Chief’s Corner: True greatness

The Air Force’s core value of service before self reminds us that service is not about serving ourselves, or for that matter being served, but is about serving others. Some have missed that point.

Do we care enough to lead by example, provide our people the resources necessary to accomplish the mission, and invest the time needed to develop our Airmen? We must serve our people so they can better accomplish the mission.

To properly serve others, we must first lead by example. It has been said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. If so, which of your qualities are your subordinates imitating?

The examples we set will last longer than our tenure. We need to show through our actions the example of the true servant leader. We must keep this tenet in mind: Airmen will not know it until you show it.

Furthermore, to help others strive for greatness, we need to provide the right resources.

We shouldn’t require our people to come up with the appropriate equipment and training on their own — that won’t work. By placing the right tools in the hands of the right people, we can better hope to get the mission done right the first time.

If our service does not include this principle we will never truly achieve greatness. Taking the time to deliberately develop our Airmen will also set us on the course to true greatness.

Co-mingled with our example and the correct resources is the need to invest the time to develop our Airmen. The demands on today’s Air Force are increasing. Airmen are embracing a new normal that places high demands on our units and our families. In situations like this, there is the tendency to place less emphasis on professional development. After all, the mission comes first, right? Professional development is part of our mission.

It is worth what some may see as a short term “inconvenience” for the long term return on investment. True greatness cannot
be achieved by short changing our people in this area.

Again, service before self is not about serving ourselves. It is about leading by example, providing our Airmen the resources to accomplish the mission, and investing the time to deliberately develop our people.

Leaders, let’s chart the right course. Aim high — fly, fight, win!