How are your ABCs?

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Matthew Frickey
  • 729th Air Control Squadron
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AFPN) --  When I hear the letters "ABC," Sesame Street, kindergarten or some other fundamental learning tool of my youth comes to mind.

These letters are not always used in an alphabetic sense -- in the military they can also stand for attitude, behavior and conduct. As adults in the Air Force, these letters should be used as a code for our actions, appearance and perceptions.

Several years ago when tennis star Andre Agassi was pitching cameras, he drove home the message that "Attitude is everything." It certainly is.

Attitude is the first element of the ABCs. Besides personal dress and appearance, it is the key to making a great first impression. Attitude can be either positive or negative.

Attitude is projected in degrees. Unfortunately, there are days when your car breaks down, the alarm doesn't ring or your spouse is screaming; these are the days when your attitude can be negative.

We may not like it, but presenting a negative attitude renders an improper military image and can damage our professional demeanor. This is where self-discipline and control help us deal with our attitude.

Either we become aware of our negative attitude or some outside source shows us the error of our ways. This should be a moment of self-realization where we take control and get rid of it.

If you have trouble getting rid of this negative attitude, you should solicit the help of a supervisor or use the chain of command where appropriate. In any case, a bad attitude is infectious; it can spoil the manner of younger, impressionable airmen.

Attitude is the easiest part of the ABCs to reciprocate, while behavior is more difficult.

A person with a bad attitude will let you know within several minutes of conversation. Behavior, on the other hand, is more elusive and a lot of times it is not until someone demonstrates bad behavior that we are able to identify a problem.

Writing bad checks, drinking and driving, lying and cheating on promotion tests are all examples of bad behavior. These acts are controllable by using self-discipline and making correct conscious decisions. Unfortunately we have things like peer pressure (and those who pressure us sometimes have bad ABC issues) that lead us down the wrong road and make being bad feel "cool."

The bottom line is we either conduct ourselves professionally with integrity or choose to use inappropriate behavior possibly affecting the Air Force mission.

The line between attitude, behavior and conduct is blurred and often fine. You could argue that they are one and the same. However your attitude and behavior basically sum up your conduct and should be treated as a package deal.

As airmen, all three can affect your career and personal development. The airmen in our Air Force are held to a higher standard for good reason and are expected to have a higher standard when it comes to our ABCs.

Conduct, like attitude and behavior, is a quality we can control. Good conduct is the result of a positive attitude and good behavior.

Whether you are in the Air Force 20 years or two years, you face conduct choices all the time. Choosing to do drugs is negative conduct. This is a conscious choice and is the perfect example of poor conduct.

The consequence of this decision affects the Air Force mission. Airmen are expected to fix multi-million dollar aircraft, provide security for billions of dollars in assets and make the United States of America a safer place to live. Poor choices and bad conduct won't be tolerated. Not following this letter in the ABC sequence could get you a one-way ticket out of the Air Force.

The only person who can control the fate of your career is you. Look around, and ask yourself these questions:

-- If you show up at work with a really bad attitude, how does it affect your behavior and conduct?

-- Can you trust yourself to have appropriate conduct and behavior if you cannot control your attitude?

-- When you are guilty of bad behavior and conduct, what is your attitude like?

Good or positive ABCs are like an equation: A + B + C = success. If one of the variables is missing, the formula fails.

Airmen who positively follow their ABCs will likely receive better feedback and enlisted performance reports and see their names put on quarterly packages. Airmen who fail to follow these fundamentals will ultimately feel the drawbacks.

They might receive counseling, have problems with the law and ultimately, could find themselves facing charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

We are in control of our own ABCs, and this affects our outlook either positive or negative.

What is the state of your ABCs? If they aren't positive, what are you going to do about it? (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service)