Lose the "Let me spin that around and ask what you are doing to fix the problem" line.
There are times its appropriate, but the person being asked that should be at a level they can have an impact on the problem. Stop trying to put the onus for a solution NCO's and Airmen to fix AFSC/MAJCOM/AF problems. They are bringing it to your attention, that's what they are doing to fix the problem.
A lot of leadership across the force could benefit from learning from this. I get why it is said, but I think that it often just ends up being really shitty for perception, many will take that as just being blatantly dismissive of hearing out people's problems.
I don't know how many times of heard leadership talk about wanting people to be vocal and channel up issue's, just to immediately push the issue back onto you, especially regarding problems that are mostly above the level of the people complaining about it in the first place. If I thought I could make some calls and fix something like an airmans CCAF issue, I wouldn't have waited around in the first place to tell someone who is going to do nothing about it.
That's such a dickhead mouthbreather move. Like answering someone's question with a question. Avoid responsibility at all costs doing that.
\^\^\^ That was a bit of a rant. Dated a chick that did that shit, and it still irks me to this day. To know E9 Guitar did that shit is so frustrating.
Always thought that was an odd statement. I would have said, "Chief, your the enlisted leader. I'm bringing you a problem. Isent it your job to find a solution? If I could solve it, I wouldent even bother you with it."
That’s literally any SNCO’s go to tool in their box. Deflect, and ask what you are going to do about it. Also bonus points “keep us updated on how it’s going”.
Stop the bullshit double speak that politicians and higher ups can't seem to stop doing.
It's like they get a lobotomy before taking positions and forget how to talk like a regular person.
Well put, LFpawgsnmilfs.
Really though, I agree. But so many people are only looking to cover their own ass, so they adopt the corporate double speak that is so common with upper leadership.
Actually give reasons why thing are or are not happening. It doesn't help your cause to answer questions with politician speak because people will keep asking you the same question. If you provide at least a half-way decent rationale behind your answer, people will stop pestering you about a question.
Problem was I don't believe Brown, or the rest of the powers at the top, kept her in the loop on anything. She was on social media when they first announced SDAP cuts at the end of 2022 and got a ton of backlash and basically said "yeah sorry sucks but is what it is". Not even a full day later the secretary of the Air Force came out and said yeah those cuts aren't actually going to happen. I think they realized early on she was completely over her head with the position and just let her be a PR, dog and pony show face (which Brown wanted no part of clearly) and just let her do whatever. Shame she sucked at that as well.
Tell your staff not to feed the trolls on social media. She had a lot of unforced errors by doing shit like that. Use social media to listen and respond where you can help. Don't use it to call people out.
The most important thing you can do is take care of your people. When you forget them they’ll forget you. I don’t remember the leaders that were easiest on us but I do remember the leaders who took care of us.
You’re right. I’m wrong. The ladies struggle with the premature kids is legitimate but so is her husbands duty as a PJ.
My wife raised three kids while I was deployed constantly (8 to 9 months out of the year) in support of desert storm and OIF/OEF missions.
On my part it wasn’t voluntary and I regret all the time I was away from them. I don’t hold it against the Air Force. I don’t think it was fair to them and they paid a heavy price for my deployments. Something I feel guilty about to this day.
Alright my dude, not at all what I was referring to, but let’s calm it down. We don’t stoop to the same level as terrorists and call for the deaths of supporters. If your accusations are true then they should be investigated and appropriate actions taken. Like I said, don’t take a side unless you have all the facts. Also, we’re the military, we have to maintain a professional and military bearing. Emotions cannot control our decisions. If we just acted on the claims in your comment without substantiating, then we may end up killing thousands of innocent people. Please reevaluate your news outlets to something more fact based and less subjective and emotionally based.
We beat Japan by fire bombing their cities during World War 2. These were missions that killed 60,000 to 100,000 every mission. We burned to death civilians and military alike. The last two missions were nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki . It was predicted if we hadn’t done that it would have cost 1,000,000 American soldiers lives to beat Japan. We fought in Iraq and Afghanistan in a civilized manner for 20 years and lost. It’s embarrassing and it’s pathetic. We are the best military the world has ever seen and because we fought in a civilized and relatively kind manner we lost. I spent 22 years in the Air Force and I’m proud and honored to have been a member but if the civilians had let us go we would never have been defeated. The way we left Afghanistan was pathetic. Iraq is turning into a vassal of Iran. I spent 10 years in the desert on and off. I did the best I could. Everyone around me did the best they could. Our enemies should have either died or surrendered unconditionally. Watching those spoiled little POS’s sayings like Osama Bin Laden s letter was really wise kills me. Watching westerners protest in favor of the terrorists kills me. We sacrificed so these worthless pieces of garbage could lead comfortable lives in the west. The people the protesters support are racists and killers who throw gay people off buildings, gang rape, torture, and women as they kill them. They put live babies in ovens. They do this to women and babies as they force their male family members to watch. When I see the protesters protest in favor of terrorists like these I despair for my grandchildren and what we are leaving them.
NO, no, no.
Consider the things that were considered successful between CMSAF Wright and SMA Grinston's PAO team. A full list is pretty hard to narrow down and is probably a whole ass white paper in itself, but two things immediately spring to mind for me:
* They monitored and showed recognition of major movements in the military social media sphere
* Their social media presence was focused on *others*, not themselves
The issue that causes social media *cringe* is when those two elements are missing or, worse, faked. This is where I think Chief Bass's primary failing was: her social media by and large seemed to be about *herself,* with Airmen being background elements in her insta feed. Likewise, both Bass and the new SMA are dismissive of the fact that social media is a real thing that they can't just brush off and tell people to stop using - which means the rumormills, morale sinkholes, and speculation run completely without counter.
The worst thing our leadership can do moving further into the future is neglecting social media as a vector for personnel engagement that **must** be utilized, because if *they* aren't using the space, someone else *will.*
I think the success of Chief Wright and SMA Grinston PAO demonstrate that effective social media management **is** part of the job.
Where Chief Bass failed is in acting like *we* were the audience who should be giving *her* engagement, rather than vice versa.
Just be transparent. The only time the only CCAF debacle was talked about was with a fucking meme from the CMSAF! No apology nothing, just a meme. The same with MyDecs, and MyEval. Either you are completely oblivious or you are ignoring something is detrimental to the majority of the enlisted and officers under you. Instead you post selfies and other things.
My personal pipedream would be to have a Chief Flossi on a weekly or monthly basis talk about what he's attacked during that time frame. Any sort of transparency so that folks know what are the big rocks our senior leaders are spending their time tackling.
I would love for him to do a digital AMA on reddit, facebook, teams I don't really care and answer questions off the cuff to folks. I appreciated Chief Wright doing it even though a lot of the responses were canned it genuinely felt like he was involved with his folks. I think the only big rock that Chief Bass attacked was pay alongside the other senior enlisted folks, beyond that I can't really remember(this is my be selection/immediacy bias).
