Page 2 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, January 22, 2021

2 January 22, 2021 Commentary Desert lightning news s. nevaDa Desert lightning news s. nevaDa news January 22, 2021 3
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Pearls of leadership philosophy Hunters welcome 15th AF leaders for inaugural visit

by Airman 1st Class William Rio Rosado
by Lt. Col. Angela Albrecht By being upfront with these expectations, “Punish in private. Praise in public.” Always Keep everything in perspective. Don’t Creech AFB, Nev.
Ramstein AB, Germany my squadron will immediately understand hold yourself and your people accountable to rush in to make short-term decisions. Take
there will be consequences should these red a high standard. all the facts into consideration, keep long- The 15th Air Force command team visited Creech
I’ve been in positions of leadership most of lines get crossed; there is no element of sur- Good leaders inspire Airmen to do great term goals in view, put fixes in place today Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 5, 2021, for their first im-
my career, and during those years, I’ve learned prise or excuses. things. They give them the values and rules, that will benefit the organization and your mersion since the wing was re-aligned under 15th AF
extensively about the difference, in my opin- Leaders must lead with integrity, as well as set the boundaries to operate within, then people both now and in the future. in August of 2020.
ion, between a bad leader and a good leader. by example. Leading by the “do as I do rather encourage their people to go out, make their Lastly, the Commander’s Inspection Maj. Gen. Chad P. Franks, Fifteenth Air Force
Some of those lessons I learned the hard than just as I say” philosophy establishes cred- own choices, and give them the freedom to try Program is only as good as the sensors and commander, joined by Chief Master Sgt. Benjamin
way, through trial and error and humbly ibility and reinforces trust. new things, even allowing them to make a few the operators within it. Engage, monitor W. Hedden, 15th Air Force command chief, toured
overcoming those mistakes. But most were Good leaders listen without being conde- mistakes along the way so they can learn and and direct the inspection process. Expect Creech AFB to learn more about the quality of life
through observing those I thought to be scending and are willing to hear what others grow from those mistakes. your programs to have deficiencies or per-
great leaders whose example I vowed to fol- have to say without rushing to judgment. Delegate! Delegate! Delegate! Yes, it would formance gaps, as it demonstrates you are for the installation’s Airmen, as well as the advance-
low. The following are a few pearls of lead- Always seek feedback from your commander, be easier and more efficient to do it yourself, actively monitoring and improving your ments in the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary
ership philosophy that I’ve gathered along your subordinates and your peers. This but that doesn’t allow for personal and profes- processes - “Embrace the red!” Wing’s mission.
this journey. 365-degree look provides valuable insight sional growth for the people you lead. This is Always have cross checks in place — “The Hunters’ dedication to each other, and their
As a leader, it’s important to know who into your leadership style and potential areas probably your biggest role as a leader — to “Trust but verify.” And, I recommend that mission is like no other,” Franks said. “From their
you are and the values and rules that you will for improvement. groom future leaders. “Build the Bench.” you have your own squadron CIMB as one beginnings as an auxiliary unit to now, they have
abide by, regardless of the circumstances you Also, good leaders are honest and forth- Remember, we have a mission to do. There- means of a cross check so you can stay in- proven their dedication to innovation and growth.
face. It is your duty as a leader to both know right with their people; they communicate fore, you can’t be afraid to make demands formed and current on the health of your I have confidence they will continue to lead the way
and openly communicate those values and openly and often, with their commander, of the people you lead. Good leaders under- CCIP, and be better prepared to contribute as the 15th AF builds its vision for the future of the
rules of engagement with the people you lead. subordinates and peers to provide that same stand it’s a mistake to be too soft, just as it’s a to our boss’ own Commander’s Inspection Remotely Piloted Aircraft enterprise.”
This creates an atmosphere of certainty, valuable and critical performance feedback mistake to be too harsh; you must strike that Program. The team began their immersive visit at Creech’s
trust and transparency. For example, it’s and share ideas. fine balance. Thank you for the opportunity to share
imperative that I develop and communicate Leaders must maintain good order and You need to have courage to direct people my leadership philosophy with you. Just air traffic control tower, overlooking the entire base
with my squadron members my “red lines” discipline, with a genuine desire to help the in the work that needs to get done, expressing like me, I’m sure you have also developed to give a broad view of the installation layout, and to
— circumstances or events for which I have people they lead to improve. If reprimand is belief or encouragement in your people’s abili- your own thoughts along your own jour- discuss the unique nature of the base as well as ongo- Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Haley Stevens
absolutely zero tolerance for: DUI/DWI, necessary, do it without anger and relay feed- ties, delegate duties, and teach or correct your ney as well. I hope that I may have opened ing projects, and key infrastructure critical to mission Maj. Gen. Chad Franks, 15th Air Force commander, is welcomed by 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing leadership
illegal drug use, sexual harassment and back in a direct, yet respectful way. Remem- people along the way. Motivate each individual your eyes to some new pearls to add to sustainment. to Creech Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 5, 2021. Franks and Chief Master Sgt. Benjamin Hedden, 15th AF command chief,
discrimination. ber, it’s the behavior that needs correcting. in your squadron to recognize their potential. your arsenal. After seeing Hunters’ daily operations from above, paid their inaugural visit as 15th AF leadership by immersing into the mission headquartered at Creech, and the
the next stop was the Persistent Attack and Reconnais- accomplishments of its Airmen.
