COMMENTARY: Trust: A core leadership tool

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Ismail Taylor-Kamara
  • 100th Force Support Squadron first sergeant
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  As we remember those Americans who lost their lives 14 years ago, we must reflect on what it truly means to wear the uniform.

Our Air Force has been on a war footing since Sept. 11, 2001, protecting the homeland from tragedies like 9/11 from reoccurring. Measuring success in our efforts ultimately boils down to having Airmen who are mentally, physically, and technically competent.

As leaders, one of our inherent responsibilities is to care for and develop our subordinates. I use the word "care" specifically because a high percentage of issues that are elevated can be prevented if our young leaders were to take a more deliberate approach to developing their Airmen. This statement should not be misconstrued because majority of our members passionately care about their people. Unfortunately, there are some within the ranks who need to understand that taking care of Airmen matters; and it starts with fostering relationships.

In my relatively short stint as a "diamond-wearing" first sergeant, it has become more apparent that most of our mid-level leaders and managers are not intimately engaged with their subordinates. Conversations with young NCOs usually leads to them asking questions about how to create close working relationships with their Airmen. My advice, in the form of a rhetorical question is: what level of trust do you have in your relationship with them? Are the conditions in your relationship with them strong enough where they can rely on your integrity, ability and certainty?

Trust is the seed leaders must sow with Airmen and continue to nurture using their experience in order to cultivate that close relationship. Keep in mind trust that grows too fast has the potential to be fragile, but trust established over a period of time becomes resilient. Trust establishes a secure foundation from which your Airmen will explore ideas or even follow through with your orders.

As you continue to nurture and develop trust with your Airmen, know that they will test your boundaries, gauge your reactions and test your boundaries again. Conversely, losing trust will create an unstable dynamic within the work environment, with negative effects on productivity. To paraphrase retired U.S. Army Gen. Collin Powell, "The day the soldiers (in this case Airmen) stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership."

Building close relationships with your Airmen is vitally important as we continue to execute our missions both in-garrison and in deployed environments. The high ops tempo since 9/11 has taken a toll both on the home front and the work centers. It is essential that our leaders stay connected with their Airmen by asking tough questions about their personal and professional lives. Questions such as how are your children? What about your finances? Are you tracking your fitness? These should not be only reserved for official feedback sessions; they must be infused as part of your continuous monitoring and developmental process. In the words of Former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald Fogleman "We must first learn that no matter how good the technology or how shiny the equipment, people-to-people relations get things done in our organizations. People are the assets that determine our success or failure."