Respect

  • Published
  • By Lt Col David W. Glass
  • 436th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  As a commander, I have the duty to ensure good order and discipline within my unit. In doing so, I try to treat all of my Airmen fairly and consistently.

At my newcomer's briefings, I go over several policies, procedures and even pet peeves. At the end of the presentation, I tell my audience, "if you don't take anything else from the discussion, remember to treat others the way you like to be treated. Treat others with respect." This may sound cliché or obvious, but often times we forget to afford the respect others deserve.

When I first entered the Air Force as a young officer training cadet, I learned the military emphasizes two types of respect; position and personal.

Our respect for position entails recognizing another's rank or station in an organization. Many immediately think of the people that out rank us or are higher up on the chain of command. Examples include saluting a general officer or affording proper courtesies to a unit's senior enlisted member. But we must respect all positions.

Officers must respect the responsibilities of the senior enlisted corps, senior non-commissioned officers must respect the role of our non-commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers must respect our airmen by taking the time to mold and train them. AFI 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure, provides a reference to remind us all where we fit in. If we don't know our role or respect the responsibilities of others, our mission suffers.

Personal respect is how we feel about or treat each other as human beings; good or bad. All too frequently, I have to get involved in disciplinary actions. Often times, the root cause of the problem is an individual displaying a lack of personal respect; an airman gets into an argument over a parking spot, an NCO teaches a subordinate it's okay not to use a technical order, or someone doesn't show up for a shift causing others to work harder.

Conversely, we can have a great deal of personal respect for someone. Many of us have mentors we've gained experience and wisdom from, such as a coach that taught us teamwork, a teacher who took the time to make sure we really understood a concept or a boss who showed us how to get things done. These people demonstrate the leadership and strength of character we strive to attain ... we need to respect and revere them.

I find that the majority of times when I am facing a tough issue dealing with someone else, I get much better results when I treat them with respect. Likewise, some of the people I admire the most have the ability to get things done by working with others instead of against them. So the next time you face a contentious situation remember the golden rule - treat others the way you would like to be treated - by affording the proper respect we all deserve.