My Vision: Taking care of your people

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Richard Dennis
  • 39th Maintenance Group superintendent
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  During my 25 years in the military a lot of people have asked me for inputs on keys to success. So, I would like to pass-on some ideas I think may help you/us (the wing) succeed.

First, the best advice I can give you is to take care of your people. As a Chief, I'm in a unique position to help others achieve their goals. I'm not going to make E-10 (no such thing) so this enables me to focus more on helping my people. The cliché, "Take care of your people and they'll take care of the mission," is true. I've always shown a genuine concern for my people and they knew I had their back and it allowed them to focus on the mission. This has led to many successes throughout my career.

Second, share your experiences and expertise. It's great to be the go-to person but who do they go to when you're gone? This may be tough for some but eventually we will all take off our uniforms and move on. If you do your job correctly your unit shouldn't suffer when you're gone.

Third, be a mentor regardless of your rank and seek mentorship. We all have different experiences that may be beneficial to others and no one person has all the answers. If you ever meet someone who thinks they have all the answers; I recommend you run.

Finally, open the lines of communication and take the time to listen to your people. Here's a quote that has stuck with me from one of my mentors, "Good listeners are not only popular everywhere, but after a while, they know something."

These are just a few secrets to success and I believe they may be helpful to many of you. I'm proud to be part of the Team Incirlik and being able to serve with so many dedicated Airmen. As a TEAM we will succeed!