|
Airman 1st Class Jonathan Sheaffer wears a fireman’s helmet as a
hazardous material technician for the City of Maricopa Fire Medical
Department, a coach’s cap as an assistant high school football
coach, and a duty cap as a vehicle maintenance apprentice in
Arizona’s KC-135 Stratotanker unit.
In April, he was named
Airman of the Year for the entire Arizona Air National Guard – an
honor bestowed only upon the most well-rounded, high-performance
junior leaders.
|
May 3, 2017 - U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jonathan Sheaffer,
161st Air Refueling wing vehicle maintenance apprentice, removes a
bolt from a water separator filter on an R-11 refueling truck at
Goldwater Air National Guard Base. The R-11 truck holds up to 6,000
gallons of fuel and is used to refuel the wing’s KC-135
Stratotankers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Matkin)
|
“The military, fire department and football organizations
are very similar,” Sheaffer said. “You can put them side by
side and they will match up. The titles may be different,
but there is still an organizational chart and chain of
command. You still need a certain amount of people and
special tools, but the structure of it is set up the same
way and someone is delegating authority, whether it’s the
head coach, the wing commander or [fire department]
captain.”
He said in each of these structures there’s
a leader shaping the organization, but, in his opinion, the
most effective leaders are those who can tailor their
leadership style to the individual.
“Knowing people interpret situations
differently, your leadership style will also affect them
differently,” Sheaffer said. “Everyone’s going to have a
difference in perspective and leaders should take those
perspectives in consideration.”
As a football coach,
Airman Sheaffer learned first-hand the nuances of
customizing leadership styles. He said some kids can be
pushed hard, while yelling at others may cause them to
breakdown; and then he has failed them.
“I’m not just
coaching them to be good football players, I’m coaching and
educating them to be good people,” he said. “If I cause a
kid to crumble, they’ll be less receptive.”
Having
these leadership skills helped Sheaffer when he entered Air
Force basic training and was chosen as his flight’s dorm
chief during the first week of training; a position he held
through graduation. He said his prior experience as a
leader, and as a follower, made it easier to talk and listen
to his fellow Airmen - urging them to do their best.
“Everyone’s background and situation isn’t the same,
especially in the military,” Sheaffer said. “There are
people from all over the country with diverse cultures, so
the same leadership style won’t work for everyone.”
He said customizing leadership and listening to subordinates
is one of the great things he has learned as a junior
firefighter. Firefighters, have all had the training and
they all know ways to complete their tasks; however, when
they are on scene of an accident his leaders seek input from
the team to come up with an incident action plan.
“The captain will tell us ‘okay, we are going to do these
three steps and meet these benchmarks,’” Sheaffer said. “If
we don’t meet those goals we pull back and reevaluate as a
team and ask ‘do we need to change strategies and do
something else?’. I’ve learned that even if you are the guy
in charge sometimes someone else may have a better plan. You
have to consider other’s perspectives even if it’s not the
right way to do it or the way things need to be done. They
will appreciate you having openly acknowledged their
insight.”
Sheaffer said he witnessed this dynamic
leadership in the vehicle maintenance shop during his first
day of on-the-job training after having returned from Air
Force technical school.
“We were removing the cab
off one of the Security Forces trucks and I was amazed at
all the hands involved completing the task and how
everyone’s input was valued,” said Sheaffer. “We were each
assigned an area of responsibility; making sure all the
lines and hoses were clear as the cab was lifted. Leadership
made it known if anyone saw something snagging or any other
kind of problem, you had carte blanche to halt the removal.”
Sheaffer said his shop leaders’ example showed him they
truly care about each Airman.
“If a message needs to
be conveyed that a behavior or a process needs to be
changed, it is directed in a constructive manner. Just like
the football player, they present it in a way that I don’t
internalize the message and feel criticized.
He said
he hopes as he grows in his roles as an Airman and as a
citizen that he can utilize the lessons he’s learned from
his current and past leadership.
“I won’t have
personal contact with everyone in my different roles,
whether at a city, state or national level; however, if I
conduct myself in certain way, my small part in the big
machine can ultimately impact everyone,” said Sheaffer.
“Even if it’s just marginally enough that they feel safer,
have a sense of pride for the nation and feel peace because
we military members have done the best we can.”
By U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael Matkin
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
Comment on this article |
