Leaders must stay committed to their Airmen Published Jan. 8, 2009 By Chief Master Sgt. Michael Williams 60th Air Mobility Wing command chief TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Last night my son and I watched the National Bowl Championship Series College Football Championship Game; Oklahoma vs. Florida. As we watched the game my mind drifted and landed upon a Vince Lombardi quote, "Coaches who can outline plays on a blackboard are a dime a dozen. The ones who succeed are those who get inside their players and motivate them." This thought provoking quote underpins the basic principle of leadership, and is the main reason, in my opinion, why many leaders struggle with leadership or quite frankly, don't know how to lead. Leading in its simplest form is the art of influencing or motivating others. As a leader there's no greater joy than seeing someone under your leadership and tutelage blossom, grow and reach their full potential. As we begin the New Year we must not only recommit ourselves to our oath of enlistment/office; we must recommit ourselves to our Airmen as well, a commitment to understanding that they're unique individuals possessing diverse perspectives and talents, yet, they're equal in value. I believe John C. Maxwell (a renowned author on leadership) once stated, "Leading people is like conducting an orchestra. There are many different players and instruments that the conductor must know thoroughly." Do you know your Airmen thoroughly? Do they know you; better yet, what do they think of you? It's important for leaders to know their Airmen and accept the fact that people are different; then and only then will they come to know what motivates each individual. The reality of it is leaders must realize their success or failure is not predicated upon how many widgets they (leaders) the widget maker can make. On the contrary, their successes or failures will depend upon how many widgets they, the widget maker, can get their widget makers to make when their widget makers don't want to make widgets. Our Airmen thirst for leadership and for leaders who take a vested interest in their well being. Your Airmen know when you're putting on a facade and are not sincere; it's impossible to make someone feel important in your presence when you honestly believe he or she is a nobody. Bill Russell (Hall of Fame basketball player) once said, "The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I'd make my teammates play." I once had an opportunity to speak at a Keesler NCO Academy graduation. Earlier that morning, prior to my speech, I spoke to the students and told them to write down the name of their worst supervisor and place the paper in their left pocket; then repeat the process for their best supervisor and place that name in their right pocket and attend the banquet as such. Later that night, during my speech, I explained to the audience what I had done, then told the students not to pull the paper from their pockets because the person whose name is located in their left pocket may be sitting at the table with them. Which pocket would your name appear from? Team Travis as always have a great weekend; be safe, make responsible choices and I'll see you around campus.