Empathy, Not Apathy
What is your mission?
This is difficult to quantify, but my take is that nomatter what your job is or where you work, your mission can be boiled down toone word: people. Iremember sitting in on a Squadron Commander panel at Travis Air Force Base as aLieutenant and I had my notebook out to jot down their advice. I will neverforget when I heard the sage words, “Above all, just be a good person”. Thisphilosophy, though simple, resonated with me immensely because it portrayed theofficer I strive to be every day – the one you can count on to walk with youthrough fire. I want people to trust me and know that I care about them firstand foremost. Employees need to be valued as people rather than a means toan end. When value reigns, they are much more motivated to work with youand to accomplish the mission. Who would you rather work for: a friendly personthat is easy to talk to or someone that is difficult to approach--eachconversation feeling forced and shallow? This can be a challenge to achieve fornew officers and enlisted members at times due to the rules that govern ourranks.
There is a professional line that must be navigatedwithin the ranks, established in ancient times by the first armies, and it wasmeant to remove any personal bias towards certain troops when making difficultdecisions. On the other hand, it is preached that we must know our troops tounderstand what drives them, building a cohesive unit to accomplish the desiredgoal. This can be expanded from officers to the critical roles that NoncommissionedOfficers and Senior Noncommissioned Officers are charged to fulfill as well. Irecognize that rank and structure in the military and private sector exist forgood reason - it provides a necessary order that guides our interactionswith our peers, supervisors, and subordinates. Does that mean we should be morefocused on being managers than people? More defined by our title than our name?Absolutely not. When I introduce myself to subordinates, I include myfirst name to reinforce that I want them to know me beyond the rank and lastname displayed on my chest. I also make sure to ask for their first name andhave often been met with a look of surprise. My hope is that it means somethingthat I want to know it and I will try to learn some personal details to start agenuine conversation later on. So how do supervisors balance this difficultcontrast between being mission-focused yet caring?
Establishing an individual relationship isthe driving force in building the trust, loyalty, and commitmentthat can lead any organization to success. People of any rank or positionshould be able to sit down in someone’s office and have a conversation abouttheir weekend trip or the latest movie release. Work should not always bethe lead-in to having a genuine, personal conversation. If people are willingto share their personal lives with one another, we are one step closer tobuilding a family culture where people rely on and support one another-- bothin and out of the work center. That supervisor will know if someone is tiredbecause they are staying up late struggling with a math class, and they will pointthem to a couple people at work who will gladly offer their help during lunch.The young man whose child is due soon will find out that his coworkers want tohave a baby shower for them to celebrate. On top of that, they will providemeals a couple times a week after the baby is born. If that doesn’t motivatesomeone to want to work at least for the people around them, possibly even theorganization as whole, I don’t know what will. That type of leadership must beexemplified at the top and trickle down to each level so that anyone who stepsinto that work center can see it echoed throughout. Being caring andcompassionate must become part of your identity if you want to unlock the fullpotential of your people. When you have done that, they will find a purposethat goes beyond their job description because it is grounded in theirallegiance to their coworkers and the organization as a whole.
Amidst trying to balance being a good person andsupervisor, work must still get done. The mission will, at times, require placingthe organization’s needs above an individual’s. Focusing on people does notmean losing focus on the mission at hand. Obligations at work likeperformance reviews and task assignments should not be compromised by personalrelationships. Favoritism disrupts trust. Trust, in any organization, is afabric woven throughout each and every interaction. One tear, and every task,person, and project that it touches will be affected. There is a line betweenpersonal and professional relationships and caring about someone means beingable to give them constructive criticism while holding them to the samestandards as their coworkers. This understanding is rooted in a personalrelationship built on mutual trust and respect. Challenging and supporting employeesto be better people and workers is a crucial skill that a supervisor must developin order to reach the full potential of their team. This is the daily leadershipchallenge we face, and it demands our full attention-- for the sake of ourpeople, our organizations, and our missions! Be the great supervisor and personthat leaves a lasting impression on your people and makes them miss yourpresence in the workplace and in their lives.
I’ll leave you with this message that has been on myoffice board for a couple weeks and inspired me to write this article: “Asgood of a supervisor as you may try to be, it is even more important that youtry to be a better person.”
Editor’s Note: Austin McCall is a Captain in theUnited States Air Force. He serves as the Readiness and Emergency ManagementFlight Commander for the 52d Civil Engineer Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base,Germany