1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:07,430 I have had over the last five years 3 00:00:07,430 --> 00:00:09,652 some really good friends and peers that 4 00:00:09,652 --> 00:00:12,040 have retired and I've asked them that 5 00:00:12,050 --> 00:00:13,994 how do you know when it's time and 6 00:00:13,994 --> 00:00:16,106 they're like you'll know and I'm like 7 00:00:16,106 --> 00:00:19,050 no no what's what's the formula , what 8 00:00:19,050 --> 00:00:21,272 do I need to look at ? And they're just 9 00:00:21,272 --> 00:00:23,370 like you'll realize it's time and 10 00:00:23,370 --> 00:00:26,680 they're right it's time . Um It's very 11 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:30,660 bittersweet Because I was an air force 12 00:00:30,660 --> 00:00:33,330 brat . So and then working for the air 13 00:00:33,330 --> 00:00:36,760 force for 37 years almost 38 . 14 00:00:37,140 --> 00:00:39,251 It's about missing the people and the 15 00:00:39,251 --> 00:00:42,500 mission . Um Not missing the pace 16 00:00:42,550 --> 00:00:45,890 or um the time 17 00:00:45,890 --> 00:00:48,980 commitment but that that will be hard 18 00:00:48,980 --> 00:00:51,036 leaving the people and the mission . 19 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:53,440 Mhm . 20 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,862 I think some folks are going to have to 21 00:00:58,862 --> 00:01:01,029 make a decision if they really want to 22 00:01:01,029 --> 00:01:03,510 be a supervisor because I think in 23 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,680 where we're going with a hybrid work 24 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,770 environment um it takes a different 25 00:01:10,770 --> 00:01:12,659 type of leadership and it takes a 26 00:01:12,659 --> 00:01:15,750 different type of management and yes 27 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:18,660 it's gonna take more time 28 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:23,790 to think through , make plans and 29 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:25,800 handle the various 30 00:01:27,340 --> 00:01:29,280 preferences of your team . 31 00:01:31,630 --> 00:01:34,800 And are you committing to that time and 32 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,600 that input because you still have the 33 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,560 responsibility for developing your 34 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:42,449 workforce to do the mentoring the 35 00:01:42,449 --> 00:01:46,140 training and the mission and 36 00:01:46,150 --> 00:01:48,094 figure out how to do all this in a 37 00:01:48,094 --> 00:01:51,700 hybrid environment . That's a lot . And 38 00:01:51,700 --> 00:01:55,630 so I think we have to start talking to 39 00:01:55,630 --> 00:01:57,910 our workforce even more about what it 40 00:01:57,910 --> 00:02:01,090 means to be a supervisor what roles and 41 00:02:01,090 --> 00:02:03,201 responsibilities you're going to take 42 00:02:03,201 --> 00:02:07,080 on and I I know all kinds of people 43 00:02:07,090 --> 00:02:09,590 who have said I don't want to be a 44 00:02:09,590 --> 00:02:12,940 supervisor . I like what I do , I want 45 00:02:12,940 --> 00:02:15,162 to be that technical expert , I want to 46 00:02:15,162 --> 00:02:19,140 be that technical adviser . Um I want 47 00:02:19,140 --> 00:02:22,200 to be a great teammate and peer but I 48 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,160 don't want that responsibility . So 49 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,030 how do we prepare people 50 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,650 better as they're coming up to 51 00:02:32,650 --> 00:02:35,190 understand and develop and make them 52 00:02:35,190 --> 00:02:38,260 feel comfortable with being a manager 53 00:02:38,260 --> 00:02:40,850 with being a leader 54 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,220 when you spend so much time and energy 55 00:02:47,220 --> 00:02:49,331 and commit to something , you have to 56 00:02:49,331 --> 00:02:51,740 have fun and so if you're not having 57 00:02:51,740 --> 00:02:54,310 fun , if you're not enjoying it , if 58 00:02:54,310 --> 00:02:56,532 you dread coming to work then something 59 00:02:56,532 --> 00:02:59,930 needs to change and it's 60 00:02:59,940 --> 00:03:03,800 maybe not your office or your team , it 61 00:03:03,810 --> 00:03:07,580 might be within you because again 62 00:03:07,590 --> 00:03:09,923 it's your career to your responsibility . 63 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,207 But I think life's too short . You got 64 00:03:13,207 --> 00:03:16,140 to enjoy what you're doing because if 65 00:03:16,140 --> 00:03:17,751 you enjoy it it's not work . 