News

Monthly retreat ceremonies part of 'Back to Basics' initiative

  • Published
  • By Jenny Gordon
  • 78th AIr Base Wing Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  The retreat ceremony conducted in front of the 78th Air Base Wing headquarters building imparts deep meaning and symbolism to those who wear the uniform as our nation's flag is majestically lowered to signal the end of a duty day.

The monthly retreat is just one of many customs brought back as part of an Air Force Materiel Command "Back to Basics" initiative. Discussed among command chiefs within AFMC last year, there was a sense some of the service's heritage, customs and courtesies had been lost; there needed to be a push to get back to the way some things were while balancing that with an ever-changing world and mix of generations.

"Because we're a changing Air Force, we've allowed some of those changes to erode some of the things we used do - those we hold near and dear that we grew up on - that we felt were vital to what we did," said Chief Master Sgt. Patrick Bowen, 78th ABW command chief.

Mission partners across Robins have now reached out and volunteered in the effort. The 689th Combat Communications Wing will host a retreat in October, and the 402nd Maintenance Wing in November.

Another initiative, which recently completed its fourth quarter at Robins, is the return of face-to-face boards. The process of selecting candidates for promotion and quarterly awards allows board members to meet and hear people, as opposed to just reading about a person as part of a written package.

"It used to be that you just did a package on a piece of paper, sent it forward, and that was all you knew about the person," noted Bowen. "The idea of the face-to-face board is to do that still, but to also have the person come in for an interview."

He continued, "As soon as they knock on the door and enter, it starts. We're watching their bearing, their discipline, how sharp they look in uniform. We ask them to tell a little bit about themselves. What we want to do is hear from them - how do they communicate? When you're looking for the leaders of tomorrow, you want people who can communicate, and think on their feet."

Bowen said with boards, one can get a more accurate winner after posing questions to nominees, listening to responses, and getting to know personalities. It's not necessarily about answering all the questions right.

"As we develop, nurture and grow tomorrow's leaders, those are the kinds of things we want to do," he said.

Continuing on the theme of more open communication in an ever-changing world, names and faces remain hidden behind technology, he said. Email and texting can replace human interaction.

Bowen admitted he'd like to see one day a week where email was put aside; however, since it's here to stay, it shouldn't replace face-to-face conversation or using the telephone.

"We assume people understand the tone or context of what we're saying in an email," he said. "But when I'm talking to you, and you're observing me, you can get a feel for what I'm saying, and vice versa."

Confrontation is something people are afraid of, but it doesn't have to be negative, said Bowen. The idea is to allow communication to help break down barriers and help people work together.

He discussed other "Back to Basics" ideas, including everyday etiquette such as extending a simple greeting. Extending a good afternoon or hello to an officer or senior NCO, for example, is something that should be done anyway as part of military customs and traditions, he said.

"I call our youngest Airmen 'sir' or 'ma'am'," he said. "I say 'thank you' or things like that - it's just politeness. People think it takes effort, but to me it takes more effort not to do it."

Caring for people and focusing on their needs is also vitally important.

"My focus is taking care of people," he said. "If you provide people resources and you remove obstacles, people will be successful for the most part. If you give people an opportunity to succeed, and you genuinely care, I think they'll do amazing things."

On returning to servant leadership, he added, "I live vicariously through our Airmen. Their successes are my successes. I just want to stand back, clap and cheer for them, and see them excel. That makes me happy."

Getting back to mentoring is another key area. By helping and training his replacement, Bowen said his success will be measured by how well the person after him leads, and the organization performs. Mentoring and engaged leadership work together when it comes to knowing your people and helping others succeed.

Supervisors oftentimes don't engage with workers until a negative situation arises. Instead, sitting down and regularly talking can create opportunities for discussion, encouragement and mentoring.

"Again, it's confrontation. It doesn't have to be bad. If it's honest, if it's sincere, and you talk to people the way that you would want to be talked to, if it's mutual respect, then it's not a bad thing," he said.