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Keeping
up Airmen's Morale with 3 Cs
 NELLIS
AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (ACCNS) –
We've all had a
co-worker or subordinate share feelings of unhappiness with the job or
lack motivation. How do you help them to improve their morale? How do
you help create a solution?
I'd like to
outline the three Cs of morale: competence, contribution and connection.
When trying to get to the bottom of someone's low morale or motivation,
there are three questions that can help focus the problem.
Do you feel
competent in your job?
Everyone wants
to be competent in their duties, be seen as knowledgeable by co-workers
and be helpful to their customers. When we don't feel competent,
feelings of frustration can rise from within. On the other hand, inner
pride can swell when a peer or customer thanks us for helping them solve
something that they couldn't do by themselves.
Each section on
Nellis and Creech spends countless man-hours training our people on
everything from local processes to wartime skills. But we still have
Airmen who's morale and motivation lags because they suffer quietly and
don't ask what they feel is a dumb question required to improve their
job knowledge. In the end that habit may lead to leaving the service or
failing to progress professionally because they don't feel they are
competent in their jobs.
Help develop a
training plan, at all levels, to grow your people. Focus especially on
improving competence for those who don't seem to like their jobs.
Chances are they don't feel they're good at it and will jump at your
offer to help.
Second
question. Do you feel your work contributes to the mission or greater
good?
Being
knowledgeable and skillful on a process that you don't feel contributes
to the greater good can still create low morale. When low contribution
hits, common responses such as "this is busy work," "why do we have to
do this" or "this won't matter if I do it" will be heard.
Many Airmen are
filling out reports, calling in data or otherwise working on something
where they don't think their work is helping, or worse feel their work
is useless. Leaders on Nellis have to continue to explain how work
contributes to the greater mission. We also have to listen and not
dismiss concerns that some work indeed is not useful.
"Contribution"
is the centerpiece of most Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st
Century events. If you can find steps and processes that don't
contribute to the mission and delete them, you are also helping morale
for your people. Get to the bottom of work actions and tasks and create
valuable work for your people. It could be the basis for improved morale
in an individual or even an entire section.
Lastly, do you
feel connected to your co-workers or a team?
If Airmen feel
competent in their duties, and the work itself is contributing to the
mission, they must also feel connected to their team to have the best
possible morale. All of us fear ostracism. All of us want to be a part
of a strong group or team.
When we look
back at our favorite assignments, there was usually a small group of
co-workers that made it special. We felt we were good at what we did, we
felt the team's work was contributing to the mission and we felt
connected to each other. If leaders on Nellis continue to build strong
and connected teams at their level, the morale of our force will rise
with the strength of those teams.
The Air Force
is an outstanding place to work. When compared to the national computer
companies or local supermarkets of the country, "Nobody Comes Close" to
the Air Force's ability to create an extremely satisfying work
environment.
We spend billions each year on training to
create highly competent professionals. The Air Force's contribution to
our nation's defense and our families' safety is astounding.
Lastly, there are few companies that can
provide the connection to each other as the brotherhood of arms. Our job
now as leaders is to work at the ground level to create superb teams
throughout the Air Force by helping them get the training they need,
explaining how their work fits into the bigger Air Force mission and
continuing to build a team where everyone feels they are a part of it.
So the next time you see an unhappy Airman,
at any level, ask them the three Cs of morale and you'll be much
closer to helping them become a highly motivated member of our Air
Force.
Lt Col
Patrick Fogarty, 99th Civil Engineer Squadron
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