Own your actions

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Charles D.W. Barber
  • 60th Medical Therapeutics and Diagnostics Squadron

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Growing up, I didn’t have the best childhood. I grew up very poor, with alcoholic parents and we were neglected often. This had a dramatic effect on me and I took my anger and frustrations out on others often getting in fights. I was expelled from school multiple times. 

Even after being adopted by a loving family, and later being removed from that environment, I still made many questionable decisions always blaming others for my actions.

I ended up joining the military at 19 because I was going to be a father and quickly realized I could no longer keep doing what I was doing.

From that point on I took ownership for my actions and dedicated myself to be the best at whatever it was I was doing. This attitude allowed me to quickly progress through the ranks and I found myself as a master sergeant after 12 years in the military. My career was on a roll. 

When my first senior noncommissioned officer enlisted performance report closed out it was at the intermediate rater level. I, again, found myself blaming someone else for the hit that my career took. I was angry that peers of mine, who I worked circles around and was a better leader than, received a senior rater endorsement and I didn’t. What I failed to internalize was that I did it to myself. I hadn’t completed my required professional military education or attained my Community College of the Air Force degree, but all I could focus on was how the system was “broken” and it was everyone else’s fault but my own. 

I was taking care of the mission and taking care of my people, but I felt that I wasn’t being taken care of. Eventually, I realized I needed to make a change and reached out to a mentor for guidance. He was well aware of my work ethic and the results I produced. He engaged with the squadron superintendent on the possibility of having me take over the largest flight in our squadron.

I found myself in the chief’s office having a discussion and as she looked at my records she had one question, “Why should I give you an opportunity above people that have done what was required?” She continued to chastise me not out of anger, but to get me to realize that I was standing in my own way blaming the system and not taking ownership of my actions and career.  She made a deal with me that if I did what I needed to do, she would give me a shot.

I did what I needed to do and quickly found myself running a large flight and ended up filling the squadron superintendent role for 300 members. A few years later, when a fellow master sergeant was selected for promotion to senior master sergeant and I wasn’t, I realized I could not fall back into my old habits of blaming the system. I kept taking care of the mission, as well as my people and I was eventually selected for promotion. 

In order to be successful in both the Air Force and life, it is imperative you take ownership of your actions. Self-reflection is a hard thing to do and it is easy to place the fault of your failures on someone or something else. If you own your actions, the things you can accomplish are limitless and you will soon be able to realize your full potential.