How to distinguish yourself from the pack

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Randee Kaiser
  • 90th Mission Support Squadron commander
The fourth quarter and annual award deadlines have come and gone. The question lingers: What does it take to be recognized? For commanders, recognition is a hot-button issue.

Why is it so contentious? For officers and enlisted people, recognition as a quarterly or annual award winner can be a bullet on a performance report, a stratifying statement. As we progress in our careers, competing against peers and winning may be a deciding factor in assignments, board scores, in-residence professional military education and more. For civilians, outstanding performance may be factored into annual incentive awards.

Over the years, I've developed a personal sense of what it takes to be an award winner.

Job knowledge and performance are key. Did you impact your workcenter, flight, squadron or major command by doing something faster, better or cheaper?

Quantifying is important but don't exaggerate. I'd like to see all the money and manpower we supposedly saved the Air Force over the past several years. With some of the exaggerations I've seen in packages, the Air Force would be able to fund a lot of quality of life projects.

Winning a tie-breaker is usually because the "other" categories are strong. Off-duty activities are important in your overall score. Professionals are distinguished by their skill and experience. What better way to enhance these traits than to get involved in volunteer work and self-improvement?

Volunteering on base and in the community is a sign of leadership and initiative. This past quarter, there were several opportunities to volunteer as key workers in the Combined Federal Campaign and for CFC fund-raisers. Over the holidays, volunteer programs gave our folks opportunities to get involved and contribute. If you had a leadership role in any of these, even better. Initiative and leadership are good qualities in professionals.

Self-improvement via off-duty education is important. Don't think the board members can't deduce you've been carrying around the same 38 credit hours toward a future Community College of the Air Force degree. I've seen annual award bullets with the same number of credits as the first quarter. Not an impressive accomplishment and more often it hurts rather than helps. Get going on your education.

Don't include things you didn't do during the award period. One fund-raiser in the summer may have been noteworthy but don't sneak it in the October-to-December quarter. What not to include in the write-up is just as important as what to put in.

I realize some of you will always have the perception that the quarterly and annual award process rewards the competitive person at the expense of the "hard worker" and misplaces the recognition. I give my vote to the professional -- the individual who excels at his job, takes initiative, contributes to the community and betters himself. That's the essence of professionalism.

Want to win? Then distinguish yourself from the pack and make an impact. Make yourself competitive for an award that matches your talents, interests and strengths.

Supervisors, when your troop approaches you and asks "Why didn't you nominate me?" be ready to defend your criteria for what it takes to represent your section, flight or command at the next level. (Courtesy Air Force Space Command News Service)