66 00:03:23,090 --> 00:03:26,070 I was an Air force brat . I grew up on 67 00:03:26,070 --> 00:03:28,150 Air force bases during Vietnam , 68 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,140 A lot of dads were 69 00:03:31,140 --> 00:03:34,950 deployed and so my dad was one of 70 00:03:34,950 --> 00:03:38,680 the senior people uh in our court 71 00:03:38,690 --> 00:03:42,650 and um mhm . 72 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,880 That came 73 00:03:46,220 --> 00:03:49,760 with a really tough responsibility . 74 00:03:50,540 --> 00:03:54,240 Mhm . Because the Chaplin cars came a 75 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,940 lot and 76 00:03:57,940 --> 00:04:01,800 so I think I was Like 77 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,760 six or 7 and just in that 78 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,300 Really two or three-year period 79 00:04:08,310 --> 00:04:11,550 watching my dad go with chaplains to 80 00:04:11,550 --> 00:04:15,320 tell families that their 81 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,250 dad wasn't coming home and I know it 82 00:04:18,250 --> 00:04:21,450 still gets me um 83 00:04:23,940 --> 00:04:27,780 Mhm mm hmm . Mhm . I 84 00:04:27,780 --> 00:04:30,660 just , I think that 85 00:04:31,340 --> 00:04:35,250 um growing up on Air force basis 86 00:04:36,940 --> 00:04:39,960 on a base , everybody was the same . 87 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,950 Mhm . There was no difference and 88 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,520 you took care of one another . You know , 89 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:51,350 I can't remember how many times , you 90 00:04:51,350 --> 00:04:53,350 know , when my dad would have to go 91 00:04:53,350 --> 00:04:55,310 over with the chaplain . Um my mom 92 00:04:55,310 --> 00:04:58,390 would go , we'd take their kids in for 93 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,830 the night or until someone could come 94 00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:02,673 and help the family , you know , 95 00:05:02,673 --> 00:05:04,896 another family member got there to make 96 00:05:04,896 --> 00:05:06,784 funeral arrangements and things . 97 00:05:08,100 --> 00:05:10,920 That's just what you did . And it 98 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:14,760 wasn't until after my dad retired 99 00:05:15,780 --> 00:05:19,040 and we didn't live on a base that 100 00:05:19,050 --> 00:05:21,161 neighborhoods were really different . 101 00:05:21,540 --> 00:05:25,270 It wasn't the same camaraderie , the 102 00:05:25,270 --> 00:05:28,940 same closeness . It was it was 103 00:05:28,940 --> 00:05:31,990 different . So um coming into the Air 104 00:05:31,990 --> 00:05:34,960 Force as an Air Force civilian . Um 105 00:05:36,710 --> 00:05:40,610 I understood the culture , I 106 00:05:41,230 --> 00:05:44,970 I had grown up around it , I grew up 107 00:05:44,980 --> 00:05:46,860 used to seeing people in uniform 108 00:05:48,930 --> 00:05:52,720 and so it felt like just 109 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:56,460 being at home . So it didn't , I didn't 110 00:05:56,460 --> 00:05:58,571 feel like I gave anything up or I had 111 00:05:58,571 --> 00:06:01,790 to change . It's just who I already was . 112 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:09,550 I'm a retired airman 113 00:06:11,340 --> 00:06:15,060 because I think um words matter 114 00:06:15,540 --> 00:06:19,400 and if we are truly going to look at 115 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:22,560 the Air Force holistically , 116 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:25,960 the Air Force cannot be mission 117 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:27,738 successful without its civilian 118 00:06:27,738 --> 00:06:30,260 workforce and it 119 00:06:30,260 --> 00:06:33,820 takes military airmen and it takes 120 00:06:33,820 --> 00:06:36,760 civilian airmen to be mission 121 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,640 successful . And so um you know , we've 122 00:06:40,650 --> 00:06:42,900 gotten in the habit when we have to 123 00:06:42,900 --> 00:06:45,540 clarify to people what we mean . We're 124 00:06:45,540 --> 00:06:47,860 talking about airmen with a capital , a 125 00:06:49,140 --> 00:06:52,840 it's a holistic relationship . And 126 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:56,440 so , um , yes , a lot of 127 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:58,670 paperwork I'm going to get will say 128 00:06:58,670 --> 00:07:02,060 that I am a retired civil servant , 129 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:05,280 but in my mind , I'm a retired airman 130 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:06,280 with a capital 131 00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:09,850 A .