(Archives) A Letter From an Air Force SNCO
Introducing Whitney Burton
(GCV Comment: I’d like to introduce you to a good friend of mine, Whitney. I had the honor of serving alongside her as her Squadron Commander. Every Airman in that squadron, myself very much included, learned from her)
Dearest reader,
I’ve sat here for the last few months pondering this article and just how I would choose to answer the question posed to me by Lt Col Will Selber—What does it mean to be a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) in today’s Air Force?
Admittedly, I was intimidated. Gosh, who am I to explain that?! I considered calling some wonderful SNCO mentors, some still active, some long retired. No, this should be my own words, not those of others—so I pulled up the Enlisted Force Structure (EFS) and refreshed my mind on exactly what the Air Force says an SNCO should be. I could talk about the charge to develop oneself, others, ideas, and the organization, but honestly, the EFS does it very well, and, again, it’s not my words. Anyone can pull that up and see who we are charged to be. So instead, if you’ll allow me to, I would like to write an open letter to you on this topic.
As an SNCO myself, I thought back to my first assignment as a brand-new Airman and how I viewed the SNCOs who led me. There was an array of them. Some super friendly and personable, some grumpy and rough around the edges, but all (mostly) were revered. I don’t know if it was simply my new Airman mind and the awe of someone of that rank interacting with me, but I distinctly remember that I respected the heck out of all of them. They seemed to have it all together. They were good at their job, they always had answers, they were trusted and sought after. I remember wondering, as a wee little Airman, if I would ever make it to that rank and be as experienced and esteemed as these leaders.
Years following my first assignment, I would find myself moving all over the place, allowing me to interact with all kinds of senior leaders. As I grew as an Airman and soon a leader, I would find some were above reproach, and others were sub-par, unfortunately. I began mentally noting the characteristics of those I looked up to and those I did not. I found myself gravitating to those leaders who stood out, those who took a vested interest in developing their Airmen.
When I was a Staff Sergeant, I remember having a conversation I had with my, then, boyfriend, MSgt Daniel Burton (now husband, SMSgt Daniel Burton, USAF, Ret). I was struggling with finding enjoyment in my job. I was decent at it, and didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it. I felt like I would be of better value to the Air Force elsewhere. After listening to me explain my case, he asked if I wanted to know something. He said, “Whitney, the Air Force promotes leaders, not technicians, and you are well on your way to being a leader already. So, if it’s about the technicality of the job that is bothering you, just know that you are moving well into those leadership roles where your job will be people, not technical prowess.” It really stuck with me and began shaping my leadership style, and how I would choose to lead as a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) and, hopefully, a SNCO.
Fast forward to one promotion and assignment later, I had just found out I had been selected for promotion to the first rank in the SNCO tier, Master Sergeant. I was both elated and honestly nervous.
At the time, a peer of mine, who I valued a lot, was struggling with the fact that I was selected and he wasn’t. It was very much noted in our conversations that I was not a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and that my technical skills did not match his, which was very much a fact. I was pretty insecure about that and allowed his commentary to bring in a lot of doubt that I deserved this promotion.
I sought mentorship from my First Sergeant, who asked me three questions. “Who does leadership go to when they need the technical expertise?” Well, that would be my peer, and he agreed. He followed with, “Now, who does leadership go to when they have a personnel issue, be it manning, personal issue, etc.?” Well, that would be me, and he agreed. The final question was, “What is the focus of an SNCO supposed to be?” That would be people, and he also agreed.
Do you notice a theme? People. When you lead, you don’t lead a mission; you lead people. The mission is something you accomplish; the people are who get the mission done. If you aren’t taking care of the people, the mission will deteriorate over time.
The job of an SNCO is to help people. It means that you show up for them. It means that you walk through the seasons with them. It means you create an environment where one wants to come to work. It means that you are honest and transparent. It means you celebrate them in all the ways, formal and not. It also means that when you have a troubled Airman, you help them grow. It means that when that troubled Airman isn’t getting it, you hold them accountable but continue to help them grow. It also means having hard conversations. It means standing in the gap for your people even if the optics don’t do you justice. It means doing what’s right by them even if that might affect others’ opinions of you. It means openly setting boundaries so they can see what healthy “work-life harmony” looks like.
Yes, this means you actually have to care, and if your nature is not to care, then that’s a skill set you must deliberately develop. I know that can be hard … but long gone are the days of “that’s just who I am.” When you put on that rooftop, you take on a whole other level of leadership where your value is no longer only the quality of mission accomplishment but the environment you create, the Airmen you grow, and the peers you lead.
I’ve been an SNCO for almost four years and an NCO for eight years before that. That has helped me develop my leadership skills for the last 12 years. I am not perfect in any way, but I have learned quite a bit over the previous decade about leading and what it means to be a good leader. It all comes back to people and the relationships you build.
I have never once invested in the care and feeding of my team and had it backfire. I have had frustrating leaders, troops, and NCOs who challenged my leadership skills, but never once did showing them I actually care and invest in their growth and development fall through. The mission always got done, and my team was happier for it.
Now, all I just said is the rather obvious part about being a leader. I can’t imagine many people reading that and saying, “Nah, it’s not about the people.” When I became an SNCO, I realized something else. When I was told that being a leader means taking care of the people, it meant everyone… and yes, that means your peers and leaders, too.
No one tells you that being an SNCO means growing your peers alongside you. It means sharing the wealth of opportunities and development with them and helping them be their best versions. It means passing an obvious chance to them to help them stand out instead of you. It means you look out for each other, over-communicate, and hold each other to the standard you hold Airmen to. It means gentle guidance and closed-door conversations. It means being there for each other and having their back when they need someone in their corner.
But being an SNCO also means leading your leaders. That’s a tough one because as much as that means leading WITH them and supporting their decisions and ideas … it also means that sometimes you have a challenging conversation with a leader because they aren’t getting it right. It means you must sacrifice your reputation to hold a leader accountable. Sometimes, you may have to sacrifice your reputation to support a leader you believe in.
Being an SNCO isn’t pretty and neat, with clear guidelines and checklists to do it right. It’s messy, and it’s gray. But it’s also invigorating and challenging in the best ways. It’s full of grit and grace, all in the same breath. You get knocked down sometimes, and it might be hard to get back up now and again. But man, if you do it right, you will feel on top of the world as you watch your Airmen progress in their careers. If you do it right, you will get to stand and smile as your peers are recognized for their efforts and your leaders are acknowledged for their teams’ accomplishments. If you do it right, you will wake up one day and realize that all the mess, the chaos, and the ever-changing days were worth it and that you were a huge part of the success of these organizations.
If you do it right, you will be proud to call yourself a United States Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officer.
With the utmost respect,
Whitney Burton
Outstanding post. The military needs more people like her in command positions. Take care of your people first and foremost. Same goes in civilian life. I always tried to treat my subordinates the way I would want to be treated. Pretty simple really.