Commentary: Thanks teammate

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt Joanna Kohlhepp
  • 100th Force Support Squadron, Food Operations chief
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  "Good morning, teammate," "thanks, teammate," or, "what's up, teammate?" If you have been around the 100th Force Support Squadron, you have probably heard one, if not all of these greetings from our commander, Maj. John Ball, 100 FSS commander.

To be honest, I did not think much of the greetings at first. I just thought that they were his thing - that phrase or word we all like to have in our back pocket. Yet the more he greeted me with the word "teammate," the more I realized that it was more than that; it was that keen phenomenon I like to refer to as "commander conditioning." 

As you probably guessed, he wanted to reinforce the theme of teamwork, a core principle of our military profession that is easily taken for granted, especially if it is challenged with self-preservation or self-importance.

With force management initiatives sweeping the Air Force last year, many of us seem to be operating under the "every man for himself" mindset. "No one is going to love you more than you" anyway, right? 

Nonetheless, as we take the time to shepherd our own careers, much of the teamwork mentality is degraded, if not abolished completely.

For instance, it seems that many people value being recognized rather than giving recognition to the people who supported them in the first place. Furthermore, when faced with a stressful situation, many of us are too quick to cover ourselves instead of resolving the issue with those opposing us.

For those who have borne the tread marks from "being thrown under the bus," it is evident that self-preservation and recognition threaten to undermine the organizational integrity and partnerships which we need to accomplish the mission. 

Additionally, on a wider and less political scale, we all play a crucial part in meeting the needs of the Air Force, which I am sure we have all heard before. Our teammates are everywhere - from the flight line to the hospital to the dining facility. And all collegial joking aside, you cannot just wake up and decide to do someone else's job because you would be able to "do it better." 

Our teammates will always be the best at their job and when a task needs to be completed, we will inevitably have to rely on them to perform. Self-importance can thus be a barrier to teamwork because it erodes the confidence we have within our partners and affects our ability to work collaboratively. 

Overall, from a fledgling perspective, the success of teamwork appears to be threatened most by self-preservation or self-importance.

However, it does not need to be this way. Both thinking traps are warning signs we must heed should we get the sense that the team is endangered of becoming fragmented. When it comes down to it, the necessity to execute the task at hand ultimately transcends unit designations and specialty codes, and the mission gets accomplished.

It is all just a matter of removing barriers to make it easier to get from start to finish. Simply put, we can stop the problem before it starts.

So, take some time throughout your day to instill a sense of teamwork with those you work with. Although we cannot all claim "commander conditioning," throwing in a "teammate" in an unassuming conversation may be a good place to start.