By. Chris "UA" Lessard
The first time a 13M becomes the AOF/CC, can be a daunting experience. More often than not, you probably feel like you are not prepared enough or need additional development time learning from a seasoned AOF/CC. Due to the challenges within the career field and deployment tempo, this probably will not occur as you planned. You are now either the AOF/CC or acting AOF/CC. Either way, you are now responsible for the flight, its people, and their actions. Now, what do you do?
A typical response to this question is to work with your SNCOs or NCOs to figure out what to do next. Good choice. Getting your SNCO/NCO leadership team involved early is a great move. It will not only help you achieve a better understanding of where you are needed most but will also allow them to express what they need from you. So how do you get them involved?
It seems obvious, but talk with them. I need to make sure you understand this step, so let me be clear. Talk with your leadership team, do not talk down to them. You will most likely find yourself with a list of immediate problems left for you by your predecessor or Commander. While those may need action in due time, there may be other pressing issues that deserve your attention. Many issues you most likely will not know about unless you work with the people that experience it every day. Your SNCOs and NCOs understand that when you succeed, they and the flight succeed. They will help develop you into a better AOF/CC. So, talk with your leadership team to figure out where they need you to devote your time rather than attempting to solve problems handed to you.
Additionally, as you work with your leadership team, you may feel the need to make a decision for everything that is brought to you. If you feel that urge, then I would caution you to resist it at all costs. I once attended a leadership seminar where the mentorship coach and minister TD Jakes gave a talk. In his speech, he said (paraphrased):
If you are making the decisions that your people should be making, you are not leading them, but merely doing their job for them. You should strive to only make the decisions you are in a unique position to decide.
To put it in terms of an AOF/CC, if you are making every decision that your team brings to you, you might survive the onslaught, but you will wear yourself down. Worse, you will most likely cause the flight to become indecisive when you need them to make decisions.
In my opinion, there are a few things that an AOF/CC is in a unique position to determine. 1) The vision and culture of where the flight is going under your leadership 2) Overall responsibility for training within the flight (to include ATC washout decisions) 3) 13M officer training and development 4) AEF Reporting Tool (ART) inputs 5) Overall Flight Manpower decisions. Most other decisions can be made at the SNCO or NCO level if they understand where the flight is going (vision) and what your expectations are to get there.
If you can only make the decision that you are in a unique position to make, you will find more time to get into the facilities to obtain a better knowledge of their operations or current issues. You’ll also have more time to develop your leadership team and yourself through technical or leadership development. I understand that there are a good number of Lieutenants that are acting AOF/CCs, but this advice still holds true. The less you know and understand about being an AOF/CC, the more you should devote your time to learning about the flight and its operations. The USAF expects CGOs to be technical experts in their career field; however, you will probably never get the time to develop your expertise if you are always in your office making decisions.
While there are numerous other items I can discuss regarding what you should or should not do when placed in the AOF/CC position, I’m going to only focus on one more: feedback.
You should strive to obtain as much feedback as possible during your time as an AOF/CC. How else do you expect to become better at it? Currently, the career field tells its CGOs/Majors that it can assume 2-3 AOF type duties after your mission qualification training certification. On top of that, you will probably be an AOF/CC, or some form of that role, in a deployed location a few times. You cannot expect what you did as a Lieutenant to be the same things you do as a Captain or Major in those roles. Feedback is critical to your development as a 13M. When you ask for feedback, you should request it from all levels of the chain of command. From A1Cs/SrA up to your Sq/CC and Gp/CC. I guarantee you will receive varying types of feedback, most you will not expect, from the various ranks based on your interaction with those providing the feedback. You will receive informal feedback every day as an AOF/CC. Embrace it because it is a gift. Very few other positions within the flight or within the Group for that matter will receive as much feedback as you will get. Learn how to utilize and internalize valid, constructive feedback. The moment you reject receiving feedback is the moment you stop being able to lead effectively.
Obtaining feedback can be as simple as asking if the meeting you called met their expectations for having the meeting. It can be over adult beverages after an awards ceremony, or it can be on the trails while on a run with your team. It does not have to be in a formal setting or during a structured feedback session. The trick to feedback is to continually ask for it and consistently acknowledge you received it.
My hope with this discussion is that we continue this discussion. The items I listed here are by no means the only things you should consider as a new AOF/CC. But I think they are important enough that you should consider them a priority as it will set the culture within the flight immediately after you take over. By talking with your leadership team and not to them, you will obtain a better understanding of where your efforts are needed within the flight. By ensuring you are only making the decisions you are in a unique position to make, you will grow, develop, and create a more effective team. Finally, by continually requesting feedback, you can improve and prepare yourself to become the AOF/CC you want to be, and your flight needs you to become.
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