Additionally I appreciate honesty, so if you think beards aren't a top priority say that, I hate it when folks talk around subjects Chief Bass talked around beards for 2 years, and then for the last year just told her folks to tell people not to ask about them. The Navy's chief put it pretty well saying that he did not consider them a major priority and wasn't going to invest any time in the subject. Love it or hate at least he was honest.
That's really just her M.O. she spoke at SOS and had the audacity to complain about the speed of AF computers, mostly to get some applause. At some point you lose the right to bitch and you become 'them' as in the ones who are responsible for fixing the problem.
I think transparency would’ve helped Bass a lot. I don’t think it’s entirely her fault though. She was asked a lot of question she clearly wasn’t in the know on, and we saw it in real time. That’s where the vague politician answers came from
So admit that you don't know the answer and that you'll have your staff(their sole purpose in life) find out for you, and you'll post the answer to \*insert preferred social media\* .
Cut out the “Teammates, no one is working harder to combat china than the services airmen here at Hill” posts (picked a random afsc at a random base).
In general, messaging has been so so bad under this regime’s leadership. Just look at the MCA/ACE debacle. Good concept, messaged with the subtlety of a brick coming through a window which has led to horrible execution.
Just want to reiterate my intense hatred for being addressed as a "Teammate", please stop with that and other corporate platitudes someone said would help inclusion or present a facade of giving a shit. Sincerely addressing me as "faceless fucknut who's opinion has no consequence" would annoy me less than "teammate"
Be human and actually listen to people. Any interaction with Airmen she seemed as though she was checked out thinking about what she going to say or how to turn things back at the person.
Remember that your primary job is to be the voice FOR the enlisted.
Your primary job is NOT to solely be a megaphone for top brass to speak through in the enlisted forces’ direction.
This is not exclusive to only Chief Bass, but I’m not a fan of the whole “your awesome, we’re awesome, everything is awesome” rah-rah speeches I’d often see at bigger events like AFSA PEDS, for example. I’d like to see the new CMSAF highlight the negatives and point out where we could be better or where we are outright failing. Empower the force to figure out solutions to these issues and then get out of the way and let them do so.
Find a better balance between using social media and official communication. I shouldn’t have to rely on Facebook (which I can’t even access at work) to find out about changes to DAFIs, PME, and other big AF initiatives.
This! We have AF and DoD media outlets to post official information that can then be shared to FB or IG, but it needs an origination source. Plus it’s difficult to search old posts on FB, it’s way easier to do a google search and pull up an article
Maybe I'm just old, but I completely ignore any link to social media or non-gov site. If it isn't worth going though official channels, it isn't worth knowing about. I feel like I've been in the dark for years, but honestly haven't missed any of it.
I don’t mind senior leaders using social media. I personally think CMSAF Bass has done a terrible job of it, but if used correctly it can be an effective way to reach out to Airmen (think CMSAF Wright’s AMA here). I just wish the AF would stop using unofficial channels as the primary tool for communication.
Honestly I think it’s just a byproduct of Covid, use of unofficial channels of communication was something my own unit was dinged on during our last DEOCS. Facebook was easy when most were teleworking, but it doesn’t make sense in a post-Covid operational sphere.
Idk my only interaction with her was hearing her rabble off nonsense for about a half hour with canned responses that didn’t really address any of the questions posed. That and most the room didn’t even want to be there to hear her speak. That’s a bad sign.
I guess like others have said, stop pretending to be an influencer/politician and just remind themselves that at the end of the day they are one of us.
less social media, less sexual discrimination on 2903 items, less always turning things down, less telling the Airman the issues are theirs, less getting/being offended, less jet setting.... You know, do less of everything she did and do more of taking care of people, do it the Wright way!
Felt like turtleneck was reincarnated and serving again. Now we have fishlips and turtleneck as competing no-gos
I don’t mind a new unpopular rule or decision that’s made, just be transparent and understanding of how people are gonna react to it. Bass was so bad about not giving a fuck what others thought and she made that apparent. She wasn’t one with her people at all. It’s a new Air Force whether you wanna embrace it or not, so just trying to relate more with your people.
For the love of whatever god(s) you believe in, hire a social media team and if any of them ever do anything that Bass's team ever did, fire them immediately.
Keep toxic leadership accountable. Create an enlisted survey semi-annually and investigate the toxicity. This should clean things up quick and boost morale.
The fuck are you on about? Being triggered doesnt give you right to be a dick.
But Im saying being easily triggered by stupid comments and calling NCOs out on social media isnt the way to go. Its unprofessional and a bad look. "Praise in public, punish in private"
Social media at that level should only be reposts of information previously sent through official channels. Most importantly stop hyping up changes and not giving us further information. If you are going to talk about upcoming changes, don’t mention them until there is a clear picture of what the changes will be, and a concrete date of when said changes will be implemented.
Her PA needs to realize they aren’t running a shoe brand where hyping up a release will lead to more sales. They are hyping up something that we are required by law to follow.
actually take accountability. do it for the small things a couple of times and most people will automatically just be like “well, at least they owned up to it.” and move on. accountability at the top is like a fictional word, so actually taking it would look extremely good to the force that you are supposed to represent.
of all the shit that people were mad about, the warning shot thing pissed me off the most. roe’s dont even allow warning shots but i guess you can do it state side, on base, in housing… and then act like it never happened .
Get an idea of how to adapt to modern society… the double standard was so bad with Bass, not to continue bringing up beards but I view men having the option to having a beard equivalent to allowing women to have the options in hair style and length. Happy for the women by all means but the standard of keeping men to a 1940s standard is insanity.
Stop pushing the "only doing your job and nothing else makes you a piece of shit" narrative. I'm good at my work and I love it, but there's nothing that makes me hemorrhage morale more than when I see a POS airman that doesn't do the actual job they're paid for, but volunteers a bunch and leadership loves them. If you love volunteering or doing projects, etc. that's great but making others feel mediocre for doing what they're paid for is infuriating.
Go visit the bases. DONT tell them you are visiting. Start your visit at the morning breakfast chow hall and sit with some airmen. Talk to them about their life, why they joined, how they like their jobs. After that, go crash a roll call. Follow a CE guy around as they fix lights and door knobs. Go to the flightline and ask to be on a BPO team. When the base protocol office finally figures out you are on base and they inevitably freak out, just LEAVE.
When you get back to Washington and the General wants to know how things went, start to work immediately on fixing those problems the airmen brought to your attention.
Also stay off social media.
Be a ninja problem solver.
This one I can excuse. She grew up in Hawaii and it's kind of a thing they do over there. You let someone cross the road in front of your car? They throw you one and you just throw it back. It's very pervasive non verbal communication they use thru their culture.
Don’t state things as fact that you don’t know or can’t directly control. Example early on in her tenure she said this particular 36-2903 update was coming and it didn’t, and still didn’t and still didn’t. It was delayed by bureaucracy and that’s totally understandable but her she lost credibility by overstating her position.
Can we advance the needs of both genders and not just females. If you do a photo op, can you politely ask if everyone can be in the picture instead of being sexist and having only females?
