Air Force needs every Airman as leader Published Aug. 6, 2015 By Col. David Simon 60th Surgical Operations Squadron TRAVIS AIR FORCE, Calif. -- Does every Airman truly need to be a leader? The short answer is yes. Obviously, there are various levels of leadership within the Air Force, but even an airman basic is a leader in the community by virtue of wearing the uniform. The civilian population looks to members of the uniformed services for leadership, guidance and assistance in times of crises and otherwise, oftentimes blind to the rank worn. Additionally, the development of leadership and followership skills go hand in hand. Many of our skilled Airmen question whether they need to take on leadership positions and develop those skills rather than the skillset for which they were trained. If one simplistically looks at the structure of a factory making a product, the ratio of foremen/supervisors to workers is relatively low. Most of the skilled workers spend their entire careers honing their skills and ultimately become masters at their craft. Businesses that succeed for the long haul typically place high value on their skilled workers as well as their strong leaders. The Air Force emphasizes the concept of developing leaders at almost every level, many times at the expense of productivity. We groom future Air Force leaders early on in their careers. When we identify that one of our members does their job extraordinarily well, we assume they will be able to lead others to do similarly. We place the member in a leadership position and ironically the skills that brought recognition to the member which enabled promotion begin to atrophy. The organization then misses out on that valuable resource as long as the member is not working in his or her primary career field. As a military organization, it is imperative that we never have a leadership vacuum and we have ensured that by developing each Airman into a leader. On the other hand, it is imperative we execute the mission with precision. Each skilled worker in the Air Force brings an important piece to the puzzle that allows us to execute the mission and those skills are likely to improve with experience much like the master craftsman working in a factory. The Air Force Medical Service has been wise to create three pathways for its senior members: clinical, academic and leadership. This achieves the goal of filling key leadership positions and allows for recruitment of good people and retention of those with experience and expertise. Some clinicians are interested in leadership or academic positions, but many clinicians realize early on in their careers that they have minimal interest in leadership and want to spend their years providing excellent care for their patients. If we commit to allowing them to do so, we gain as a branch of service and a population of patients by having experienced clinicians execute that part of the mission with the precision we deserve. Leadership is important, and every Airman does truly need to be a leader. However, one can be a leader without being placed in a leadership position. One important aspect of leadership is setting the example for others. We do that every day if we live by the Air Force core values: "Integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do." If our Airmen serve their country by doing their jobs to the best of their ability with integrity, they are truly leading by example.