Back to school, back to basics

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Cherie-Anne Mauntel
  • 60th Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – As the new school year gets ready to kick off, I’m beginning to think about what the upcoming year will be like for my kids.  When my eldest son started kindergarten a few years ago, I worried the entire summer about how he would handle the transition. Would he like his teacher, make new friends and most importantly, would he enjoy school? All my anxiety was in vain because my son loved his class and was excited about all the new things he experienced on a daily basis.

Then last summer, my worries returned. We got orders and it would be the first time my son had to change schools. He handled it like a champ and completely enjoyed his teacher and the school year. One of the reasons I think he did so well is his teacher created an environment where the students worked as teams and they were taught it was OK to make mistakes.

My hat goes off to teachers who are able to inspire such a joy of learning. They have the laudable responsibility of filling those young minds with knowledge and setting the stage for their future development.   

In a similar vein, as leaders, we are tasked with shaping the young officers and Airmen that join our ranks. Like new students, these Airmen come to us eager to learn and ready to make a difference.

Too often, though, they become tainted due to a lack of mentorship, guidance and nurturing. The challenge, then, is to ensure we are laying the foundation from which new leaders will grow.

I contend that you can do this by simply going back to the basics. How many of you remember or are familiar with the "Little Blue Book" and the "Little Brown Book?" I still have my original (albeit a bit faded) copy of the Air Force Core Values that was given to me when I entered the military. Nowadays, you may just see it as a link entitled “Profession of Arms” on your desktop. I also have the Enlisted Force Structure booklet, Air Force Instruction 36-2618, that one of my senior non-commissioned officers shared with me as a young captain. Those two references provide a road map for professional growth as well as mission success. Over the years, I’ve noticed many supervisors, officer and enlisted alike, don’t really take the time to provide mentoring and discuss the content of those books with their new Airmen.

In addition to focusing on the core values and our enlisted core structure, another basic lesson that we should impart is the value of learning from our mistakes. By allowing our Airmen to take reasonable risks, make mistakes and sometimes fail, we encourage problem-solving, build resiliency and promote growth. 

There's a reason just about every graduation speech, commander's call and commentary makes some reference to the core values - they are that important. Similarly, since the enlisted corps forms the backbone of our operations, it is essential we all understand their roles and responsibilities. Equally important is understanding the way we respond to mistakes and failures is a critical determinant of success.

So, as school gets back in session and we get ready to develop the next generation of leaders, don’t over complicate matters, just get back to the basics. Do the right thing, put the needs of others above your own, do your best every day, know your job and do it well and learn from your mistakes. Embrace these virtues, teach others to do the same and grow tomorrow's leaders.