Reflective Essay One
While I don’t often inquire about their feedback, I believe that my subordinates would view me as someone who is easily approachable and willing to offer time to listen to any issues or concerns they may have, and be capable to help them arrive at solutions. They would see me as that supervisor who would never ask them to take on any task that I wasn’t willing to do myself, and in turn, I would hope to earn their respect, trust and motivation to get the job done. My goal is for my subordinates to view me as that NCO that treats them like people, rather than talk to them in that condescending way that most of us remember coming up through the ranks. Finally, they would view me as the NCO that rarely fails to recognize their achievements and successes.
My supervisor’s opinion of my followership would vary. While I have the enthusiasm, ability and commitment to learn from those above me, I don’t always display the confidence and self-reliance necessary in making critical decisions. I’m often asked by my supervisor, “How would you handle this if I weren’t here?” or “What would you do if you were running this shop?” My supervisor would tell me I need to step up, make important decisions to include unpopular ones, then be ready to accept the responsibility for any blow-back as a result.
I don’t think I’m able to put my finger on any one specific type of leadership style that I employ. I think that different circumstances call for different leadership styles. For example, if I were dealing with our home station, moderate stress day-to-day operations, I would focus on keeping my personnel on track by finding ways to keep them motivated, by reinforcing their understanding of how what they do directly affects the mission. In a deployed/combat environment, I might be more stern and abrasive, with emphasis on discipline to safeguard against any lack of complacency, so I may keep my personnel alive and protected. I consider varying my leadership styles effective because it allows for flexibility and adaptability to the constantly

changing mission objectives.
I would consider myself the type of NCO who is always striving to learn new and better ways of doing business. The one who’s head is always buried in an AFI or OI examining ways to improve processes or to challenge policies I believe to be inadequate or ineffective. I’m not a status quo NCO, and you’ll never hear me say things like “Well, that’s the way we’ve always done it.” In addition, I’m the type of NCO who genuinely cares about the welfare of those working with and for me. After all, I do spend as much time with them as I do my family and I’m most comfortable when I’m working with a cohesive unit who gets along.
My supervisor would describe me as an NCO who is willing and able to tackle a variety of tasks and meet deadlines, as long as those tasks aren’t delivered too close together. He feels I am easily overwhelmed and need to work toward improving my multitasking skills, especially due to the high tempo position I am in. He would say I am a good NCO overall but would need to hone certain operational skills that I already possess to become a better NCO.
My strengths are my technical expertise, thoroughness and attention to detail, as well as my punctuality and dependability. Another strength I believe to be the most important is making sure my family is always my number one priority.
The way I was raised has greatly contributed to who I am today. I would say that my essence is the way that I put others needs before my own, as my needs weren’t always considered first, both in the past and in the present. I pride myself on treating others the way I would want to be treated, both in my family and in the Air Force, regardless of rank.