OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --
When I heard Osan’s leaders are making it a priority to organize more professional development opportunities in an effort to develop leaders at all levels, I leaped at the opportunity to attend a professional development course.
Officers of all ranks attended a flight commander’s course and seemed to leave with good takeaways. I was impressed that this course was not just a how-to guide for officers. Commanders, first sergeants and chiefs who were involved in open discussions were transparent enough to admit there’s no cookie-cutter approach to many of the issues we face in our organizations.
For me, no new leadership concepts were introduced but a theme that is constant in our Air Force was mentioned countless times and caused me to do some reflecting. That theme is "taking care of our Airmen."
It’s a big piece of the puzzle in Air Force culture, and we hear it all the time. It’s really nothing new and most of us probably think we have a full grasp of this concept. “To be successful at any level of leadership, you have to take care of your unit. In return, your unit will take care of you.” What does this really mean? I believe many of us in leadership roles have developed a skewed perception of this concept.
Some would agree when we hear “taking care of our Airmen,” it’s often associated with a mental checklist of tasks that involves making sure they do not run into issues that can affect them personally and professionally. “Are they meeting PT standards? Are they studying for promotion? Are they staying out of legal trouble? Do I need to help them reach out to a helping agency?” While this is important, I realized it’s not all encompassing.
After hearing several commanders share the knowledge they’ve gained from leading organizations, and thinking about my leadership experiences thus far, I connected the dots. I came to the conclusion it’s the environment we create in our organizations that determine whether or not we're truly taking care of our Airmen.
Taking care of our Airmen means taking the time to know them to understand what motivates them, and how as leaders we can challenge them to reach new heights, both personally and professionally.
It means being bold enough in our leadership roles that we’re willing to combat toxic behaviors, whether from subordinates, peers or superiors, because we’re aware of the detrimental impact this can have on an Airman’s drive.
It means setting the standard, evaluating our leadership approach and determining whether or not our expectation management is effective. Are we so lax that there’s an overall lack of accountability or are we micromanaging to the point there’s no sense of trust?
It means ensuring each Airmen understands how essential their role is in the organization.
These were just a few key points that came to mind after I left the professional development course. While this was nothing new, it was needed. I needed that time for introspective thinking. I’m still learning, but I realized I wouldn’t have this perspective if I had not encountered some of the circumstances I have during the first two years of my career. I thought about my leadership decisions, and the decisions of those who have led me. I’ve come to the conclusion leadership is a personal choice. It’s a choice we make or fail to make. Whether or not we make that choice is based solely on our character, and determines the impact we have on those who are capable of driving mission success.