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Congratulations staff sergeants ... now get to work!

  • Published
  • By Maj. William Norton
  • 60th Mission Support Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  On Aug. 15, Travis welcomed with open arms its newest group of the Air Force's best and brightest senior airmen into the non-commissioned officer ranks.

On behalf of my fellow officers, I congratulate each one of our staff sergeant promotees on this most recent outstanding achievement and look forward to seeing you sew on this new stripe.

Although many of you are still basking in the glow of the recent announcement, we need you to get to work.

Please allow me to be more specific. By "work," I do not mean the day-to-day operations you did so well as senior airmen. As a new NCO, your work now has an even greater impact on the mission and an elevated degree of responsibility; some might even say a higher calling.

In the simplest of terms, your work, no matter how technical or complex, really boils down to one thing -- leading.

You will hear many people refer to your new line of work by different terms: mentoring, developing, coaching or inspiring. While these terms may sound like the latest management trends from Fortune 500 companies, they all mean the same thing - leading. Your recent promotion provides the opportunity for you to take on a new role - a leader in the Air Force.

This is not merely an opportunity; it is an honor. All of your fellow Airmen - officers, enlisted, civilians and their respective families have entrusted you to lead.
How do you do this?

As future supervisors, we need our NCOs to lead and develop the young members of our enlisted force. We need our NCOs to help us teach them how they fit into the Air Force's mission to "Fly, Fight and Win" and communicate and implement our respective leaders' vision, goals and objectives.

While there are thousands of resources to help you answer this higher calling, I'd like to draw your attention to one in particular that spotlights this specific issue. In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell writes that the primary duty for all leaders, in whatever phase of your development as a leader, is the duty of "developing more leaders."

That task is the essence of being an effective leader; and it will remain your first and foremost responsibility for the remainder of your time in the United States Air Force.

If you think this is a daunting task for someone with, on average, only four and half years of military service, you are absolutely right.

I am confident those that came before you had similar reservations. However, be assured that your fellow Airmen believe you possess the necessary qualities to embrace this challenge; that is what your promotion to staff sergeant means.

As your Wingmen, we know your work ethic, we know your accomplishments and we know your character. We also know you will undoubtedly uphold our proud heritage and the tradition of valor we so closely cherish.

Before you begin your preparations for Airmen Leadership School and start memorizing the NCO Charge, take some time to reflect upon your recent accomplishment.

However, do not forget to thank your friends, family, past/present supervisors and your co-workers. You could not have been promoted without their leadership, support and guidance.

Again, congratulations to you and your family and we look forward to seeing you lead the next generation of our Air Force.

Remember, your first charge as a new NCO will be to build more leaders ... so get to work!