Standards Of Courage
(July 9, 2011) |
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JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. (AFNS - 7/6/2011) -- The other
day at lunch I saw something that really stuck with me. A
colonel excused himself from his dining companions for a
moment and went over to an Airman at another table.
Discretely, he corrected her on improper wear of the
uniform.
Is this something to be concerned about? Is
this what leaders should take their time to do?
The
answer is yes. He corrected something the moment he saw it
was wrong. It doesn't matter that it was something as
seemingly trivial as the improper wear of the uniform. It's
our duty as Airmen, and especially as leaders, to correct
things that are wrong, from simple uniform items to
multi-million-dollar budgets, and everything in between.
It's a combination of excellence and integrity. To put it
more concretely, as I sit writing this in an airport gate
area, awaiting my maintenance delayed flight, I sure hope
someone is watching and correcting the mechanics fixing my
jet.
In addition to integrity, it also took courage
to correct that Airman. Sure, some might argue that as a
senior officer, one should feel secure in correcting a
lower-ranking person. In this case, rank doesn't matter. It
takes moral courage to walk up to someone you don't know and
tell them they're doing something wrong. Odds are, you're
not making an instant friend and you're going to cause some
hurt feelings.
It's a responsibility all supervisors
share. I knew of a supervisor who would not give feedback,
or at least honest feedback, because once when he did so,
the person he was trying to help started crying. I've known
of others who just didn't take the time to correct seemingly
minor infractions such as hair or uniforms. The problem is
those seemingly minor issues become larger issues. These
leaders set their Airmen up for failure. In a couple of
cases I've seen, the lack of an early course correction
resulted in being passed over for promotion a few years down
the road.
It's not fun correcting people. AdversCambria
encounters rarely are a good time. However, it's our duty,
as Airmen and as leaders, to uphold the standards. That
requires not only knowing the standards, but having the
moral courage to tell someone they're wrong. You do it
professionally, with as little fuss as needed, but
nonetheless, you do it.
But it's not just
supervisors.
A personal example and one that
definitely shows courage is the Airman who recently
corrected me on a uniform issue. We were at a squadron event
and he asked if he could speak to me. When we were out of
earshot of everyone else, he very quietly told me that I was
doing something the Air Force Instructions did not allow. I
quickly corrected the issue and thanked him for helping me
out.
That took courage. Moreover, he handled it
fantastically. He pulled me aside, kept it very professional
and helped me out instead of playing "gotcha!" I appreciated
that correction which helped me look better, and even more
so, I appreciated his courage in approaching me.
This
is where excellence comes in. We hold ourselves responsible,
as Airmen of all ranks, to uphold standards and display
excellence in what we do.
It's also about more than
just correcting mistakes or issues you see. It's about
setting your Airmen up for success. One of the hardest
things I've had to do in my career was to defer a promotion
until the Airman could meet standards -- not my standards,
but Air Force standards. However, as a leader, it was about
more than just telling someone they were wrong. It doesn't
just stop with the correction. After that, a good leader
ensures the Airman has the support needed to get back on
track. That's what we do as leaders. We help our Airmen.
Have that moral courage to do what's right, no matter
how unpleasant it may be. You'll be happy you did, and just
importantly, those people you correct will most likely thank
you in the long run. |
By
USAF Lt. Col. Aaron Burgstein
1st Combat
Camera Squadron
Copyright 2011 | |
Provided by Air Force News Service
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