Leadership, attitude, teamwork

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Brian Jurkovac
  • 43rd Airlift Wing chief of safety
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Too often, people depend on unit leadership to define how "good" things are. In reality, they are the ones who make their organization a better place to work.

Everyone has a stake in the effectiveness, health and welfare of his or her organization, base and community.

When I ask others about their best assignments or most rewarding experiences, their answers are surprising.

They list assignments to austere places supporting difficult missions, deployments and contingencies. They don't always list the garden spots typically found on our dream-sheets.

This is because people make the assignment what it is. It is not the hardware, the building or the location. You determine how good or bad your assignment was, is or will be.

Here are my top 10 ways of making the best of one's present situation.

Understand your mission: Could you describe your unit's mission to a visitor or new servicemember? Could you articulate how your specialty fits in? If not, ask an "old head" who has been around a while. You may just find out how rich a heritage your unit has and its historic significance on the preservation of freedom and democracy around the world.

Have loyalty in your unit: Learn to trust the decisions and actions of your leadership. Resist the temptation to "bad-mouth" when things don't go exactly as planned. Be part of the solution to unit challenges. Being loyal means helping others when they need you and taking action when you see an opportunity for improvement.

Maintain standards: Check yourself every day, starting with your uniform, your performance and, most of all, your attitude. You know what the standards are. Live up to them. Your unit will reflect the standards you set. Job competency is too often the toughest standard.

Keep learning: Check your "know-it-all" attitude at the door. Try to learn something new about your unit's mission, people or equipment every day. Never let your rank, job title or experience get in the way of learning. Above all, learn how to do things the safest way, the right way. As you learn, the whole unit becomes smarter, more diverse and more capable.

Mentor: The best way to have great folks in your unit is by teaching them the ropes and sharing your experiences. Spend time with your troops; show them, tell them and teach them the pitfalls of disaster and the ingredients for success.

Listen: Listening is an essential communication skill. Your troops will bring you their problems, but they can also bring you outstanding ideas if they know you will listen.

Participate: Participating in unit activities, both on and off duty, go into making the team a cohesive combat-ready element. Hone your leadership skills by spearheading a unit project.

Be considerate: One very basic social skill I learned as a child was "it was nice to be important, but it was more important to be nice." Be considerate of others. That doesn't mean you can't tell it like it is, but you can do so nicely. Displaying even the simplest courtesies, like being on time, prepared and using the words "please" and "thank you" go a long way.

Have integrity: There is no contribution more significant to the health and success of your unit than integrity.

Show pride: You can be proud and enthusiastic about your unit without being boastful or arrogant. Pride is in the way you do your job; the way you never quit; the way you care about your performance and your unit's achievements. Pride means you deliver on your promises and can be counted on when the going gets tough and the hours are long. Pride never says "It's good enough for government work."

It is not the equipment or the weapons that make us great! It is you and the way you come to work every day. (Courtesy of Air Mobility Command News Service)