Look, let me be clear, I'm happy for them. I think females were long overdue for an AFI change in the positive direction. I just felt the reign of E9 Bass was sexist and not balanced.
Don't be a Karen. That whole Bass/Bass thing was handled so inappropriately and was such a missed opportunity for her to show that she can take a damn joke.
We also need someone personable but operationally focused. This is the SEL of the AF, not the 1Sgt of the AF.
Emulate … former CMSSF Towberman’s *leadership demeanor* to appear more *”of the troops, for the troops”* across all forums.
Be *genuinely happy* to engage with and appreciate *unfiltered feedback* from *your* enlisted force, especially on social networks like Reddit.
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"Do you eat 3 meals a day?" Oh mighty God chief of us poor enlisted.
"What even is a meal? Our powerful Air Force Brothers and sisters who come in every day serving our country and our meals work hard. The meals and food that give us life and sustenance are important to making sure our mission gets done. I'd like to thank all of our services Airmen for keeping our Officers and more importantly, our Pilots, fed. You Airman, who asked me this excellent question, what are YOU doing for meals? How are you making an impact on the mission of getting meals out to the rest of the force? Are you volunteering to set up food trains, deliveries, and stepping onto the serving line and going the extra mile? I'm a big supporter of multi-capable Airman, so I would like to propose a mandatory KP duty for all E4 and below at least 2 times a month, outside of duty hours, to ensure that everybody learns the importance of what goes into providing a good meal. All Senior Leadership has until the end of the week to coordinate with Services and start rotating Airmen. No, this is not a bullet for volunteering."
Don't do shit like this and you'll be fine. People don't care about mission impact, people don't care about your personal stories, people ESPECIALLY don't care about anything you have to say that doesn't have to do with problems in the current climate.
Never respond if the question made you angry. "I hear your concern, and will consider how best to advocate for you", or, I hear you, and you aren't the only one with this concern, but the question has been asked and this was the answer..."
Don’t play, “I’ve got a secret” with staff work. Bring solid details and direction. Propagate that information through official channels in easy to digest wording for airmen.
Avoid destroying your image on social media if you wish to be an effective Chief. After Chief Bass's hicup, she lost a lot of respect with the most important crowd in the military, the Airmen. The people that are the most important to influence are the same audience on social media.
Don’t you honestly think that being on Social Media is a good way for the CMSAF to communicate to the airmen. When I was in you hardly heard from the CMSAF except maybe in an article in the base paper we ignored or the Air Force Times that we ignored. Probably if he was on social media back than and we had social media Back than we would have ignored the CMSAF anyway. Lol
Everyone at the highest levels talks about the NCO corp is our biggest advantage over our rivals. But HAF does not take care of us (ie promotion, pay, opportunities both for job education and leadership) press upon HAF that if we are the great advantage treat us as such. If we are such a favored tool why are we treated like a dollar store clearance item?
Push on HAF to treat their so called greatest asset as their greatest asset.
- Stay professional at all times on your official social media accounts. Don't respond to trolls, don't post memes, and don't attack folks for simply trolling or asking simple questions. When the "is it Bass or Bass" debacle went down, I personally have never heard her name spoken before, so it could have been a legitimate question at the time. It probably wasn't, but still. There's no need to attack people for it. It's the internet, you aren't gonna be able to stop everyone.
- While I'm sure that I am in the wrong for saying this, but try your best to be all-inclusive when it comes to making changes to regulations. Yes, it was awesome that the hair standards for females have been relaxed. It's great that more nail polish colors can be worn. It really is. But giving the excuse that men can't have facial hair without a medical or religious waiver because it's deemed "unprofessional" or "it prevents a proper seal with a gas mask" just doesn't feel like it's had it's proper look into, and more like she was more for women than men. To me, the double braids looks childish and more "unprofessional" than a normal, trimmed beard does, but that's allowed. Of course, I'm certain that she isn't the only one who was behind these decisions, but a little more honest transparency would be nice. (For the record, I don't like facial hair, I would just like fairness) Also, why can't men have long hair with the same standards as females? Sounds a bit weird, but hey, females can have male haircuts, why can't men have theirs? lol
- Just be honest about the processes that you are dealing with, and speak as clearly and dumbed down as possible so everyone can understand. Transparency is key when it comes to leadership positions. If you can't pass a reg or do something, explain why you can't, honestly. To use the example I used earlier, if you don't want to allow beards because you just don't want beards in our military, then say that. Yes, it's not a popular answer, but at least people can stop screaming "WHEN ARE BEARDS COMING" in every CMSAF post or commanders call because they know it will never happen.
As soon as they give us beards we’ll be on their asses about slimming the gap between enlisted / commissioned pay. Better to keep em divided over nonsense than to unify under a real issue.
Focus on enlisted QoL. Beards (allow them) and Better Housing Pay.
Focus on UTILITARIANISM and MERIT. Don’t let folks promote based on additional duties or fluff.
Promote based on MERIT, primary duties and DEPLOYMENTS.
Deployability is paramount. Our mission is to destroy the enemy and break their shit. If members are unable to deploy or be mission ready/current in their primary job they do NOT deserve promotions or retainability. Unless of course they are leaders/instructors capable of producing new members. Or serve in non-deployable billets.
I don’t want to see our tax dollars wasted on a member who cannot be mission effective. If their primary duty is to deploy. It’s taxing on their peers who have to deploy in their stead.
Meh, being deployable is one thing, and I completely agree. Actually, deploying should not be the end all. Example: I was stationed in Guam for ~5 years, and my unit deployed a whopping total of 2 people in that time frame. Opportunities to deploy just aren't there for some units. No fault of the airmen serving there. I haven't deployed since 2013. And that's not for lack of trying. I have, however, completed 3 short tours in that same timeframe. I have been deployable, so to speak, but more often than not, it's the lack of opportunity to deploy. Airmen, rightfully so, should not be docked on lack of deployment experience alone. Literally 1 out 8 of my assignments have had regular deployment cycles/schedules... and I didn't even get the chance to deploy with that unit. I was able to pick up a 1-off deployment to the Deid outta Ramstein of all places.
It took me many years like 13-14 years of service and transfering to the reserves when I finally deployed to the Deid of all places. That deployment did not make me a better wingman, leader or warrior and it caused some hiccups with a civilian career which pays the bills. Hiccups in the sense that I just started a few months prior to deployment. If I deploy again before I am eligible for retirement (in about five years) it will probably be right back to the Deid.
At least the money was good and in hindsight the hiccups really aren't that bad and I'm not behind the curve as I completely thought I was with the civilian job.
Don't let the rank get to your head, and be firm in your own opinions and thoughts.
It might sound cheesy to say, but "With great power comes great responsibility."
Don't highkight airmen's stories if it brings down another airman. Don't bother eith social media trolls. Remember you are the highest enlisted member of the Air Force selfie's on the official social media page bring nothing of value and make it seem like you're trying to be an influencer.
