Focus on your Airmen and lead from the front Published Dec. 10, 2009 By Lt. Col. Todd Garrett 9th AS commander DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- Are you taking the time to focus on your Airmen? Are you leading from the front? If not, why not? There's no time better then the present to focus attention "inward" instead of "outward". Think about all the inspections Dover has tackled in the last 18 months and then couple that to the mission we accomplish everyday without hesitation. Who accomplishes that mission everyday? That's an easy answer - it's the Airmen keeping us healthy in the medical group, the Airmen fixing jets in the maintenance group, the Airmen loading cargo in the aerial port, the security forces protecting us 24 hrs a day/7 days a week, the Airmen flying our world-wide airlift missions - and the list goes on! While our mission to "DELIVER!" has not slowed or changed, now is the time to focus on our Airmen. The holiday season is a time to reflect and be thankful for what we have. Be thankful for the Airmen that make our jobs look so easy, for the Airmen that go the extra mile and for the Airmen that get dressed in our uniform everyday, for they truly epitomize our core value of "Service before Self". If you haven't stopped and thanked the guard at the gate on a cold, winter day for the service and protection he or she is providing - do it! We just wrapped up a great Wingman Day last Friday and it was the perfect opportunity for us to focus on our Airmen. It was the recommendation of one of my fine Captain's to hold our Wingman day activities at an offsite location. Why, you might ask? It's simple - by getting rid of the day-to-day distractions of your workspace, you automatically increase your ability to focus directly on your Airmen. We did that, it was a huge success and guess what, our day-to-day mission didn't falter a bit! My ultimate question to you would be "Why do we have to have a mandated Wingman Day to force us to periodically focus on our Airmen?" Take care of your Airmen and they will take care of the mission - for it is our Airmen that ultimately define who we are and what we do. Leading from the front starts with the front-line supervisors and continues all the way through commanders. Are you a front-line supervisor? Every day, are you out there leading your Airmen? One of the things I stress to my newly certified Aircraft Commanders during their Certification Board is that they are now the "Commander" of their crew. Every move they make, every decision they make and every step they take is being watched and emulated. While on their two-week mission (which may take them anywhere in the world) they need to lead from the front and set the example as I set it here in the squadron every day. The same goes for any front-line supervisor, no matter what your rank. The holiday season is just around the corner - I encourage you to take an extra moment, slow down the pace and truly focus on your Airmen.