are the ones who truly execute the Air Force mission and make it work day in and day out. As supervisors and leaders, we must convey how truly proud we are of their accomplishments and their commitment to the service of their country. Pride is the cornerstone of excellence in every organization ... as leaders we must ensure our troops feel the pride that comes from hard work and dedication. At the end of the day, "what we see is what we get." How we perceive our young troops and treat them from day one will have a great influence on the future of our Air Force and our country.