People, Airmen more than just 'they'

  • Published
  • By Col. Michael Eppinger
  • 60th Medical Surgical Operations Squadron Commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  "They are making it difficult for us get our job done."

"They are making a bunch of unreasonable requirements that make it impossible for us to get what we need."

"They don't understand what it is that we do."

Who's "they?" Why are "they" so intent on making your life miserable?

I'm sure that you've heard these complaints or others in your area, perhaps even made some of them yourself. Some of it comes out of frustration, having to get the mission done with less money and fewer people. Sequestration and the resulting furloughs have just made things more difficult.

We are all dependent on others not only in our Travis organization, but outside of it as well. Sometimes, the ease with which we can contact people, mostly via email, may actually make it more difficult to convey what we need, not easier. I've been told in training that a large portion of our communication with each other is through eye contact and body language. That gets missed when we only talk over the phone and we miss even more via email.

Electronic communication really isn't. When we meet with people face to face, when we meet with them in our office, or, even better, theirs, it's far more effective. It's then that they no longer become "they." They are Matthew, Felicia, Darice, James, Erin, etc. You find out that they are professionals who want to get the job done.

When their job supports your job, you will realize the extraordinary measures to which people will go to do that: staying late, making themselves available after hours or on weekends for emergencies. All of us understand that this isn't a five-day-a-week, regular-hours job. The active-duty people understand it and so do our civilian co-workers.

I was impressed to find out the amount of extra time our contracting personnel were putting in to learn what we in the medical center need. It's frequently, not like buying airplane parts. There are a lot of complicating factors: emergencies, sizes that can't be determined ahead of time, and, of course, egos. Sitting down with these professionals made it clear to me their absolute dedication to their jobs and to the mission. This isn't an isolated situation.

Meet with the people on whom you depend to do your job. Talk with them. Find out what you can do to help them do their job. They're not "they"; they're not an email address. They aren't a position number. They are committed professionals who want to help you. The more that you get to know those in the wider circles surrounding your job, the better and more efficiently all of us can support the mission. It happens with less frustration and a greater sense of satisfaction.