Headquarters Air Reserve Personnel Center hosted Command Chiefs from across the Air Force for yearly evaluation boards and Command Chief Master Sgt.of Air Force Reserve Command Timothy White, Command Chief Master Sgt. of the Air National Guard Maurice Williams and Command Chief Master Sergeant of Air Mobility Command Brian Kruzelnick took the opportunity to host an All Call on Buckley Space Force Base, Colo., Dec. 15, 2021.
The Command Chiefs took the opportunity to share experiences and answer questions about the future of the Air Force.
One question from the audience was what their advice was how they recommend motivating Airmen during tough times.
“You have to tell them the why, if they know the why, they know the greater impact, it gives them purpose. It motivates and inspires them,” said Williams. “If they know how they impact the town, the city, the nation, they will continue to perform at a high level.”
“You have to build trust in your organization,” echoed Kruzelnick. “Airmen don't trust you by default, you have to give them a reason to trust you. Be authentic, but authenticity without concern for others is selfish.”
“You need empathy, you need to understand their level and perspective, you have to work on your understanding of what they're going through,” said Kruzelnick.
Another question asked was what gave each of them the spark to continue on and excel in their career during a trying time.
Kruzelnick took the opportunity to share a story from earlier in his career where he almost transitioned to the Air National Guard.
“I felt unappreciated, thought no one took the job seriously enough or worked hard enough, and I was going through a nasty breakup in my personal life,” said Kruzelnick. “My Chief asked me to take a 3-week TDY with a small group of highly motivated and talented hand-picked individuals. Then a world event kicked off and we got diverted. All of a sudden a 3-week TDY turned into a 3-month deployment. But the team was awesome and we crushed the mission. When I returned, I missed all the deadlines on my Palace Chase package.
“However the deployment reinvigorated my love for what we do and the people we do it with, so I passed,” continued Kruzelnick. “In the end, I realized that we always need to have passion for what we do and compassion for those we do it with. If one is out of alignment, we need to find that harmony again.”
White shared his story from his experiences during the January 6th incident in Washington DC.
“I was down at HQ AFRC on 6 Jan. Upon my return to work here at the Pentagon the following week, the building was fortified with concrete barriers and barbed wire fencing. For the first time in my career, this period of extremism made me question the values of America,” said White.
“At the same time, the incident gave me even more determination and more grit to continue standing in the gap. I believe it’s up to all of us who wear the uniform to do so,” continued White. “If we don’t stand up for what’s right and stand against what’s wrong, who will?”
“I’m not sure if this single incident drove me to excel, but it sure gave me a sense of resolve to continue doing what we do.”