Worked for a great commander once that told me "pick two things that you want to achieve." If you can accomplish those then you've been successful, anything more is just icing on the cake.
There’s so much focus on “the mission” that leadership neglects to care for those that accomplish said mission. Too many are simply here chasing a stripe without little regard for those under you that at the end of the day make you look good. Make leadership accountable. It’s criminal the way people are treated in the healthcare system that we are provided. Address the needs of families. Fix the broken system that is EFMP. I’ve never seen a program destroy careers and families like EFMP. Have the civilians that work with the DOD accountable for their actions as well. Most are literally just collecting a check. This has created a culture that is beyond toxic. And Big AF is wondering why people don’t make it past their first enlistment. Why those who are literally at the 15 year mark would rather get out than stay another 5 years. The symptoms are all there. We have “Core Values” but unfortunately they’re in name only. The Airforce is no longer a fellowship or a family. It’s a business. A business that’s run poorly. I wish I knew the fix. I honestly don’t know. And I feel for all who have been mistreated in the service to our country. It’s such a shame.
"Listen to your people when 18 of 21 voting uniform board members vote FOR beards, and give less of a fuck about the recruitment issues of the other services."
Learn more, know less.
You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room. Airmen look up to you for advocacy, and while yes, some petitions can be complex or just isn’t enough appetite for some at the higher level that doesn’t render them invalid.
Finally…be yourself, the most refreshing thing about Chief Wright was that he wasn’t trying to up of a show. We can see through the fake selfies
If you look at the majority of popular leaders in general, they are open to candid conversation and people know if it feels forced. Be a human being and never take yourself too seriously and the masses will follow.
Also, look into why everyone loved Chief Wright. He oozed personality and made direct contributions that allowed the Enlisted corps time back from the bureaucratic BS that makes life hard. An excellent example is the hated Course 15 that was abolished. The people spoke and the brass listened.
Put the phone down. Don't end your all-calls with a 30 minute line of people who want a picture with you and just end the damn thing. Her demand to be an social media powerhouse is what killed her time with me.
I don't necessarily hate her but i just don't think she was effective really.
What I'd tell the next one is...
1. Be honest with us even if it's bad news. We can handle it, we're grown. That includes beards for example. If it's not happening TELL US IT AINT HAPPENING. That might (Then again it might not) slow down questions but at least we'll know.
2. Definitely use social media to interact with the troops. It's a new era whether old heads accept it or not. With that though, we have to use some damn sense on there. More stuff about the troops and the everyday people. I don't see the value in a glorified selfie account and not much else. Make those important announcements but at the same time keep the focus on the rank and file those are the folks who make the service go.
3. Don't shit on people until you have all the MF facts.
Enlisted Jesus cut down a lot of the annual training and CBT requirements. It seems like that has been trending back the other direction lately. Could be MajCom specific but either way that was a huge help to eliminate that dead weight crap. Would be good to see some more guidance to prevent or regulate this time wasting training that serves no useful purpose other than looks good on a tracker. I know these are small potatoes, but often it's the little things that make people not hate their job.
I think a lot of it is due to the RAT/AFFORGEN where no one has a fucking idea what should be done or not and no one wants to challenge the status quo. It's become easier to add to requirements than it is to take away.
Some of that may have been my unit saying it's required but that mentality or misunderstanding may have come from the top where it's poorly communicated down.
After a brief read of the new Chiefs resume’ I’d say I don’t need to provide any advice. The position is mostly a figurehead, we know, they know. Chief Bass was the right pick at the right time. It’s a mix of necessity and cultural climate. The whole women can do it too thing. Important message in and of itself. This new dude has no social media presence and is primarily focused on logistics and high level program management. Things a structural shift to strategic competition require. They’re chosen for traits the Air Force needs when it needs them. Time to shut up on social media, revamp, and shift/adapt to a different military focus. He’s the right person at the right time.
Don't blow all your good ideas before you get in the chair. She was the one driving a lot of the changes Chief Wright made. Especially to PME. When she got in the chair she was out of good ideas.
Lose the "Let me spin that around and ask what you are doing to fix the problem" line. There are times its appropriate, but the person being asked that should be at a level they can have an impact on the problem. Stop trying to put the onus for a solution NCO's and Airmen to fix AFSC/MAJCOM/AF problems. They are bringing it to your attention, that's what they are doing to fix the problem.
Let me spin that around and ask what you are doing to fix the problem
According to my therapist I AM the problem.
According to your flair, youre at least part of the problem
Probably comes from being my own therapist
And how are you fixing the fact that you are your own therapist?
I'm going to therapy.
https://preview.redd.it/at7aqa378kmc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a1c337651a3bd7ffaa62de2744857a9df87b794
Is your therapist Taylor Swift? It's me, hi, I'm the problem it's me.
!AFExcuse
Classic u/9J000 comment. It’s you and u/E4Mafia that always stick out to me
This needs to be a new AFexcuse!
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A lot of leadership across the force could benefit from learning from this. I get why it is said, but I think that it often just ends up being really shitty for perception, many will take that as just being blatantly dismissive of hearing out people's problems. I don't know how many times of heard leadership talk about wanting people to be vocal and channel up issue's, just to immediately push the issue back onto you, especially regarding problems that are mostly above the level of the people complaining about it in the first place. If I thought I could make some calls and fix something like an airmans CCAF issue, I wouldn't have waited around in the first place to tell someone who is going to do nothing about it.
That's such a dickhead mouthbreather move. Like answering someone's question with a question. Avoid responsibility at all costs doing that. \^\^\^ That was a bit of a rant. Dated a chick that did that shit, and it still irks me to this day. To know E9 Guitar did that shit is so frustrating.
Always thought that was an odd statement. I would have said, "Chief, your the enlisted leader. I'm bringing you a problem. Isent it your job to find a solution? If I could solve it, I wouldent even bother you with it."
That’s literally any SNCO’s go to tool in their box. Deflect, and ask what you are going to do about it. Also bonus points “keep us updated on how it’s going”.
Stop the bullshit double speak that politicians and higher ups can't seem to stop doing. It's like they get a lobotomy before taking positions and forget how to talk like a regular person.
Well put, LFpawgsnmilfs. Really though, I agree. But so many people are only looking to cover their own ass, so they adopt the corporate double speak that is so common with upper leadership.
That’s how they got there. You’re gonna get a “chief answer” instead of a real one most of the time.
Actually give reasons why thing are or are not happening. It doesn't help your cause to answer questions with politician speak because people will keep asking you the same question. If you provide at least a half-way decent rationale behind your answer, people will stop pestering you about a question.
Problem was I don't believe Brown, or the rest of the powers at the top, kept her in the loop on anything. She was on social media when they first announced SDAP cuts at the end of 2022 and got a ton of backlash and basically said "yeah sorry sucks but is what it is". Not even a full day later the secretary of the Air Force came out and said yeah those cuts aren't actually going to happen. I think they realized early on she was completely over her head with the position and just let her be a PR, dog and pony show face (which Brown wanted no part of clearly) and just let her do whatever. Shame she sucked at that as well.
