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Command chief offers deployed Airmen leadership advice

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Dale Sickels
  • 64th Expeditionary Support Squadron
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The wing's highest ranking enlisted member visited with 64th Air Expeditionary Group service members to discuss the pivotal role professional organizations play in developing today's Airmen here recently.

Chief Master Sgt. Rory Wicks, the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing command chief, expressed high regard for the 64th AEG's Professional Development Organization initiatives, such as the recent speed mentoring events and need-driven briefs.

Amid the current climate of fiscal constraints, the demand to mentor and develop present and future Airman leaders has become even more crucial, the chief said.

"The indispensable role Airmen play in the success of every operational or support mission cannot be understated," he said. "Success is impossible without leaders to direct the Air Force team."

Wicks told Airmen many of today's leaders are approaching their retirement -- the "rocking chair worthy years," as he put it. So leaders must fully engage to prepare the next generation of rising and talented Airmen to take their place.

Leadership growth, explained the chief, should be initiated from within professional organizations. The Airmen Committed to Excellent, 5/6, Top III and Company Grade Officers Council, as well as other professional groups, provide the perfect vehicle for developing essential communication, collaboration, followership, leadership and organization skills, he said.

His visit ended with a reminder that leaders of all ranks must avoid relegating the scope of mentoring specifically to the professional organization realm and formal feedback sessions. The "target of opportunity" moments in which characteristics of leadership, Airmanship and our core values should be captured as they happen, Wicks said.

Though quickly passing, instances where developmental mentoring can be seen first-hand provide memorable learning lessons that can last an entire career.

"A mentoring-minded leader will see those opportunities, capitalize on their professional development value, and pass it on to others as a 'teachable moment,'" he said.