Communicate with Airmen to help them

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Chris Carson
  • 22nd Airlift Squadron superintendent
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Let's face it supervisors, Airmen are our greatest resource and without them we wouldn't be the most powerful and well respected Air Force in the world. Today's Airmen are smarter, more diverse and technically advanced than ever before.
However, that doesn't mean they don't need great supervisors. In fact, now more than ever, with all the challenges the Air Force is currently experiencing, our Airmen need the highest quality leadership and mentorship at every possible opportunity.

It's time for supervisors at all levels to stop making excuses and take the time to truly get to know their Airmen. Supervisors can no longer afford to watch from the sidelines wondering and hoping that their Airmen will be okay. It's time to get out from behind your desk, it's time to get personal and it's time to know your Airmen. 

Knowing your Airmen is much more involved than simply knowing their name and where they're from. It's about truly understanding who they are by taking the time to learn about their interests outside of work, their families and hobbies. Taking the extra time to really get to know them on a personal level will also help you as their supervisor to better understand what motivates them. 

The best way I've found to achieve success in knowing my Airmen is through face-to-face communication.  That's right, going old school and actually talking to them.  I know it sounds simple enough, but in this day and age of technology it's an easy approach to overlook.  Therefore, something as simple as pulling your Airman aside and asking how everything is going, or taking them out to lunch once in a while to spend a little quality one-on-one time with them, will provide you with the opportunities you need to really get to know them.  These simple acts of humanity may not seem like a big deal at the time, but I promise you, once you've established that rapport with your Airmen and they know you genuinely care about them they won't hesitate to reach out to you when it truly matters.

Don't wait for opportunities to get to know your Airmen, create them and by all means make the most of them. Be fully engaged in the conversation and pay close attention to their verbal and nonverbal cues. Don't just hear what they have to say, actually listen to what they're telling you and ask questions. These gestures will build trust and respect which will strengthen your credibility as their supervisor.     

So, for all of you supervisors out there, do you know your Airmen?  If your answer is yes, thank you. But if your answer is no, then I challenge you to get started because it's not too late. At the end of the day it's the supervisor's job to deliberately develop their Airmen, and if you truly know your Airmen you will be in a much better position to succeed. Remember, communication plays a monumental role in the overall success of the military and is inherent to all levels of leadership, but it all starts with the relationship between the supervisors and their subordinates.