What to expect from a 905th ARS Rhino

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Noel Bradford
  • 905th Air Refueling Squadron commander
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Has your supervisor provided feedback to you lately? They should have and your feedback should include a discussion about what is expected of you.

When I took command of the 905th Air Refueling Squadron, I briefed the entire squadron and sent an email out to those deployed, outlining my expectations of them. Several officers approached me afterwards and said that my briefing was the first time a commander had defined expectations for them.

Below are a few of my expectations for my squadron members and if you follow these, you will be successful not only in the United States Air Force, but in life as well.

The basic expectations
-Always behave with integrity and character, even when no one is looking.
-Take care of one another whether it's being a leader, a mentor, or a wingman. And don't forget to have fun together.
-Be accountable by taking responsibility for your actions and those you supervise.
-Always be ready and prepared for the next step, regardless if its upgrade training, preparing for a deployment, preparing for bigger leadership responsibilities or exercises.
-Remember to communicate with the people above you, airmen beneath you, and airmen all around you. This includes providing feedback to your supervisor.

Attitude
-As a leader, I always try to maintain a positive outlook regardless of circumstances and I expect you to work hard to do the same.
-Your attitude is one of the few things in life that you have 100 percent control over every minute of every day. There are no excuses for a bad attitude.
-Remember, your attitude is contagious. Maintain one that others would like to catch.

Time and information management
-Solve issues at your level and after they're solved let your supervision know what happened and how was it resolved.
-Don't just bring problems to your supervision, also, bring recommendations and solutions. A helpful technique to use is Boyd's OODA Loop: Observe a problem, analyze the problem and develop a solution (Orient), decide on a solution, then act to implement the solution or recommendation.
-Always work smarter, not harder. Time spent on process improvement or future preparation now, pays big dividends later.
-Keep your supervision informed whether it's good or bad. Bad news isn't like wine, it does not get better with age.

Safety
-Being safe comes from being prepared, disciplined and making good decisions.
-Every Airmen should be safety advocates and thinking about safety on or off duty.

Involvement
-Help your supervision help you. Plan for the future, be aware of deadlines, and keep notes for your officer or enlisted performance review.
-The squadron you belong to is YOUR squadron. Participate in squadron events or supports and communicate with other Airmen in your squadron.
-If you want a great squadron, help make it great.

Balance
-All Airmen must maintain balance in their lives to be effective. Manage your balance yourself or ask for help before problems occur.
-There are three parts of the human condition, the mind, body and spirit. Take care of each part professionally and personally.
-Running provides this balance for me, find what works for you.

The three P's
-Be professional.
-Have a positive attitude.
-Be proactive.

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are some important expectations I have for my squadron. As the 905th ARS wraps up operations at Grand Forks Air Force Base, I challenge all the Warriors of the North to implement this list into your work space and life. I hope you find them as helpful as I have.