Nurturing the future, grooming Airmen for success

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. James B. Erwin
  • 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron
ALI BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  What does taking care of your troops mean to you? Does it mean giving in to every want, concern or need?

To me, it means to give the troop everything he or she needs to be successful. After all, they are the Airmen who will replace today’s leaders, and we owe it to them to make sure they are prepared. Troops need education, discipline, opportunities and role models.

Education is important to our young and upcoming Airmen. In some ways, they are already smarter than us. Don’t believe me? Grab a young Airman and a VCR, IPOD and computer and find out who gets at least two out of three working first.

Our Airmen need mentors to be competent and confident in their duties and the lifestyle of the Air Force. The philosophy I have been brought up with is to get qualified and/or certified on your duties first and then knock out your career development courses. These simple actions make new Airmen a valuable member of the team -- a member who can be relied on to complete any task or assignment they are given.

Challenge Airmen with the opportunity of off-duty education after they are duty-qualified and have proven themselves competent. This will not only benefit the Air Force but will make the Airmen more productive because they are doing something for themselves. With formal education, their thinking becomes clearer and their ability to communicate is enhanced, often times reducing the workload of the supervisor. I don’t mean do the supervisor’s work. Even if they make a career out of the Air Force, at some point they will need to close that chapter in their life and walk into the civilian world. What a great feeling it is to know you’ve helped them along the way.

Troops also need discipline. When most people hear the word discipline they immediately think of the old sergeant chewing out a troop or Airman Smith standing in front of the commander’s desk receiving some form of administrative action. Unfortunately, there are times when these things are necessary and these actions aren’t taken lightly. These actions can often be avoided if supervisors are actively engaged with their troops and encourage conduct that warrants rewards instead of punishment.

The side of discipline that goes unnoticed is the reinforcement or reward side. It doesn’t take a lot of time to give a deserving Airman a pat on the back, type a quick thank you note or letter of appreciation, or say thanks for a job well done in front of their peers and supervisors. Little things, such as these are money in the bank for the leader who recognizes the individual’s efforts and sets a marvelous example for the Air Force.

As Airmen grow they need opportunities to enhance their skills. They need to be allowed to stumble, but not fall. Some experiences are best learned from failure and serve as a test of character. This is a fine line that supervisors need to monitor. Supervisors do not necessarily have to be right over the shoulder, but close enough to step in if things start to go off course or situations move too fast for the troop.

Experience is the best teacher; troops learn what to do and what not to do. Give them the opportunity to succeed. Even if they fail, they should have learned something that makes them a little smarter and little more prepared for the next time. No leader or supervisor has gotten where they are by being perfect.

Education, discipline and opportunities are all important, but to make sure Airmen understand the path, they need a map. They need role models. Often the role model is the immediate supervisor or trainer, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Granted, supervisors may spend more time with the individual, but anyone who has more rank or time in the service automatically becomes a role model, and that’s not always the best thing.

Positive role models are vital not only for the Air Force to complete its mission but to set the tone of what is expected from troops as they grow into the Air Force family. Supervisors and leaders need to set a positive example because the higher we move up the chain of command the more we are looked at.

United States Air Forces Europe Command Chief Master Sgt. Gary Coleman told a group of new chief master sergeant selects: “Welcome to the top 1 percent. You are now living in a fish bowl. People will be watching you just to see what you do. They don’t mean to but they do. Because of the stripes you wear, you are the ‘know all’ of everything in the Air Force, and what you say and do will be considered gospel to some.”

In a nutshell, there are good role models and bad ones; both can be positive learning experiences for the new Airman. They learn what not to do from the bad role models, and from the good ones they learn to do what is right.

So, what does taking care of your troops mean to you?