WEBVTT

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^- Hello. I'm Chief Master Sergeant John Wilde,

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^your Chief of Enlisted Matters, headquarters Air Force,

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^Directorate of Civil Engineers.

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Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule

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to listen to the five leadership tips

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that I, personally, value the most.

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First, we must value mission and people the same.

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From an airman and young NCO perspective,

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leadership and followership are closely tied together.

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That being an E4 and below airman,

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is a follower first but in that role,

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can be a leader within their peer group.

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The NCO however, has honed said followership skills,

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and now is balancing between

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being a leader of the First Term Airmen

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and a follower to our Senior NCO Corps.

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So my leadership tip for the senior airmen in blue,

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is to find your niche within your shop

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and find leadership opportunities.

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Two examples, are being voted in

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as an officer of an organization like the Dorm Council,

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which has the ear of the Command Chief,

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or request to be the shop Safety Representative,

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where the airmen and NCOs alike need to listen

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to you for safety expectations.

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Regarding our NCO Corp, my leadership tip is

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to start appreciating the organizational mission

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as it relates to the people you're responsible for.

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Leadership is about placing the mission

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as the number one objective, while understanding

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the mission is not completed without the people.

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For me, that means starting to develop your subordinates.

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Development equates to training our subordinates

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in their AFSC, concentrating on core

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and base specific line items in their training records

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without forgetting about contingency training.

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That development will increase

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the competency and confidence in our subordinates,

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which will equate, again, to mission success.

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Now regarding our senior NCO, my leadership tip

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is always work towards building a high performing team.

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That means, develop the skills of the person now

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to accomplish the mission.

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Create an environment of training that prepares a person

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to fill your role as a supervisor.

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And establish roles and expectations

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and make your entire team accountable for their actions.

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My second tip, is to hone your communication skills.

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Another key leadership skill that I have found

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that works well is the communication process

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between peers as well as up and down the chain of command.

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When communicating up the chain of command,

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I would only offer to extend the communication

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past your supervisor and start to communicate with your boss

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as if you're talking to your boss's boss.

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Communicating to your subordinates is often thought of

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as one way communication,

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that being we are part of a military hierarchy,

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so what I say, you will do.

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However, I offer that when you communicate

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to your subordinates try an open forum of communication

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where you pose a task or a mission problem and

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have your subordinate work towards an answer or solution

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that will help to develop their leadership skills.

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Communicating amongst peer groups,

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there tends to be a competitive competition.

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Therefore, I have learned to be one with my peers

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versus a competition.

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Talk at the same level with mission and task the focus.

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Convey to your peers that task completion

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will benefit your subordinates

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and the success of the mission.

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It has been my experience that peer groups,

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or multiple NCOs,

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will quickly realize that communication

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is not about one NCO trying to outdo or look better

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than another NCO, but rather that each NCO is working

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towards the common good of the unit and the people.

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Thirdly, is conflict management and conflict resolution.

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Now I subscribe to the idea that we can train

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anyone to do anything.

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We could train a monkey to be placed in a rocket

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and blast it into outer space,

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we can train a person to fly an F-35,

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and we can definitely train a person

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to be an effective leader.

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What is not easily trained is working through conflict.

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It could come in the form of work related conflict,

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for example, being honest with the competency skills

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of placing concrete or being honest to a firefighter

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on their approach to putting out a structural fire.

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Or it can come in the form of personal conflict,

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which I've experienced many times.

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For example, a person coming into the shop with

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bad personal hygiene, you have to fix it.

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People try to do their best and honest feedback

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tends to put people on the defensive.

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Being defensive drives the conflict.

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The leader needs to be honest in the feedback,

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knowing that the conflict will arise.

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Knowing that there will be conflict is the idea of

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managing it which transitions into conflict resolution.

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I have found that conflict resolution works best when you,

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as the supervisor, convey the problem to the subordinate

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and have the subordinate develop the solution.

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The point is, don't shun from conflict or feedback.

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When said feedback is offered, have the subordinate again,

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be part of the resolution.

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The alternative to both conflict management

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and conflict resolution, is ignoring the problem

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and we cannot do that.

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My fourth tip, is to have a buddy watch you lead.

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Asking a trusted peer or supervisor

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to watch you from a distance as you lead

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or provide direction, they'll give you honest feedback.

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In my opinion, is very important.

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As a young Master Sergeant attending Silver Flag training,

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I was a sight for a Sergeant.

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It was a position that I had never formerly experienced.

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I asked a seasoned Master Sergeant for advice

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at the beginning of training with the promise

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that he watch me throughout

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and give me honest feedback at the end.

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When we graduated, he told me the good things

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that he witnessed and shared that throughout the week

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he was listening to the team members.

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There were decisions that I'd made

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that did not seem fair to the team.

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Where I thought I was sound in my direction,

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I realized that the perception of a few decisions I made,

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drove an unwillingness to follow from those

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I was responsible for.

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So my point is, asking that Master Sergeant to watch

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and then give me feedback,

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gave me insight that I still use to this day.

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Lastly, be a lifelong learner.

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It is imperative to continue your

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professional and personal education.

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It also means, to capitalize on your life experiences.

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The Silver Flag example is a life experience that has

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equaled any professional and personal education

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that I've received.

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Based on an airman's continuum of learning, PME is expected.

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PME brings a level of learning

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that should not be sacrificed for the personal education

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opportunities offered through conditionally degree programs.

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Even if said degree you planned is not founded on

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leadership theory, the learned experience aid

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in how you will develop into a leader

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and be responsible for your subordinates and teams.

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So please remember,

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that a good airman is one who is a lifelong learner.

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