(Miles & Co. is thankful and proud to welcome guest poster Major Brian Waller to The Daily Blur. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.)
I have spent over a decade in the US Air Force as an aircraft maintenance officer, learning from and leading hundreds of the finest sons and daughters our country has to offer, maintaining billions of dollars in aircraft and equipment, both at home and deployed. The maintenance career field is unique and special (don’t we all say this about our callings?). What other career has individuals willing to work outside on a flight line, repairing aircraft that are often older than their parents, in temperatures ranging from 30 degree below zero winters in Minot, ND to over 130 degrees in the summer in Baghdad, Iraq? Our job is to ensure that our aircraft are prepared and ready to exercise our nation’s will (we call it Help People, Kill Badguys, and Break Things).
How do we continue year after year to maintain the world’s finest Air Force, with each new generation of leaders stepping up to take the place of those who have gone before? How do we find individuals of such caliber and dedication?
We don’t, we grow them.
How do we grow them? Through feedback.
Your organization is no different. You have to take the time and effort to layout expectations and training requirements, monitor efforts, and praise or correct as necessary to improve your people. You have to be willing to provide the tools, techniques, and mentoring to enable them to learn, grow, and take your place in your organization. Teach them to be you and pass your knowledge on to them so that they can ensure the lasting legacy of your organization.
Otherwise your organization cannot grow, cannot expand, cannot change, and will ultimately fade away.
Some people will say: “I don’t want to make waves or hurt someone’s feelings”, or “I don’t have enough experience”, or simply “I don’t care”. Tough. You better get over that or find a new job. You accepted your position, so you accept the responsibility that goes with it.
Where I come from, maintenance is an inherently complex, busy, and dangerous profession. Many lessons we’ve passed on through feedback were at the cost of someone’s life in the past. We do not have the luxury of learning every mistake firsthand. We have to learn from others. That is why feedback and training the next generation is so important. Hopefully, in your profession, the cost of mistakes and ignorance is not as high, but there is still a cost that is paid for poor training or poor performance.
Oh, and by the way – you have to give feedback while sitting down eye-to-eye and having a meaningful conversation. No texts, no email, and not through another subordinate. Good feedback can be tough, and it takes effort to prepare and conduct. In the end, you owe it to your organization, your subordinates, and yourself.
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