Page 2 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, June 1 2018

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Why is it so bad to ask ‘why?’
by Tech. Sgt. Ryan Crane
Keesler AFB, Miss.
“Shut up and color.”
Sound familiar?
I, like many noncommissioned officers
today, came up in an Air Force that seemed to cultivate a mentality that Airmen follow orders without wasting time with unneces- sary questions. After all, this is the military and lives are at stake, right?
I learned my first assignment was like a minefield; ask the wrong question and you were liable to lose a limb. During one such encounter, my supervisor, a staff sergeant, marched up to my desk and dropped a binder in front of me.
“Skim this,” she said. “Sign the form in the back and bring it to me when you are done.”
The binder contained our operational security policy and critical information list. As Airman Crane, I had never heard of OPSEC and had no idea how it pertained to me. I wanted to learn as much as possible and figured if something required my sig- nature to prove I understood the content, I should know how it related to my job.
Not knowing I was about to step directly on a land mine, I asked my supervisor, “Why?”
How does this relate to my job, and
why is this important to the Air Force? I wanted to read this binder with the con- text required to reach the proper level of understanding.
“Did I say you could ask questions, Air- man Crane? Read the binder, then sign. That is all you have to do.”
I was shut down immediately, dejected and disappointed that the person charged with leading me was not willing to help me to learn.
Courtesy graphic
To this day I am not sure if she didn’t know the answer to my question or if she couldn’t be bothered to sit down and explain the importance of OPSEC to someone whose job required them to photograph F-15E Strike Eagles.
Whether it was intended or not, I got the message. My supervisor was not going to give me my “why.”
Iwasupsetatthetime,butIamno longer bitter. I am thankful she seared
this memory onto my brain because now I make an effort to provide the “why” to the teams I lead.
The mentality that my story illustrates is not extinct in today’s Air Force. We are a product of our environment, after all, and if you were surrounded by that behavior, there is a good chance you chose to adopt it as well.
I recently attended a professional devel- opment course with my peers and we had the opportunity to speak with a group of relatively new Airmen to pick their brains and to better understand how the next gen- eration sees the Air Force. During that back and forth, the question of “why?” came up.
Consensus amongst the Airmen panel was that they love asking “why,” but there are obviously right and wrong times to do so. They also conceded there are right and wrong ways to phrase the question. Overall, their answers were exactly what business consultant Simon Sinek would say makes the question so important, especially for this generation of Airmen.
“What” and “how” are short sighted. They tell the Airman exactly how to get from point A to point B. “Why” is inspira- tional. “Why” gives purpose to the task; it gives them the buy-in to the organization
See Why, on Page 5
lead with Perspective
by Col. Patrick G. Miller
MacDill AFB, Fla.
“If you were in charge for a day, what would you change?”
This is a popular question leaders ask. The intent of the question is to gain perspective. Often times, one’s view is based on where they sit. So to compensate for personal biases and capitalize on the diverse skills, talent, and ex- perience of the team, leaders turn to perspective-taking to identify issues and solve problems.
Perspective-taking involves looking at a situation from multiple angles. A good leader will seek input from a vari- ety of sources to ensure they have the full sight picture. Too many times, individuals allow their emotions, biases, or personal experience to cloud their judgment, causing them
to anchor on a position or solution without all of the facts. For example, let’s look at a simple math problem: I+XI=X(i.e.,1+11=10)
No doubt, many of you are convinced this equation is
wrong. And if you anchor on the traditional view of read- ing left to right and standard mathematical conventions, then you are correct. However, if you view the problem from a different perspective, let’s say by turning it 180 degrees so that the problem now reads X = IX + I (or now 10 = 9 + 1), you realize the way you look at a problem mat- ters. The basic components of the problem are the same; however, a different view provides a different understand- ing. Something many of us viewed as incorrect due to looking at the problem from one angle can, in fact, have a very different solution.
So why does this matter? In today’s challenging en-
vironment of limited resources, no-fail missions, and competing requirements, we need to take advantage of our collective wisdom. By getting multiple perspectives on a problem, we are able to see complex challenges with more clarity, strengthen relationships, garner buy-in from the team, and ultimately make better decisions.
The next time you are faced with a problem, whether it be mission-related or dealing with personnel issues, take a look at it from as many perspectives as possible. Look at it through the lens of your boss, your peers, your custom- ers, the impacted individual, function or office, and your team. Once you view the problem from multiple angles, transition from perspective-taking to perspective-seeking. Ask questions from people within each one of these groups. You’ll quickly learn that perspective matters and together we can overcome any challenge.
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