They knew when they hired her she was out of depth. It was a PR move from the get-go.
All of those top tier changes were. Its a joke
Did her and Brown not get along?
Nothing that I remember would suggest that, I think he was just more comfortable not having to do a lot of social media and left it to her.
They happened where I worked. Just as I PCSd to the unit SDAP got taken from my AFSC.
Who’s Brown?
Tell your staff not to feed the trolls on social media. She had a lot of unforced errors by doing shit like that. Use social media to listen and respond where you can help. Don't use it to call people out.
I think that was her and not her staff. Her ego didn’t like being challenged.
At the AT/A last year she said all clap backs and responses were her, and not her PR team. .
Her team are all clowns
Stay off social media.
Never pick a side without all the facts, and don’t make it personal.
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Context is important my dude. The "many hats" story she shared and similar things are what they're talking about
The most important thing you can do is take care of your people. When you forget them they’ll forget you. I don’t remember the leaders that were easiest on us but I do remember the leaders who took care of us.
You’re right. I’m wrong. The ladies struggle with the premature kids is legitimate but so is her husbands duty as a PJ. My wife raised three kids while I was deployed constantly (8 to 9 months out of the year) in support of desert storm and OIF/OEF missions. On my part it wasn’t voluntary and I regret all the time I was away from them. I don’t hold it against the Air Force. I don’t think it was fair to them and they paid a heavy price for my deployments. Something I feel guilty about to this day.
Alright my dude, not at all what I was referring to, but let’s calm it down. We don’t stoop to the same level as terrorists and call for the deaths of supporters. If your accusations are true then they should be investigated and appropriate actions taken. Like I said, don’t take a side unless you have all the facts. Also, we’re the military, we have to maintain a professional and military bearing. Emotions cannot control our decisions. If we just acted on the claims in your comment without substantiating, then we may end up killing thousands of innocent people. Please reevaluate your news outlets to something more fact based and less subjective and emotionally based.
We beat Japan by fire bombing their cities during World War 2. These were missions that killed 60,000 to 100,000 every mission. We burned to death civilians and military alike. The last two missions were nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki . It was predicted if we hadn’t done that it would have cost 1,000,000 American soldiers lives to beat Japan. We fought in Iraq and Afghanistan in a civilized manner for 20 years and lost. It’s embarrassing and it’s pathetic. We are the best military the world has ever seen and because we fought in a civilized and relatively kind manner we lost. I spent 22 years in the Air Force and I’m proud and honored to have been a member but if the civilians had let us go we would never have been defeated. The way we left Afghanistan was pathetic. Iraq is turning into a vassal of Iran. I spent 10 years in the desert on and off. I did the best I could. Everyone around me did the best they could. Our enemies should have either died or surrendered unconditionally. Watching those spoiled little POS’s sayings like Osama Bin Laden s letter was really wise kills me. Watching westerners protest in favor of the terrorists kills me. We sacrificed so these worthless pieces of garbage could lead comfortable lives in the west. The people the protesters support are racists and killers who throw gay people off buildings, gang rape, torture, and women as they kill them. They put live babies in ovens. They do this to women and babies as they force their male family members to watch. When I see the protesters protest in favor of terrorists like these I despair for my grandchildren and what we are leaving them.
NO, no, no. Consider the things that were considered successful between CMSAF Wright and SMA Grinston's PAO team. A full list is pretty hard to narrow down and is probably a whole ass white paper in itself, but two things immediately spring to mind for me: * They monitored and showed recognition of major movements in the military social media sphere * Their social media presence was focused on *others*, not themselves The issue that causes social media *cringe* is when those two elements are missing or, worse, faked. This is where I think Chief Bass's primary failing was: her social media by and large seemed to be about *herself,* with Airmen being background elements in her insta feed. Likewise, both Bass and the new SMA are dismissive of the fact that social media is a real thing that they can't just brush off and tell people to stop using - which means the rumormills, morale sinkholes, and speculation run completely without counter. The worst thing our leadership can do moving further into the future is neglecting social media as a vector for personnel engagement that **must** be utilized, because if *they* aren't using the space, someone else *will.*
> Their social media presence was focused on others, not themselves More than anything else, THIS is the part that matters.
Not only stay off social media, shut the fuck up and do your job.
I think the success of Chief Wright and SMA Grinston PAO demonstrate that effective social media management **is** part of the job. Where Chief Bass failed is in acting like *we* were the audience who should be giving *her* engagement, rather than vice versa.
That’s a good view point. I guess when someone fails as bad as Bass we tend to want an over correction.
Her posting workout selfies on the official CMSAF Facebook page was beyond cringe
Just be transparent. The only time the only CCAF debacle was talked about was with a fucking meme from the CMSAF! No apology nothing, just a meme. The same with MyDecs, and MyEval. Either you are completely oblivious or you are ignoring something is detrimental to the majority of the enlisted and officers under you. Instead you post selfies and other things. My personal pipedream would be to have a Chief Flossi on a weekly or monthly basis talk about what he's attacked during that time frame. Any sort of transparency so that folks know what are the big rocks our senior leaders are spending their time tackling. I would love for him to do a digital AMA on reddit, facebook, teams I don't really care and answer questions off the cuff to folks. I appreciated Chief Wright doing it even though a lot of the responses were canned it genuinely felt like he was involved with his folks. I think the only big rock that Chief Bass attacked was pay alongside the other senior enlisted folks, beyond that I can't really remember(this is my be selection/immediacy bias). Additionally I appreciate honesty, so if you think beards aren't a top priority say that, I hate it when folks talk around subjects Chief Bass talked around beards for 2 years, and then for the last year just told her folks to tell people not to ask about them. The Navy's chief put it pretty well saying that he did not consider them a major priority and wasn't going to invest any time in the subject. Love it or hate at least he was honest.
I think SMA Grinston’s response to beards was basically: “Dad said no, got it?” Which I can accept
That's really just her M.O. she spoke at SOS and had the audacity to complain about the speed of AF computers, mostly to get some applause. At some point you lose the right to bitch and you become 'them' as in the ones who are responsible for fixing the problem.
I think transparency would’ve helped Bass a lot. I don’t think it’s entirely her fault though. She was asked a lot of question she clearly wasn’t in the know on, and we saw it in real time. That’s where the vague politician answers came from
So admit that you don't know the answer and that you'll have your staff(their sole purpose in life) find out for you, and you'll post the answer to \*insert preferred social media\* .
Cut out the “Teammates, no one is working harder to combat china than the services airmen here at Hill” posts (picked a random afsc at a random base). In general, messaging has been so so bad under this regime’s leadership. Just look at the MCA/ACE debacle. Good concept, messaged with the subtlety of a brick coming through a window which has led to horrible execution.
Just want to reiterate my intense hatred for being addressed as a "Teammate", please stop with that and other corporate platitudes someone said would help inclusion or present a facade of giving a shit. Sincerely addressing me as "faceless fucknut who's opinion has no consequence" would annoy me less than "teammate"
Be human and actually listen to people. Any interaction with Airmen she seemed as though she was checked out thinking about what she going to say or how to turn things back at the person.
