Support our new NCOs

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Stuart Lee II
  • 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron first sergeant
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with two staff sergeants. During our discussion, we heard some extremely loud music coming from a vehicle in a nearby parking lot. Now, of course we all knew this was unacceptable and that the situation needed to be addressed.

One of the staff sergeants said to me "Well shirt, it would probably be more effective if you told them to turn down their music, I'm just a staff sergeant." Now, of course this single statement transformed our conversation from a "Hey, how's it going?" to a "We need to talk" type conversation.

So, after reminding the staff sergeant of his responsibilities and authority as an NCO, I realized, this isn't the first time I've heard "I'm just a staff sergeant" being said by our NCOs. As a matter of fact, I've heard similar statements such as "You're just a staff sergeant" being said by Airmen, NCOs, and even Senior NCOs. So, I asked myself "Are we creating a culture that minimizes the authority and accomplishments of our new NCOs?"

During the past few years, we have promoted a substantial amount of our senior airmen to staff sergeants. Some of us refer to this era as "The great staff giveaway!" However, let's think about this statement. If it truly were a giveaway, everyone that tested would likely have been selected for promotion. Additionally, why would they even have to test, if it's a giveaway? The truth of the matter is, not everyone was selected for promotion.

Most of those selected, likely studied extremely hard and put forth the time and effort required to be promoted. So, let's not minimize their accomplishments and efforts by insinuating their promotion was given to them rather than earned. Take a look back over your Air Force careers and think about all the hours, days or months you spent studying and preparing for promotion testing and the sacrifices your loved ones made to help you achieve your goals.

Now, imagine your supervision telling you "Oh, you were part of the great master sergeant giveaway, they were giving everyone a stripe." Some of us would simply ignore the comment; however, others may actually take it to heart. It's a matter of perception.

So, my challenge to us, as American Airmen, is to mentor our new NCOs and not belittle their accomplishments. Let's not focus on how many staff sergeants were promoted, but rather on the task of preparing these new NCOs for the challenges ahead of them. Provide them the opportunity to supervise, counsel, lead, make mistakes and learn from their mistakes, while at the same time giving them honest and straightforward feedback for improvement.

Also, when they graduate from Airmen Leadership School, don't tell them "All that stuff you learned in ALS, it won't work here, so don't bother using it." Instead, encourage them to practice and apply what they've learned. Over the years, I've witnessed some of our leadership fail in allowing our NCOs to supervise and lead, in effect, hindering their professional growth and development. We can't expect them to make sound and effective decisions during the present or future, if they haven't been provided the opportunity to do so in the past. Let's remember that these staff sergeants will be our future flight chiefs, first sergeants, commandants, command chiefs and most importantly our future leaders.