sance Center, a tenant unit under the direct command
the Open Door and management, of MQ-9 operations. the wing’s group commanders for an overall quality of tentially in a new geographical area of responsibility.
of the NAF, for a closer look at the synchronization
The visit continued for Franks by diving deeper into life update, as well as a synopsis of the wing’s pursuit
This was the first of many visits for the historic
Mission Control Element side of combat operations for optimized training and equipping of the force for NAF, and leaders and Airmen from across the wing
at the 30th Reconnaissance Squadron, while Hedden the future fight. had the opportunity to share their work with Fifteenth
by Lt. Col. Brian Low tion is critical to building a healthy workplace environment. section was doing an excellent job of managing his resources observed the connectivity and maintenance of the The conversations touched on several subjects, such Air Force leadership.
F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. That healthy environment now allows your Airmen to ap- and caring for his personnel. mission by visiting the 432nd Aircraft Communica- as the MQ-9 Reaper’s Automatic Takeoff and Landing “We were honored to host the 15th AF leadership
proach you with their questions, issues and problems. General About half way through the deployment, one of the young tions Squadron, soon followed by a distanced meet- Capability testing successes, and future implementa- team,” said Col. Stephen Jones, 432nd Wing/432nd
“I have an open door policy” is something that we have all Colin Powell once said, “Leadership is solving problems. The female Airmen in the section stopped by my office and asked and-greet. tion as well as the 25th Attack Group’s strides toward Air Expeditionary Wing commander. “The visit gave
heard many times from leaders at every level across the Air day Soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you to speak to me and the superintendent. After some light “I always look forward to visiting Airmen on the Reconstitution. Reconstitution is an opportunity for us an opportunity to showcase the daily global impact
Force. While this is a common phrase, how often is it truly have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence conversation, she proceed to tell us about the on-going sexual
meant? that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is harassment her and other females in the section we subject to flight line,” Hedden said. “As a prior maintainer, it combat squadrons to take a temporary pause in their our wing has on national security. Plus, our Airmen
I strongly feel that leaders need to be accessible to those they a failure of leadership.” on almost a daily basis by the NCOIC. What we found was the keeps me humble and reminds me where I came from.” 24/7 missions and focus on garrison unit functions demonstrated their ability to adapt to the challenges
lead. This can be done many ways, from visits to your work I learned the importance of creating the right environment NCOIC was able to present a positive face and in the background Franks and Hedden reconnected for a mission up- such as advanced training and certification, before re- of COVID-19 while executing the mission with con-
centers, presence on the job site, office calls or even something early on in my career. I would like to relay an experience that I threatened his subordinates to not bring up anything that was date in the 867th Attack Squadron, before rallying with suming round-the-clock combat RPA operations, po- tinued excellence and precision.”
as simple as really having an open door while working in your had as a captain where creating the right environment allowed happening when leadership was not present. The Airman that
office. Ensuring you are available is the first step to having your me the opportunity to help a young Airman. came forward, her biggest concern was that we would not do C o l . S t ep h en
Airmen approach you. While deployed overseas, I was serving as a flight com- anything once the situation came to light. Jones, left, 432nd
Trust is also an important aspect in truly having an “Open mander covering all civil engineer activities at a base. The I was and am still grateful that this young Airman had trust
Door” policy. Stephen R Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly majority of my young Airmen were located in my escort in me and my superintendent that she would bring this to us Wing/432nd Air
Effective People, stated, “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most section providing oversight of all contractor actions on the for action. Most importantly, to maintain that trust you must E x p e di t i o n ar y
essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foun- base. My superintendent and I made it a focus to visit them act and work to solve the problem. Wing commander,
dational principle that holds all relationships.” Your Airmen as much as possible, but due to the long hours they worked, In this case, as soon as she left the office calls were made surveys the base
need to trust that you will listen, trust that you will take action. when we visited it was more often than not in the field while to the squadron commander and first sergeant. The NCOIC from an air traffic
Building trust is not easy and takes work on your part as a leader. they were conducting escort duties. For many, it was their first and other NCOs in charge of that section who stood by control tower with
Trust leads into building the right environment that pro- deployment and overall what they relayed to us was high job and allowed the harassment to happen were removed by Maj. G en. Chad
motes improved communication and makes it easier for your satisfaction and enjoyment with the deployment. From the Franks, right, 15th Air
Airmen to come to you with problems. Open communica- outside, it appeared that the technical sergeant running the See dOOr, on Page 6 Force commander,
at Creech Air Force
Base, Nev., Jan. 5,
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Desert Lightning News Staff are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national and conformity to the Associated Style Guide, to out new structures Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class William Rio Rosado
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