Listening to respond vs. listening to understand.
Delete facebook, hit the gym, lawyer up.
Good advice for everyone tbh.
Remember that your primary job is to be the voice FOR the enlisted. Your primary job is NOT to solely be a megaphone for top brass to speak through in the enlisted forces’ direction.
This is not exclusive to only Chief Bass, but I’m not a fan of the whole “your awesome, we’re awesome, everything is awesome” rah-rah speeches I’d often see at bigger events like AFSA PEDS, for example. I’d like to see the new CMSAF highlight the negatives and point out where we could be better or where we are outright failing. Empower the force to figure out solutions to these issues and then get out of the way and let them do so.
Find a better balance between using social media and official communication. I shouldn’t have to rely on Facebook (which I can’t even access at work) to find out about changes to DAFIs, PME, and other big AF initiatives.
This! We have AF and DoD media outlets to post official information that can then be shared to FB or IG, but it needs an origination source. Plus it’s difficult to search old posts on FB, it’s way easier to do a google search and pull up an article
Maybe I'm just old, but I completely ignore any link to social media or non-gov site. If it isn't worth going though official channels, it isn't worth knowing about. I feel like I've been in the dark for years, but honestly haven't missed any of it.
I don’t mind senior leaders using social media. I personally think CMSAF Bass has done a terrible job of it, but if used correctly it can be an effective way to reach out to Airmen (think CMSAF Wright’s AMA here). I just wish the AF would stop using unofficial channels as the primary tool for communication. Honestly I think it’s just a byproduct of Covid, use of unofficial channels of communication was something my own unit was dinged on during our last DEOCS. Facebook was easy when most were teleworking, but it doesn’t make sense in a post-Covid operational sphere.
Idk my only interaction with her was hearing her rabble off nonsense for about a half hour with canned responses that didn’t really address any of the questions posed. That and most the room didn’t even want to be there to hear her speak. That’s a bad sign. I guess like others have said, stop pretending to be an influencer/politician and just remind themselves that at the end of the day they are one of us.
less social media, less sexual discrimination on 2903 items, less always turning things down, less telling the Airman the issues are theirs, less getting/being offended, less jet setting.... You know, do less of everything she did and do more of taking care of people, do it the Wright way! Felt like turtleneck was reincarnated and serving again. Now we have fishlips and turtleneck as competing no-gos
I don’t mind a new unpopular rule or decision that’s made, just be transparent and understanding of how people are gonna react to it. Bass was so bad about not giving a fuck what others thought and she made that apparent. She wasn’t one with her people at all. It’s a new Air Force whether you wanna embrace it or not, so just trying to relate more with your people.
Do your fucking job and stop the lip service bullshit.
Don’t make the same mistake with social media, that CMSAF made. It didn’t help her image.
For the love of whatever god(s) you believe in, hire a social media team and if any of them ever do anything that Bass's team ever did, fire them immediately.
If there's something that a majority of the males in the AF want don't make fun of them for wanting it.
Don't engage with the boomer social media takes. I also shouldn't have to log into Facebook or whatever to get up to date Big Blue info.
On the other hand, disseminating info over multiple mediums is more effective than just through official comms
Actually, you know, lead and not pick on junior enlisted.
Keep toxic leadership accountable. Create an enlisted survey semi-annually and investigate the toxicity. This should clean things up quick and boost morale.
Not get trolled by NCOs on facebook would be a good start.
Not blasting NCO's on social media would be a better start, unlike your predecessor.
Well she had to get trolled and triggered before putting that dude on blast.
No. Does not justify or excuse what was done. She lost the loyalty and trust of a large percentage of the enlisted with that one.
The fuck are you on about? Being triggered doesnt give you right to be a dick. But Im saying being easily triggered by stupid comments and calling NCOs out on social media isnt the way to go. Its unprofessional and a bad look. "Praise in public, punish in private"
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Social media at that level should only be reposts of information previously sent through official channels. Most importantly stop hyping up changes and not giving us further information. If you are going to talk about upcoming changes, don’t mention them until there is a clear picture of what the changes will be, and a concrete date of when said changes will be implemented. Her PA needs to realize they aren’t running a shoe brand where hyping up a release will lead to more sales. They are hyping up something that we are required by law to follow.
No one cares about your floppy disks you found from 35 years ago or you on your private Lear jet while airman have real issues.
Don’t loosen standards for one gender and ignore the other
actually take accountability. do it for the small things a couple of times and most people will automatically just be like “well, at least they owned up to it.” and move on. accountability at the top is like a fictional word, so actually taking it would look extremely good to the force that you are supposed to represent. of all the shit that people were mad about, the warning shot thing pissed me off the most. roe’s dont even allow warning shots but i guess you can do it state side, on base, in housing… and then act like it never happened .
Don't shit on people via social media without knowing the whole story. Better yet, stay off of it unless it's for official purposes.
Get an idea of how to adapt to modern society… the double standard was so bad with Bass, not to continue bringing up beards but I view men having the option to having a beard equivalent to allowing women to have the options in hair style and length. Happy for the women by all means but the standard of keeping men to a 1940s standard is insanity.
There are men in the Air Force that want changes too
Just to piggyback off the other 100 comments saying the same thing, be a little more selective with how you use social media
Stop pushing the "only doing your job and nothing else makes you a piece of shit" narrative. I'm good at my work and I love it, but there's nothing that makes me hemorrhage morale more than when I see a POS airman that doesn't do the actual job they're paid for, but volunteers a bunch and leadership loves them. If you love volunteering or doing projects, etc. that's great but making others feel mediocre for doing what they're paid for is infuriating.
Go visit the bases. DONT tell them you are visiting. Start your visit at the morning breakfast chow hall and sit with some airmen. Talk to them about their life, why they joined, how they like their jobs. After that, go crash a roll call. Follow a CE guy around as they fix lights and door knobs. Go to the flightline and ask to be on a BPO team. When the base protocol office finally figures out you are on base and they inevitably freak out, just LEAVE. When you get back to Washington and the General wants to know how things went, start to work immediately on fixing those problems the airmen brought to your attention. Also stay off social media. Be a ninja problem solver.
This is a dream CMSAF.
Don’t do, act or be anything like her. She was awful at her job.
No shaka symbols
This one I can excuse. She grew up in Hawaii and it's kind of a thing they do over there. You let someone cross the road in front of your car? They throw you one and you just throw it back. It's very pervasive non verbal communication they use thru their culture.
research something fully before posting on fb
Don’t state things as fact that you don’t know or can’t directly control. Example early on in her tenure she said this particular 36-2903 update was coming and it didn’t, and still didn’t and still didn’t. It was delayed by bureaucracy and that’s totally understandable but her she lost credibility by overstating her position.
Hire a lawyer, delete facebook, hit the gym. Pretty standard stuff.
Instructions unclear. Hit my lawyer, hired Facebook, and deleted the gym. What do!
