Take CARE of military's important asset

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Joe Lawley
  • 71st Security Forces Squadron
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  Our people are the most important asset in the military.
We have highly trained, highly educated and highly motivated people who get the job done day in and day out.
I have heard many times in my Air Force career, "Remember, you are training your replacement." This is so very true -- less than half of current Air Force Airmen were in the Air Force on Sept. 11, 2001, and less than 10 percent were in the Air Force during Desert Storm.
I have been a proud member of the U.S. Air Force for 22 years; three as a security forces member, 17 as a meteorological and navigational aids technician and the last two as a diamond-wearing first sergeant. I have always believed the saying, "Take care of your folks and they will take care of you." I believe Chief Master Sgt. Robert Walko, Air Force Pentagon Communications Agency first sergeant during the Sept. 11 attacks, was the first to use the word "care" as an acronym, and I believe he was right on the mark. I would like to take a little from the chief and add my spin on CARE. Each letter stands for my personal and professional thoughts on how to be a successful Airman and supervisor.
"C" is for communication. We need to take the time to listen to our people. We should find out what we can do to make their lives better. As each generation of Airman comes into the Air Force, each generation has its own values and ideals on how to do things. What worked for one generation may not work for the next. Each generation says they just don't understand the new one. Take the time to understand them; you will find a lot of the same hopes and dreams you once had.
"A" is for attitude. A positive attitude is contagious; a negative attitude is just not acceptable. For example, it's early in the morning and the first thing you do is get ready for work and your day just doesn't start out right. You know the Monday syndrome or good old Murphy's Law: the cat freaks out, the dog runs loose, the promotion ceremony doesn't go right. These events can, and will, change your outlook on the whole day if you let it, without an attitude adjustment. Are you going to take it out on your Airmen?
The simple solution is, stuff happens. Smile, get over it and move on. Remember, your attitude will affect not just yourself but those around you. You can gain respect by maintaining a positive attitude. I think it's essential to like yourself. You should be confident in your abilities and sincere in your concern. If all else fails, just look up at the flag and remember you are serving the world's best Air Force. The pride alone should put a smile on your face.
"R" is for respect. This is one of the most valuable resources in the Air Force. I believe respect is a two-way street; to be respected, you have to show respect to others. Respect is earned but it is also fragile; it is something you never want to lose because once lost, it's a gigantic battle to get back. We are not perfect, we will make mistakes, but we have to learn from them. The key is to learn and press forward with that knowledge.
"E" is for expectations. What do you as a supervisor expect from your people? Explain in detail to them what they will need to be successful -- not your own personal expectations, but those of the Air Force. As supervisors, we should be doing everything possible to make sure our subordinates succeed. The first meeting with our Airmen should be to communicate our goals for them, such as Airman of the month, Senior Airman Below the Zone and even Chief. I believe inside every Airman there is a superior performer just waiting to get out. We just need to communicate the right things to make sure they progress in our military. For example, explain the benefits of continuing education, give them ideas on volunteering in the community and even volunteer them for a task.
"Volun-told," as Airmen like to call it, is not a bad thing. As supervisors, we need to look for things we know our Airmen can do to shine. Volunteering our Airmen for things such as Airman of the month board wrangler, prompter for a promotion ceremony or helping out at the first-term Airman center are just a few opportunities for our Airmen to show they have the right stuff.
These are just some of the things we need to communicate to our people. Don't forget to take your unit mission into consideration when clearly stating performance standards, duty responsibilities and consequences if they don't comply. Make sure your Airmen know how they fit into the Air Force mission.
Lastly, we should make sure Airmen have the equipment, supplies and environment they need to work. In the last month, I heard a senior NCO say, "It was like that when I did the job, and if we gave them something nice they would just mess it up." This is completely the wrong attitude.
We as supervisors should always be looking for ways to improve the workplace; we should all strive to make it the best work center in the Air Force. Look around at your workplace -- does it need a coat of paint, new furniture, new carpets, new computers or even just a new process to get the job done more efficiently? Some of these take time to get approval and order the new items, but if we don't do it today we won't have it for tomorrow. These are small things, but it's the small things that improve morale and productivity.
Here is an idea to improve your office -- visit the Torch magazine Web page to receive free posters to put up in your office. Go to http://www.aetc.randolph. af.mil/se2/torch/index.htm, click on "products" and follow the instructions.
Team Vance does a great job improving the base, each and every day. Let's strive to do better.