Whose responsibility is it?

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Frederick C. Weaver
  • 60th Medical Support Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE,Calif. --  Whose responsibility is it? That is a question that seems to come up more and more in work place discussions. You pick the topic and invariably this question will come up. Let me share with you my thoughts on responsibility and accountability that have stemmed from my 26+ years in the Air Force.

I will start with my days as an enlisted professional where there were expectations, no different than today, where leadership was to provide the tools and mechanism for me to succeed. Woe be to me if I did not meet my training requirements, did not meet standards, or did not get the job done when I was provided the tools and mechanism for success.

I was responsible and held accountable for my actions or inactions. Let me tell you, that message was loud and clear. When I became a supervisor, I also had the added responsibility to enable the training, mentoring and growth of the Airmen under me. Again, woe be to me if I did not provide my subordinates the tools and mechanism for success.

Moving on to my days as a young officer, the same expectations were there but obviously at a different level within the organization. I had more Airmen under my control than in my enlisted days, but brought along the same mentality of responsibility, accountability and ownership.

Fast forward to today where I am a squadron commander. When I deployed as an expeditionary squadron commander in the combat zone, there were no questions of responsibility, accountability and ownership. You were responsible for meeting and exceeding standards and for your actions ... and it was serious. Lives, sometimes your own, depended on the ownership mentality of being responsible.

As a previously deployed senior commander put it, and I paraphrase, "We come to the combat zone to execute the mission, not train for it. If you cannot be counted on here, I have no use for you and you need to go." He was referring to the relevance of compliance with standards as it related to fighting the war.

That was the combat environment. Now, in today's environment, it seems we are adrift a little in terms of ownership and responsibility. This brings me to the question of "whose responsibility is it?"

We have a compliance culture in the Air Force that each Airman must embrace and each Airman must take ownership and be responsible for their part of compliance and meeting the mission. This ranges from inspection items to mission execution to individual fitness.

As a commander, I am responsible for everything that goes on in my unit, good or bad. I have no problem with that. In fact, I love being a commander and all that is involved. However, it seems we have lost sight of responsibility ... and, more importantly, ownership.

We must embrace the concept of responsibility and ownership. I am responsible, as I was when I was an enlisted professional and junior officer, to provide the tools and mechanism for Airmen under my command to succeed. Maintaining standards is a collaborative approach with both leadership and the individual committed to success. Leadership includes all Airmen, regardless of rank or position. Our goal is 100 percent compliance with standards, regardless of the area.

Since fitness is a major topic these days, I will use that to illustrate. After all, being physically fit is a condition of active-duty military employment. If we agree with that statement, then it should be a given that there is a responsibility to maintain standards, i.e., pass the fitness test. While the fitness AFI indicates it is the member's responsibility, I think it is a collaborative approach and not just simply a one-sided responsibility.

Looked upon as part of leadership, I provide duty time, counseling, additional training, etc, for Airmen regarding fitness since I believe that being fit is a condition of employment in our Air Force. Additionally, being physically fit is a standard that must be met. I feel it is my duty to do everything I can to enable each Airman to succeed. That is my part of the collaboration equation, in other words, my contribution.

The other part of the equation is the Airman. The Airman's part of the collaboration equation is to take advantage of the opportunities, additional training provided, etc, to become a better, healthier member of the unit. It is the duty of the Airman to do everything he/she can to enable the unit to succeed. That is their contribution.

Working together, each Airman can meet and exceed standards, but, it takes both parts with equal commitment for this to be successful. This mentality applies to all areas of complying with standards, not just fitness. So, the answer to the question, "Whose responsibility is it?" is simple it's ours!