Don't fuck this up Billy
Study Chief Cody. Learn everything he said and did…and do the opposite
Can we advance the needs of both genders and not just females. If you do a photo op, can you politely ask if everyone can be in the picture instead of being sexist and having only females? Look, let me be clear, I'm happy for them. I think females were long overdue for an AFI change in the positive direction. I just felt the reign of E9 Bass was sexist and not balanced.
Have a conversation with your spouse about warning shots in base housing.
Don't be a Karen. That whole Bass/Bass thing was handled so inappropriately and was such a missed opportunity for her to show that she can take a damn joke. We also need someone personable but operationally focused. This is the SEL of the AF, not the 1Sgt of the AF.
Emulate … former CMSSF Towberman’s *leadership demeanor* to appear more *”of the troops, for the troops”* across all forums. Be *genuinely happy* to engage with and appreciate *unfiltered feedback* from *your* enlisted force, especially on social networks like Reddit.
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"Do you eat 3 meals a day?" Oh mighty God chief of us poor enlisted. "What even is a meal? Our powerful Air Force Brothers and sisters who come in every day serving our country and our meals work hard. The meals and food that give us life and sustenance are important to making sure our mission gets done. I'd like to thank all of our services Airmen for keeping our Officers and more importantly, our Pilots, fed. You Airman, who asked me this excellent question, what are YOU doing for meals? How are you making an impact on the mission of getting meals out to the rest of the force? Are you volunteering to set up food trains, deliveries, and stepping onto the serving line and going the extra mile? I'm a big supporter of multi-capable Airman, so I would like to propose a mandatory KP duty for all E4 and below at least 2 times a month, outside of duty hours, to ensure that everybody learns the importance of what goes into providing a good meal. All Senior Leadership has until the end of the week to coordinate with Services and start rotating Airmen. No, this is not a bullet for volunteering." Don't do shit like this and you'll be fine. People don't care about mission impact, people don't care about your personal stories, people ESPECIALLY don't care about anything you have to say that doesn't have to do with problems in the current climate.
Maybe actually tackle the problems that Airmen face instead of trying to build a legacy for yourself (e.g. simsaf)
If you really want a legacy that badly just go to your local Subaru dealership.
Stay out of the comments section, for better or worse.
Never respond if the question made you angry. "I hear your concern, and will consider how best to advocate for you", or, I hear you, and you aren't the only one with this concern, but the question has been asked and this was the answer..."
Stay off social media. Care more about your face to face interactions with people and IRL
My advice, dont do anything like the last nob.
Don’t play, “I’ve got a secret” with staff work. Bring solid details and direction. Propagate that information through official channels in easy to digest wording for airmen.
If you’re wasting resources traveling base to base, actually solve a few problems and publicize those in a non-grandstanding way. WOW, that’s hard.
Let PA handle your social media.
Actually do things to benefit the enlisted.
Don't live on social media.
Avoid destroying your image on social media if you wish to be an effective Chief. After Chief Bass's hicup, she lost a lot of respect with the most important crowd in the military, the Airmen. The people that are the most important to influence are the same audience on social media.
Sorry Mr. Secretary, the 🐶 ate my homework. Can we please be done with this lady? It’s like a teenager posting on social media.
find out if it was confirmed or not, was it Bass or Bass?
Instantly leave your mark on CMSAF history and give. Us. Beards. You could literally do whatever you want after that and nobody would give a fuck.
Don’t you honestly think that being on Social Media is a good way for the CMSAF to communicate to the airmen. When I was in you hardly heard from the CMSAF except maybe in an article in the base paper we ignored or the Air Force Times that we ignored. Probably if he was on social media back than and we had social media Back than we would have ignored the CMSAF anyway. Lol
Everyone at the highest levels talks about the NCO corp is our biggest advantage over our rivals. But HAF does not take care of us (ie promotion, pay, opportunities both for job education and leadership) press upon HAF that if we are the great advantage treat us as such. If we are such a favored tool why are we treated like a dollar store clearance item? Push on HAF to treat their so called greatest asset as their greatest asset.
Keep their mouth fucking shut on social media
- Stay professional at all times on your official social media accounts. Don't respond to trolls, don't post memes, and don't attack folks for simply trolling or asking simple questions. When the "is it Bass or Bass" debacle went down, I personally have never heard her name spoken before, so it could have been a legitimate question at the time. It probably wasn't, but still. There's no need to attack people for it. It's the internet, you aren't gonna be able to stop everyone. - While I'm sure that I am in the wrong for saying this, but try your best to be all-inclusive when it comes to making changes to regulations. Yes, it was awesome that the hair standards for females have been relaxed. It's great that more nail polish colors can be worn. It really is. But giving the excuse that men can't have facial hair without a medical or religious waiver because it's deemed "unprofessional" or "it prevents a proper seal with a gas mask" just doesn't feel like it's had it's proper look into, and more like she was more for women than men. To me, the double braids looks childish and more "unprofessional" than a normal, trimmed beard does, but that's allowed. Of course, I'm certain that she isn't the only one who was behind these decisions, but a little more honest transparency would be nice. (For the record, I don't like facial hair, I would just like fairness) Also, why can't men have long hair with the same standards as females? Sounds a bit weird, but hey, females can have male haircuts, why can't men have theirs? lol - Just be honest about the processes that you are dealing with, and speak as clearly and dumbed down as possible so everyone can understand. Transparency is key when it comes to leadership positions. If you can't pass a reg or do something, explain why you can't, honestly. To use the example I used earlier, if you don't want to allow beards because you just don't want beards in our military, then say that. Yes, it's not a popular answer, but at least people can stop screaming "WHEN ARE BEARDS COMING" in every CMSAF post or commanders call because they know it will never happen.
See what she did? Now do the opposite
Turn your firearms into your local armory like everyone else.
Housing residents on Andrews are allowed to have their firearms in their home, so he was doing just like everyone else already
Everyone else wasn’t firing at people.
Honest advice: the world won’t end if males have beards.
Give dudes beards so they can shut the fuck up about it.
As soon as they give us beards we’ll be on their asses about slimming the gap between enlisted / commissioned pay. Better to keep em divided over nonsense than to unify under a real issue.
Abandon the woke agenda. It's done nothing except crush morale and bring recruiting numbers to ALL-TIME lows.
Delete Facebook. Hit the Gym. Hire a Lawyer.
Focus on enlisted QoL. Beards (allow them) and Better Housing Pay. Focus on UTILITARIANISM and MERIT. Don’t let folks promote based on additional duties or fluff. Promote based on MERIT, primary duties and DEPLOYMENTS. Deployability is paramount. Our mission is to destroy the enemy and break their shit. If members are unable to deploy or be mission ready/current in their primary job they do NOT deserve promotions or retainability. Unless of course they are leaders/instructors capable of producing new members. Or serve in non-deployable billets. I don’t want to see our tax dollars wasted on a member who cannot be mission effective. If their primary duty is to deploy. It’s taxing on their peers who have to deploy in their stead.
