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Balance work, family and holidays

  • Published
  • By Col. Tracey Skelton
  • 571st Contingency Response Group commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCCE BASE, Calif. --  With the holiday season in full swing, we are all torn in more directions than usual. As leaders and supervisors, we have to ensure we prioritize and balance all the tasks we levy on our Airmen even more than usual.

Our Airmen and their families experience the full spectrum of emotions during the holidays and the last thing we need to do is pile one more non critical suspense on top. As leaders we have to establish the right balance for our Airmen to keep them centered and focused. How do we do that?

First, we must establish requirements. The end of the year is ripe with award packages, permanent change of station decorations, calendar-year close-out taskings and all this over and above our normal duties. Throw in all the holidays, family days and minimum-manning days and you can quickly get behind.

As supervisors and commanders, we need to balance the work requirements with our Airmen's personal requirements. Yes, we have to meet hard suspenses, but we also need to differentiate between what is nice to have accomplished and what has to meet that time line. This balancing of requirements applies to all our Airmen including commanders and supervisors.

Leaders must set the example for our Airmen. We have all heard terms like workaholic or task master or the phrase "he/she needs to get a life." As supervisors, we must live that balance between work and family and give our Airmen time to discover their own balance. If you work 20 hours a day and every weekend, your Airmen notice your actions. To live up to the goal of the whole-person concept, we all must remember we have a service to our families, as well as our Air Force and our country. The Air Force will ask us to give up our nights, weekends and holidays when the mission requires and our Airmen meet that challenge with no reservations. To keep morale high, leaders have to provide the right balance between work and home.

Studies show people who have a happy home life are happier at work and are therefore more productive. What a fantastic cycle - an Airman is excited and happy about the work they do and they go home and share that excitement with family and friends and then they cannot wait to get back to work the next day. That is the unit I want to work in and the supervisor for whom I want to work and the team with which I would feel honored to go to war.

After attending a good friend's retirement ceremony, my wife said, "Every time there is a retirement, you hear the same message - If I had one thing to do over again I would spend more time with my family. You have to learn from them and make some changes before you have regrets."

I thought about her comments and realized I was going down that same path. I made a decision then and there to set priorities and put some balance in my life. I still work long hours and miss my share of birthdays and holidays, but I have made the effort and I am happier at home, happier at work, still get the job done and still live 'Service before Self.'

Enjoy the holidays with both your families -- the one at home and the one at work - and give each the right amount of time they expect and deserve. Find the balance, understand the requirement and set the example and 2011 will be more than you can imagine.