Life is a play

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. William Burks
  • 436th Airlift Wing Director of Staff
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Great actors are known for their ability to play a range of character types. Tom Hanks' acting talents have taken him from an early television career on Happy Days and Bosom Buddies to a movie career that spans a wildly diverse character list. He played a 12-year old boy trapped in an adult's body (Big), a baseball coach (A League of Their Own), an AIDS survivor (Philadelphia), a mentally-challenged shrimp boat captain (Forrest Gump), an astronaut (Apollo XIII), an Army captain (Saving Private Ryan), a crash survivor (Cast Away) and a kid's toy cowboy (Toy Story) to name a few. I have no doubt that he spent hours preparing for his early auditions to win those roles. I also have no doubt that later in his career, his expertise, performance and attitude earned him abbreviated auditions; directors knew he would put people in theater seats and actively sought him. Believe it or not, our careers are similar.

Your leaders are auditioning you for larger and more diverse roles in and outside of your organization. Ask yourself, "What kind of actor am I and do my leaders see it?" Are you happy to play the role of "extra" in your organization, simply standing around hoping to make the director's cut giving you a brief screenshot before disappearing into the background again? Are you a bit character, excelling in comedic roles but unable to handle larger, more dramatic and serious ones? Are you Tom Hanks, able to handle any role given to you?

As the Air Force shrinks in personnel size this year, the involuntary Force Management Programs are looking for "extras" to cut. In the process, a few career fields with overages may cut more than the extras. Don't let that deter you; seize the opportunity in front of you today to demonstrate your talents and grow your career into one you can be proud of, whether in the military or civilian world.

It is important to remember, it is a growth process. Nobody steps in day one directly as a wing commander or command chief; we all start in bit roles as extras. We demonstrate readiness for larger roles in four ways - becoming/being experts in our primary role/job (expertise), seeking out side roles that interest us and doing them well (performance), seizing the dreaded side roles given to us that may not be the most interesting or fun (performance on steroids), and simply showing an ability to work in a team environment (attitude).

When I first arrived at Dover, I began learning who the organizational experts were. The first to catch my attention were the volunteers who crushed the little projects like unit promotion ceremonies or made more complicated events, like Sexual Assault Awareness Day, something enjoyable and educational. Those early volunteers became the bedrock of performers I leaned on to complete a tough task.
Leaders, have a role as well. We must entrust our subordinates with the power to act while standing off-screen and coaching from the shadows. At the end of the performance, honest feedback in a constructive manner is essential to growth.

Just as actors use multiple takes to get the scene right, we should provide multiple opportunities for performance growth based on the feedback we provide. If we don't provide feedback, we cannot expect a performance change. The growth process will not be perfect, but it should produce leaders in our organizations who can evaluate risk and take action.

The calendar says that spring has arrived. It is a time for new growth and development. Let us dust off our resumes and evaluate ourselves honestly. Are we demonstrating the necessary expertise, performance and attitude to grow our resume and prepare us for larger roles in the future? As leaders, are we providing the honest feedback and growth opportunities to develop the next set of directors?

There is no room for extras in today's Air Force nor can civilian companies afford extras on the payroll in a tough economic environment. You owe it to yourself to recommit and excel, are you ready? If so, "Action!"