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Dispatches from the NCOA, part II: Proving you mean what you say

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Brannen Parrish
  • 931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs
MCGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tenn. --  Tech. Sgt. Brannen Parrish is the NCOIC of the 931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs Office. He is currently attending the Paul H. Lankford Non-Commissioned Officer Academy at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee, and is composing a series of first-person commentaries about his experiences and education there.

One of the most important aspects of the training we receive at the NCO Academy is what we often hear referred to as "re-bluing." If you aren't familiar with the term, it has to do with reinvigorating our Air Force culture so we gain a greater appreciation for our service as Airmen.

Early in the first week we became acquainted with our individual learning styles and personalities through a series of self-tests. The tests were designed to provide us with a better understanding of why we have certain preferences for work, learning, and dealing with individuals.

As NCOs, we are responsible to provide our leadership with honest feedback and trusted counsel. We also have a responsibility to our Airmen. We train them, mentor them and ensure they are prepared to become tomorrow's Air Force leaders.

James Kouzes and Barry Posner outline five practices of exemplary leadership in their book, "The Leadership Challenge." As NCOs in a modern Air Force, we must understand what these five practices are and how we can synthesize them to become more effective leaders.

The five practices are: model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart.

I'm going to focus this message on the first practice: Model the way.

Modeling the way

The first practice governs what you say and what you do. NCOs have a level of legitimate authority and power based on their rank and position. Though we never lose this power, we can undermine the authority we are granted if our actions are inconsistent with our stated values. According to Kouzes and Posner, "To effectively model the behavior they expect of others, leaders must first be clear about guiding principles." This means we must know and internalize our core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do. When we truly value these ideals, we act in a manner consistent with our claims and we expect our Airmen to demonstrate the same commitment to these values.

We've all heard the statement, "actions speak louder than words." This oft quoted adage is true. Our behavior around leaders, peers and subordinates tells them what we value. When our subordinates witness inconsistencies between stated values and actions, they may lose faith in our ability to lead and may begin to disregard the core values altogether.

If an NCO claims to value honest feedback and then ignores an Airman who offers an idea or concern, that is not demonstrating an openness to feedback. If we say our Airmen are our greatest resource and then treat them as mere tools for our own career progression, we don't demonstrate an understanding of their true value. When we think of Airmen as resources, we must consider the time and money our Air Force has invested in each of them. We have an obligation to taxpayers, our service, and each individual Airman to ensure their skills are utilized toward mission accomplishment.

Perhaps all of this talk about setting the example for the benefit of ourselves and our Airmen comes across as a bit "touchy-feely." However, there is another aspect to it.

As NCOs, we must demand the best of our Airmen. Some of us might believe that we are hurting the career of an Airman if we demand accountability. However, holding ourselves and our Airmen accountable for actions is in both the Airman's and our own best interests. Every counseling or feedback session offers us an opportunity to reflect upon what each member of the Air Force team could have done better. By correcting bad behavior in ourselves and our Airmen, we show we care about them. We show them they are part of an organization that truly demands excellence in all we do.

Core values are more than mere words designed to make us feel better about ourselves. If we fail to model the way, the core values we espouse will lose meaning to us and our subordinates will view them as empty words.

We must keep in mind the fact our actions do not occur in a vacuum. What we do affects those around us much like the tires on a vehicle. When a tire is out of balance, it will cause a slight vibration that becomes more noticeable as speed increases. An out of balance tire causes the tread to wear unevenly and the vibration may loosen other parts. If we are proactive and address the problem early, we can prevent costly repairs. If we fail to address it, the rest of the vehicle will suffer.

We as NCOs must make a firm commitment to keep ourselves balanced by addressing our own behavior and the behavior of our Airmen to keep the vehicle that is the U.S. Air Force running.