Leading through change

  • Published
  • By Col. John Payne
  • 615th Contingency Response Wing vice commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Leading through change is a challenge that never goes away, impacts all levels and crosses over from our professional to our personal lives. What does it mean? Leading through change means developing a successful strategy that helps us, and those who depend on us, to carry our successes forward and limit the stress of facing the unknown. It has become a cliché to talk about how the only constant in the Air Force is change. The reality is life is a continuous change and the Air Force is not exempt.

Travis has been dealing with changes in our civilian force and there are more hard choices being debated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. We remain a nation at war, but the size and scope of current operations has changed dramatically. One day it will come to an end, but after 11 years of fighting, a significant portion of the Air Force has never known any other way.

The 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force recently inactivated, the 615th Contingency Response Wing will follow suit in May and 650 members of the wing will help create a new 621st Contingency Response Wing. Finally, many of us will move our families around the globe to new duty locations.

Whether the changes are big or small there are common characteristics to a successful strategy. First, recognize everybody is impacted by the change. Understanding the concerns and priorities of those around you is fundamental. It has been my experience that Airmen and our families can tackle almost any challenge with determination and optimism if they know their issues are a priority for you. Importantly, it doesn't mean you solve all of their concerns, but acknowledgment and a sincere effort go a long way toward successfully navigating change.

Conversely, this does not mean your issues and concerns aren't equally important, which leads to the second point.

Recognize you are also impacted by the change. As important as it is to put yourself in the shoes of those around you, you also need to step back from yourself to appreciate and acknowledge how the change is affecting you. Our opinions are shaped by our experiences and we should not let go of life's lessons easily. Stepping back can give us perspective on whether or not those experiences fit within our new circumstances. If they do, lean on those experiences to help you move forward, if not, be open to input and help from those around you. That's the hidden benefit of change, it helps us grow.

The Airmen and families I have served with over the years are strong, capable people. They - you, are supportive, caring and understanding people who meet challenge head-on and succeed in ways unimaginable a generation ago. Your growth and successes are a direct result of facing one challenge after another, staying focused on the mission and always taking care of each other.