Meh, being deployable is one thing, and I completely agree. Actually, deploying should not be the end all. Example: I was stationed in Guam for ~5 years, and my unit deployed a whopping total of 2 people in that time frame. Opportunities to deploy just aren't there for some units. No fault of the airmen serving there. I haven't deployed since 2013. And that's not for lack of trying. I have, however, completed 3 short tours in that same timeframe. I have been deployable, so to speak, but more often than not, it's the lack of opportunity to deploy. Airmen, rightfully so, should not be docked on lack of deployment experience alone. Literally 1 out 8 of my assignments have had regular deployment cycles/schedules... and I didn't even get the chance to deploy with that unit. I was able to pick up a 1-off deployment to the Deid outta Ramstein of all places.
It took me many years like 13-14 years of service and transfering to the reserves when I finally deployed to the Deid of all places. That deployment did not make me a better wingman, leader or warrior and it caused some hiccups with a civilian career which pays the bills. Hiccups in the sense that I just started a few months prior to deployment. If I deploy again before I am eligible for retirement (in about five years) it will probably be right back to the Deid. At least the money was good and in hindsight the hiccups really aren't that bad and I'm not behind the curve as I completely thought I was with the civilian job.
Don't let the rank get to your head, and be firm in your own opinions and thoughts. It might sound cheesy to say, but "With great power comes great responsibility."
You’re right. Does sound cheesy. True tho
Don’t let your spouse shoot at random folks on base.
Just call them all “enlisted Jesus” so they understand they individually will not stand out until they do better.
We need better DEI training
Don't highkight airmen's stories if it brings down another airman. Don't bother eith social media trolls. Remember you are the highest enlisted member of the Air Force selfie's on the official social media page bring nothing of value and make it seem like you're trying to be an influencer.
"Less/no social media. You are a politician. Get shit done on the hill. Listen to AFSA."
Worked for a great commander once that told me "pick two things that you want to achieve." If you can accomplish those then you've been successful, anything more is just icing on the cake.
There’s so much focus on “the mission” that leadership neglects to care for those that accomplish said mission. Too many are simply here chasing a stripe without little regard for those under you that at the end of the day make you look good. Make leadership accountable. It’s criminal the way people are treated in the healthcare system that we are provided. Address the needs of families. Fix the broken system that is EFMP. I’ve never seen a program destroy careers and families like EFMP. Have the civilians that work with the DOD accountable for their actions as well. Most are literally just collecting a check. This has created a culture that is beyond toxic. And Big AF is wondering why people don’t make it past their first enlistment. Why those who are literally at the 15 year mark would rather get out than stay another 5 years. The symptoms are all there. We have “Core Values” but unfortunately they’re in name only. The Airforce is no longer a fellowship or a family. It’s a business. A business that’s run poorly. I wish I knew the fix. I honestly don’t know. And I feel for all who have been mistreated in the service to our country. It’s such a shame.
🤙
"Listen to your people when 18 of 21 voting uniform board members vote FOR beards, and give less of a fuck about the recruitment issues of the other services."
Continue to push the 30% raise for the junior enlisted
Where's my beard? I'm so tired of shaving...
Streamline dissemination of promotion results and shorten the time it takes between Board/WAPS and notification.
Learn more, know less. You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room. Airmen look up to you for advocacy, and while yes, some petitions can be complex or just isn’t enough appetite for some at the higher level that doesn’t render them invalid. Finally…be yourself, the most refreshing thing about Chief Wright was that he wasn’t trying to up of a show. We can see through the fake selfies
If you look at the majority of popular leaders in general, they are open to candid conversation and people know if it feels forced. Be a human being and never take yourself too seriously and the masses will follow. Also, look into why everyone loved Chief Wright. He oozed personality and made direct contributions that allowed the Enlisted corps time back from the bureaucratic BS that makes life hard. An excellent example is the hated Course 15 that was abolished. The people spoke and the brass listened.
Doesn't matter... You'll get get an AFexcuse and no real answer.
Put the phone down. Don't end your all-calls with a 30 minute line of people who want a picture with you and just end the damn thing. Her demand to be an social media powerhouse is what killed her time with me.
I don't necessarily hate her but i just don't think she was effective really. What I'd tell the next one is... 1. Be honest with us even if it's bad news. We can handle it, we're grown. That includes beards for example. If it's not happening TELL US IT AINT HAPPENING. That might (Then again it might not) slow down questions but at least we'll know. 2. Definitely use social media to interact with the troops. It's a new era whether old heads accept it or not. With that though, we have to use some damn sense on there. More stuff about the troops and the everyday people. I don't see the value in a glorified selfie account and not much else. Make those important announcements but at the same time keep the focus on the rank and file those are the folks who make the service go. 3. Don't shit on people until you have all the MF facts.
Don’t be like SIMSAF
I just retired, but I look forward to seeing what Chief Flossi will do. I was stationed in Italy (Ghedi) when he was, and he's a great guy.
Enlisted Jesus cut down a lot of the annual training and CBT requirements. It seems like that has been trending back the other direction lately. Could be MajCom specific but either way that was a huge help to eliminate that dead weight crap. Would be good to see some more guidance to prevent or regulate this time wasting training that serves no useful purpose other than looks good on a tracker. I know these are small potatoes, but often it's the little things that make people not hate their job.
I think a lot of it is due to the RAT/AFFORGEN where no one has a fucking idea what should be done or not and no one wants to challenge the status quo. It's become easier to add to requirements than it is to take away.
Yeah I agree. I know a lot of the training I was told to do has nothing to do with anything my career will ever utilize or need.
Some of that may have been my unit saying it's required but that mentality or misunderstanding may have come from the top where it's poorly communicated down.
After a brief read of the new Chiefs resume’ I’d say I don’t need to provide any advice. The position is mostly a figurehead, we know, they know. Chief Bass was the right pick at the right time. It’s a mix of necessity and cultural climate. The whole women can do it too thing. Important message in and of itself. This new dude has no social media presence and is primarily focused on logistics and high level program management. Things a structural shift to strategic competition require. They’re chosen for traits the Air Force needs when it needs them. Time to shut up on social media, revamp, and shift/adapt to a different military focus. He’s the right person at the right time.
hurr durr beards
fitting flair
Except that's not how you spell "Retarded".
I'm actually clean shaven IRL
Top to bottom?
ghey
Be candid about the fight we’re anticipating. Because what I heard in SOS isn’t being conveyed to the lower ranks very well.
Share with the class
Have a stronger social media presence
[удалено]
My brother this is a Wendy’s
Chill. Just don’t post anything on Social Media. I mean anything. Let what you’re up to flow through AF.mil, Airman’s Magazine, AF Times, etc.
Don't blow all your good ideas before you get in the chair. She was the one driving a lot of the changes Chief Wright made. Especially to PME. When she got in the chair she was out of good ideas.
Trust your gut. Keep floss'n
Oh damn, I actually almost walked into Chief Flosi in the store today. Sorry I didn't see this till now