Values are hallmark of true professionals

  • Published
  • By Col. David Francis
  • Staff Judge Advocate
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AFPN) --  From entry-level training for new recruits to the every-day news coverage of events in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere around the world, we are constantly told that today's military is the most "professional" in America's history.

Within the Air Force, we pride ourselves on being "professional" officers, airmen and civilians who provide "professional" support to our warfighters.

Despite this, few of us ever take the time to think about what being a professional in today's Air Force really means. Were we to do so, I think most of us, while we have some idea of professionalism in the broadest sense, would agree that it is hard to define.

In fact, there are so many aspects to professionalism, both large and small, that it would take a lifetime to fully explore. Even then, I expect we would all come up with different definitions.

There are, however, certain fundamental values that the many professionals I have been privileged to meet in my career hold dear. I want to share what I believe are four of the most important.

To me, these four values epitomize the "IDEA" of the true professional.

Integrity:

The "I" in "IDEA" represents the single most important part of professionalism. It is the very bedrock upon which our professional military stands and without which it must surely fail.

That foundation is integrity, once described by Gen. Lee Butler, last commander-in-chief of Strategic Air Command, as "that rock-ribbed, uncompromising, deeply rooted commitment to doing what is right in the face of all obstacles, consequences and temptations to do otherwise."

Integrity is the priceless commodity that allows us to trust our leaders with our careers, our military family environment and, in times of war, even our lives. It is also the essential ingredient that allows all of us to work as a team, to depend on the person next to us to do his or her job both well and honestly, so we can do ours.

Integrity involves more than what we normally think of as basic honesty. All of us know and recognize that we should not lie, cheat or steal, but that is just the easy part.

The hard part is knowing and making the right choice when the issues are much smaller or less clear-cut. Do you resist the urge to "borrow" government pencils, pens or other small supplies for the kids to use in school?

Do you avoid taking part in damaging rumors or gossip about fellow airmen and co-workers, and stop others from doing so? Are you honest in your appraisal of those who work for and with you?

How many times have you as a supervisor been assigned a new worker who did not measure up to standards but had received the highest possible ratings on his or her last evaluation? How many of you, in rating your own people, have allowed your own appraisal of an individual's performance to be shaded by your personal friendship with that person?

You might think it doesn't matter, but how would you feel, and how would that person feel, if because of such a sterling, untrue rating, he or she was assigned to a critical job without the proper skills, causing that person and the mission supported to fail miserably?

The point is that our system requires, and is built on the need for, both individual and organizational integrity. True professionals recognize that goal and strive to meet it.

Dedication:

"D" in the "IDEA" of professionalism stands for dedication. In my time in the Air Force, I have slowly come to realize that nothing is truer than that old recruiting slogan: "The Air Force is more than just a job -- it is a way of life."

Anyone who doesn't think so needs only to spend a tour at one of our overseas bases or on deployment, where we all have to function together as part of our own small community.

Because of the closeness in which we all live and work, we cannot treat the Air Force as just another 8 to 5 job, shedding all responsibilities when we leave work and ignoring the needs of our communities until we return the next day. As professionals, we have to be willing to dedicate ourselves not to just the routine part of our work, but to the success of our overall mission and the quality of life in our communities.

Professionals enthusiastically put in the extra hours to get the job done. They volunteer, and encourage their families to volunteer, to fill the needs of our community to the best of their ability, whether as an office volunteer, a choir or Sunday School leader, a coach for one of the base teams, a Boy or Girl Scout leader, or any number of other jobs that mean the difference between just living and enjoying a true quality of life.

Dedication also means dedicated support of Air Force requirements and policies, as set forth in Air Force directives and instructions. As Air Force professionals, we have an obligation to learn and understand Air Force policy and to fairly and honestly apply that policy to the best of our ability, even if we might not agree with it on a personal level.

This applies to simple issues like drug abuse, and to the more emotionally charged, far-reaching issues like homosexuals in the military, or even the need for our recent, massive organizational changes.

Embrace change:

"E" in "IDEA" means we must embrace change. Change in today's Air Force is a fact of life. As professionals, we must recognize that we do not live in a static environment.

Our mission and Air Force structure constantly shift to meet the needs of our changing world environment and changing technology. Change is inevitable and, if we are to continue to perform our mission, and do it well, we cannot fight that change. We have to embrace it and recognize that we are uniquely trained and qualified to deal with it.

As professionals, we must not only accept change; we must also plan for it and shape it with our own vision, to the best advantage of the Air Force. Someone once asked Helen Keller, who was born deaf, blind and mute, "What could be worse than being born without sight?" She responded without hesitation: "Being born with sight, but without vision."

True professionals recognize the truth of that statement and build on change, with a vision of what might be. They do not accept the status quo, but constantly strive to make it better.

Action:

The "A" in "IDEA" stands for action, again and again and again. You can be as personally honest, dedicated and receptive to change as the day is long, but if you do not put those qualities into action, they amount to nothing.

As professionals, we not only have to recognize the value of these ideas, but also have to work at achieving them. We have to get involved in our communities and constantly work to correct our own actions and those of others around us.

Integrity, dedication, embracing change and action -- these are the hallmarks of the true professionals I have known and the values we must all strive for if we are to live up to their example. (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service)