Rank helps influence people

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Bryan Whitley
  • 921st Contingency Response Squadron

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - I am certain that at some point in everyone’s career they have heard of R.H.I.P., rank has its privileges. 

Whomever thought of this was obviously misinformed as to what roles and responsibilities came with progressing in rank.  Fortunately, that idea has almost entirely faded away and we, as an Air Force, have gotten back to what matters, taking care of our Airmen. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a formal Air Force course which featured mentoring sessions hosted by several chiefs. One Chief put a spin on the old adage RHIP and it goes like this; rank helps influence people.   

What a great way to remind ourselves of our responsibilities as supervisors. There is no more of an important influencer in an Airman’s career than their immediate supervisor. Not to take away from other leadership levels, but the immediate supervisor is the one person who should be so involved in their Airman’s life and career that they will be the first one that Airman turns to before making any critical decisions.

This is the exact moment when the supervisor has the responsibility to take the time to actively listen to their concerns.  We have to use those life lessons learned through the years as we progressed in rank as well as the skills taught to us through various forms of professional military education, resiliency training, and Green Dot training to help others, as well as ourselves, to make well thought out decisions. I know that this old guy is still learning new things every day, so I believe it’s safe to say that our Airmen can still benefit from some sound advice.    

Those minutes spent face-to-face communicating with our Airmen could be the difference between them making an uninformed, negatively impacting decision or receiving the advice they needed to make a well thought out decision that helps them be successful in their life and career.                    

So, the next time you hear someone say R.H.I.P, simply remember that yes, rank does help influence people, and it is up to supervisors to make sure that it influences them in a positive way.