The emperor’s new clothes Published Oct. 6, 2008 By Lt. Col. Richard Wagner 571st Global Mobility Readiness Squadron commander TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- We all remember Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale, The Emperor's New Clothes, where the king is duped into parading through the kingdom in his new "suit" which is made of a fabulous new fabric that cannot be seen by foolish people. In reality he is bare, and townsfolk are reluctant to say anything for fear of standing out from the crowd, looking foolish or embarrassing and angering the king. As the king parades by, they say "nice suit" and let him carry on believing everything is just fine. Andersen's parable is a perfect illustration of what can happen when there is a breakdown in communication between a commander, subordinate leaders and their Airmen. We've all seen or done this before. Your commander asks you how things are going, and though you feel there are issues, you put a smile on your face and say, "Fine, sir!" Either you feel it is not your place to say anything, you don't want to be the bearer of bad news or maybe you think the commander doesn't really care. Perhaps you fear standing out amongst your peers, being labeled a whiner or that your supervisor will think you "squealed" to the boss. This type of miscommunicated feedback can paint a false picture for the commander of how the squadron is actually doing, especially if key squadron leadership are doing the same thing for one or more of the same reasons. When communication lines break down, the rumor mill thrives. Misperceptions and unvalidated information derived from faulty assumptions about what the commander is thinking can create a very poor unit climate. This can happen when either the commander's true message and intent do not translate down to the lowest level in the command chain or when it does reach the lowest level and perhaps resonates badly, nobody provides feedback up the chain requesting clarification or adjustment. Effective communication must be two-way and it is the commander who sets the tone. First, commanders should articulate a clear and achievable vision for accomplishing mission goals. Second, establish the expectation that squadron leadership will provide frank, honest and timely feedback regarding impediments to mission accomplishment that only the commander can resolve. Third, expect a post-analysis heads up on steps taken to mitigate problems below the commander level. Commanders should document such expectations in initial feedbacks to all officer and senior enlisted personnel they rate to ensure everyone starts on the same sheet of music. In a squadron comprised predominantly of enlisted personnel, SNCOs are the most critical role players in this communication network. Superintendents, senior enlisted managers, the first sergeant and flight chiefs all serve as squadron-climate "barometers" and have a duty to articulate both positive and negative climate indicators up the chain to the commander. Per Air Force Instruction 36-2618, Enlisted Force Structure, Chapter 5, SNCOs have the responsibility to: 1. Translate their leaders' direction into specific tasks and responsibilities their teams can understand and execute 2. Support and explain leaders' decisions 3. Help leadership make informed decisions 4. Draw upon their knowledge and experience to provide constructive input, when appropriate, to best meet the challenges facing their organizations. To effectively carry out their charge, SNCOs must establish rapport and maintain open lines of communication from the bottom to the top of the command chain. Then they must remain ever vigilant for adverse morale trends, prevent discontent from spreading downward or outward and provide the necessary feedback up the chain. If they inadvertently abdicate any of these responsibilities, they can become an accessory to the potential souring of the unit's climate. To make SNCOs' tough job a little easier, commanders should be receptive to, not dismissive of, input from their subordinate leadership. By being approachable, commanders take a huge step toward overcoming subordinate leaders' discomfort with bringing potentially bad news to the boss. The moral of the story is don't be afraid to say what you really think, especially if it will help the commander and unit stay on the same page. Regardless of whether you are an officer, SNCO, NCO or Airman, if the commander asks you how things are going, it's best to assume that he or she really wants to know. Don't say "fine" if things are not fine. The commander cannot take steps to fix problems without awareness that there are problems. As you well know, bad news does not get better with age; it usually gets worse. So, if your commander opens the door, be bold enough to walk through it. Better yet, utilize your chain of command and go knock on it first. Why wait for the next unit climate assessment to air squadron issues when you can bring them up now and fix them that much sooner? Odds are, your commander will appreciate your candor and make every effort to understand, validate and resolve your issues for the benefit of all.