What happened?

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. John W. Miller
  • 48th Component Maintenance Squadron
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  A few months ago I was fortunate enough to serve as a chief mentor for Airman Leadership School Class 06E. This program allows chiefs to spend time at the ALS mentoring, teaching, listening and learning. I went to the school several times a week during the course and spent many hours interacting with the students. The ALS course is a non-attribution environment, where students are encouraged to speak freely to aid in the learning process. Throughout the course I listened as many students talked about their supervisors. Most talked favorably, while some did not. Some of the things I heard greatly disturbed me.

During ALS, students study counseling techniques, performance feedback, performance reports and many other areas. They must successfully complete written and performance based evaluations. When they graduate they have demonstrated the knowledge and capability to be supervisors. After listening to many examples of poor supervision, I posed a question to the class "What happened?"

What happened to those supervisors? Didn't they attend ALS only a few years ago? I know they were taught how to be good supervisors. I saw the curriculum. I know you must pass the evaluations to graduate. This tells me they knew the material. When they left ALS they were charged up and ready for anything. Now only a couple of years later, those graduates are not living up to the standard. What happened?

Is it that easy to forget? Are we, as leaders, letting them forget? I was stunned to hear many supervisors tell the students upon return to their work centers to forget everything they learned in ALS because "we don't do it that way here." If you are telling your Airmen to forget everything they learned, stop it. Each level of professional military education that we attend teaches the right way, the way it should be done at every location throughout the Air Force.

What about those of you who have attended the NCO academy or Senior NCO academy? Are you using the tools you were given to fulfill your obligation? Have you forgotten what you were taught? Are your Airmen using you as a bad example in an ALS discussion? If so, what happened?

If you are an NCO, it's time to step up, time to be a leader, time to set the example and fulfill your NCO responsibilities. Don't tell your Airmen to forget what they have learned. Show them how to apply it to real situations. Show them how to change "the way we do it here" to the way it should be everywhere: the right way. Or, will your subordinates sit in the next ALS class giving examples of your poor supervisory skills and poor leadership? And will we be asking "what happened?"