RAF MILDENHALL, England -- The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines credibility as the quality or power to inspire belief...I define credibility as your key to being a successful supervisor.

If you have credibility with your Airmen, they will follow you. They will follow you because they will respect you. They will respect you because they will know you as a trustworthy and reliable source of information and an authority in the career field.

However, credibility is not something you get just by putting on a stripe. You get it the old fashioned way: you earn it.

What you must figure out is how to earn or gain that credibility with your Airmen, so I'm going to give you five pointers that will help you gain credibility.

1. Be technically proficient. That means you need to know your job and you need to know it well. As NCOs, you are bound by Air Force Instruction 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure, to become expert technicians and to ensure you and your subordinates are trained, qualified, and ready to deploy and operate in an expeditionary environment while maintaining home station readiness. If you're not technically proficient, how can you expect your Airmen to be?

2. Be a working supervisor. Whether you're out on the floor conducting inventory in the warehouse, turning wrenches on the flightline or fighting on the front line, your place is side-by-side with your Airmen on a daily basis. As NCOs, you are front-line supervisors, not back-office managers. The Airmen need and want your presence. Why? Because they need to know you're not afraid to get your hands dirty, that you are willing to do and capable of doing the same work you are asking them to do and, when a problem arises, they need someone there to help guide them through it.

Additionally, your commanders and other squadron leadership need you there in the trenches as well, because they understand you know what's going on with the people in the unit, especially with regards to morale. You're there accomplishing the mission and helping maintain good order and discipline. They rely on you and put a lot of trust in you as that working supervisor.

3. Establish and enforce standards. Your Airmen must know what the standards are; therefore, you, as a supervisor, must let them know your expectations. Complete those initial and mid-term feedbacks but don't just rely on those formal sessions alone. Feedback is a daily process. Your subordinates should never wonder where they stand with you. They should never be confused on what you think their performance level is. Enlisted performance report ratings should never be a surprise.

Give feedback daily, whether bad or good. I know sometimes the not-so-good feedback is hard to give, but it's very necessary.

A crusty old chief master sergeant gave me some advice that has stuck with me for years and it probably is the best single piece of advice I was ever given as an NCO. He told me, if an issue with one of your Airman arises that bothers you, don't let it slide. Address it immediately; nip it in the bud. If you don't, it will eat at you and cause you undue stress. I encourage you to follow this advice; it just might work for you.

How many of you think enforcing dress and appearance standards is the primary job of the unit first sergeant? It's not the first sergeant's primary job and it's definitely not the commander's job; it's the first line supervisor's job. Therefore, ensure you yourself are always squared away because, if you're not, how can you correct others? The majority of our Airmen will appreciate you enforcing standards. So will your leadership. I have a challenge for you: make it a personal goal to ensure your unit first sergeant is bored. Ensure he or she never has to correct any one of your subordinates for your lack of enforcement of standards.

4. Take a personal interest in your Airmen. Get to know them and, most of all, listen to them. Help guide them professionally and personally. Chances are, if you're following tip number two - being a working supervisor - you do know your Airmen and can relate to their problems or concerns. By taking a personal interest in your Airmen, you show them you care. When the work gets tough, the shifts get long and the morale starts to dip, your subordinates really only need to know one thing: you care. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "Hey, thanks for caring." Even if the outcome the person was looking for wasn't favorable, just to know that someone cared is enough, especially if that person was his or her leader.

5. Take responsibility and give credit. Taking responsibility as a leader or supervisor often requires you to shoulder the blame when things go wrong. Sometimes it may even seem that it's something out of your control. A good leader will accept responsibility when things go awry in his or her section and not pass blame to subordinates or peers. And you can guarantee the good leader will correct whatever went wrong.

On the flip side, a good supervisor will give credit when things go right. Give credit and praise to those performers who stand out. Remember, your Airmen or your team's success is often a reflection of your effectiveness as a leader because good leaders inspire those around them to be better.

There's no single magic formula of what it takes to be an effective supervisor. But I guarantee if you earn credibility, that ability or power to inspire belief, you will be taking a major step in the right direction of becoming an effective leader. Ensure you are technically proficient, are a working supervisor, set and enforce standards, take a personal interest in and get to know your Airmen, and always take responsibility and give credit.