Goals, opportunities and teaming

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Richard Corey
  • 621st Air Mobility Advisory Group

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A couple of key things I have learned in my 28 years in the Air Force are there is no shortage of opportunities and we are usually most successful in teams than we are alone.

Start by taking the initiative when it comes to your career and ensure your leadership knows what you want to do. They cannot help open up opportunities if they do not know your career goals and intentions. After all, your chain of command, from your supervisor and first sergeant to your commander, is here for you. We want you to succeed, because you matter and when you thrive, our organization will excel.   

Secondly, ensure you have an open dialog with your supervisor during your feedback sessions and discuss your goals and what motivates you. Your supervisor should be able to give you a good vector on how best to achieve your goals. If not, speak with your peers, section leaders, and leaders in your chain of command to get some clarity on the best course of action you can pursue. At the same time, you should pay attention to other leaders around. Look for someone you can relate to who is knowledgeable, ask if they would be willing to mentor you. Again, sometimes it takes initiative on your part to get the answers you need. 

Next, you should surround yourself with a network of peers and leaders that can help you succeed by getting into the right circles and teams that are working towards a common goal.  Working within a team is a way for us to develop our own skills while complementing the weaknesses and building on the strengths of others. Teams give us the ability to be more inclusive and harness a larger knowledge base from varying backgrounds and viewpoints to help propel the team forward and glean greater organizational successes. Every once in a while, you will hear “STP,” meaning the same 10 people. They are the team that drives the success of many base projects. Work to become part of the crew that is requested by-name. The Air Force stresses team building, teamwork, and fostering collaborative relationships both in Air Force Instruction 1-2, Commander’s Responsibilities and in AFI 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure.     

Remember, the structure of the Air Force sometimes lends itself to compartmentalization. Each one of is assigned to an Air Force specialty when we enter the Air Force. We focus on that specialty to become technically proficient and experts in specific tasks to support and project air power in defense of our nation. But, while building your team, it is important to interact with individuals from varying specialties to be able to best harness the collective knowledge of a group of people and take the organization to the next level. Fortunately, for all of us, they call it Team Travis for a reason. There are many opportunities to meet people with similar goals and interests to network and build teams. Starting out as a first-term Airman there are dorm councils and Airmen Committed to Excellence, for the noncommissioned officers there is the Team Travis 5/6 and for the senior NCOs, the Team Travis Top 3. For the officers there is the Company Grade Officer’s Council. For all ranks, the Air Force Sergeants is available along with Airmen Against Drunk Driving, as well as several heritage organizations. If these are not enough of an opportunity to find and build teams, there is Travis Club-Hub which links a myriad of special interests and offerings. The volunteer opportunities are endless. 

You need to set your goals and ensure you communicate them to your leadership so they can help guide and support you to achieve them. Get out on base and utilize all of the opportunities Team Travis has to offer and build a strong team with Airmen who have similar interests and goals. Then pursue those goals collectively. Together as a team you can achieve more, so look around you and bring a few other Airmen with you. Never forget that your goals and you do as well.