VOL. 46 NO.44 NOVEMBER 3, 2006 SECDEF urges Airmen to vote On Tuesday, the American people will be voting to elect 33 U.S. sena- tors, the entire U.S. House of Rep- resentatives, 37 state governors and hundreds of local officials. The outcome of these elections will shape the future for you, your family and our country. You, too, can and should participate in deciding our country’s future by exercising your right to vote. You don’t have to be home to vote; every voting jurisdiction has provisions to distribute, receive and count your absentee ballot. Your ballot will be counted, whether or not the contest is close. But time is short. You must act now! If you have received your state absentee ballot, vote and return it to Photo by Dave Armer your local election official as soon as possible so that it arrives by the state Wings doing their thing deadline for counting. If you are regis- A member of the Academy’s Wings of Blue Parachute Team approaches Falcon Stadium Saturday prior to the Air tered to vote and have not received Force-Brigham Young University football game. Before making their customary pre-kickoff appearance, the your state absentee ballot, use the Wings of Blue made history at the 2006 National Championships in Arizona, finishing higher than any Academy Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot. You parachute team had done before. For story, see Pages 16 and 17. can obtain the ballot from your unit’s voting assistance officer, or from the Federal Voting Assistance Program Web site. If you are not registered to CFC charities receive record Academy donation vote, your state may allow late regis- By Ann Patton “Donors across the Academy are some He noted the Cadet Wing donations tration. See your voting assistance Academy Spirit staff of the most generous in the region with have tripled since 2002 and in recent years officer now! consistently high levels of giving to a the Preparatory School has led the Many states allow voters to use Combined Federal Campaign giving wide range of local, national and interna- Academy in overall participation. electronic media to register, receive on the Academy has set a new record. tional charities,” he said. “That embodies Colonel Orie credits the success of the blank ballots and even return voted This year’s total of $548,221 topped our regional CFC mission: to form mean- campaign to the donors as well as the ballots. Check the Integrated Voting last year’s donations by more than $73,000. ingful connections between federal donors unit representatives. Alternative Site, or IVAS, available The final tally of more than a half and their charities of choice. “With the three-week accelerated through the FVAP Web site, to see million dollars gives the Academy a CFC “Even with times as tough as they are campaign, the key workers and project offi- what electronic alternatives might be Gold rating overall as a unit. Sixty indi- with deployments and force shaping, the cers hit the ground running starting at the vidual units also rated at the Gold level available to you. base populace has continued to give from kick-off event and have never let up,” he said. and 13 at the Silver level. Your unit commander, your voting their hearts,” he added. “Also, it would not have been possible This year’s campaign also marks the The first strategic message of this were it not for the outstanding support of assistance officer and the Federal highest participation rate, 41.9 percent, in year’s campaign was that donors give commanders, first sergeants, senior NCOs Voting Assistance Program office Academy history. through CFC and not to CFC. and, most importantly, the key workers who have done everything we can to make “The altruistic undertones have been “Our focus has been on donors giving did the heavy lifting during the campaign.” it possible for you to vote in this elec- overwhelming,” Lt. Col. Steven Orie, to the charities of their choice,” said Steve Academy CFC contributions have tion. The rest is up to you. CFC project officer and director of Aca- Sandridge, Academy plans officer and grown 34 percent since 2002, and regional - Donald H. Rumsfeld demy enrollment programs, said of the the Academy’s representative to the Pikes donations to more than $2.1 million from For related story, see Page 5 contributors. Peak region campaign committee. $1.6 million in 2002. I N News Feature Sports S On-the-job Airman plays Falcons fall I safety stressed Marine in in MWC D Page 4 Eastwood movie Page 18 E Page 15 Academy Spirit 2 COMMENTARY November 3, 2006 Giving feedback is key to effective leadership By Chief Master Sergeant ation systems are anchored on the Have you as the supervisor performed where many supervisors fall short. You Frederick Wade performance feedback system. your role in setting your airmen up for don’t need a graduate degree in DoD Medical Evaluation Review Board Performance feedback is the pivot on success? If you have not developed English, but concrete words and an which successful career development your subordinate’s maximum potential, active voice should be used when During a hot Texas summer in is obtained. If you want or expect your they’re being set them up to fall short filling out the worksheet. Try writing 1981, the members of Basic Military subordinate’s best performance, you of expectations and standards. If an in complete sentences. Tell the Airman Training Squadron 3609, Flight 683, have to give them feedback. Without airman is not meeting expectations, what tasks he or she is performing quickly realized it would behoove us to feedback Airmen cannot excel or reach you should provide more than the well. Tell them where they exceed perform at the level our military their maximum potential. Without minimum required number of formal standards and where they fall short. training instructors expected of us. Our constant and effective feedback a team feedback sessions. Avoid using two or three-word descrip- MTIs were very astute at giving timely cannot implement their boss’ vision or How do you give effective perform- tions to explain your thoughts for an and effective performance feedback. In exceed his or her expectations. If ance feedback? It’s an area that needs entire performance area. For example: those good ’ole days, feedback was Airmen are not provided daily effec- improvement across our Air Force. If instead of saying “good job in this very rapid and ruthless. Like most, our tive feedback, their maximum potential your subordinate’s feedback worksheets area” tell them exactly what they did flight lost a few “wall lockers” as we is being limited. have phrases such as “you’re doing well, so they can repeat it. Concrete embarked on the journey of learning As an instructor, one of the most well,” “good in this area,” “excellent job examples will greatly enhance the how to become airmen. However, by common complaints I heard from here,” “keep up the good work” and lots effectiveness of your feedback. This is the time of graduation, we were no students was the lack of effective and of “white space,” then you need to work not an area where you want “white- longer 50 individuals; instead, citizens timely feedback from their organiza- on your performance feedback skills. space.” That can cause problems later into high performing teams in only six tional leadership. Air Force instructions When preparing for a performance in the reporting period. People need weeks. Grueling “GI parties” and require supervisors to provide enlisted feedback session, keep in mind three and expect more rather than less remedial physical training do build personnel two formal feedback general rules. written feedback. discipline, but the real solution is sessions per year. Nowhere does it state First: The subordinate must be able Third: Subordinates must be able to through highly effective and constant that two formal feedback sessions are to accept the feedback. The individual do something with the feedback. They performance feedback. the maximum allowed. The two formal must realize the need for feedback. This should be able to “take action” even if Feedback is just as critical today as feedback sessions are the minimum is easy, but how you set up the feedback simply repeating the behavior. Using it was in 1981 when I was an airman required. There may exceptions, but session is critical. This doesn’t mean the phrases like “excellent job” or “not basic. Why? There are hundreds of theo- you cannot expect to maximize individual must agree 100 percent with meeting standards,” are generic terms ries. Due to our psychological needs, it someone’s potential with just two your assessment of their performance. individuals cannot act on. Write your is natural for all of us to want and expect formal feedback sessions per year. They simply need to accept your assess- feedback worksheets using complete feedback in life. This feedback mecha- Verbal feedback should occur on a ment of how they are meeting your sentences, concrete words and an active nism begins early in our childhood daily basis. Airmen should know daily expectations and standards. voice so Airmen can take action. development. Why is feedback so often if they are missing, hitting or exceeding Second: The subordinate must be Feedback is important for all of us. neglected or poorly performed? your expectations and standards. able to understand the feedback. How Effective leaders are phenomenal at We have the best Air Force in the As Airmen, we will succeed if we many of you have written those 50- providing quality performance feed- world, a direct result of the quality of exceed the minimum standards.