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Thawing the Frozen Middle
A little while back, CMSAF Wright introduced us all to the term ‘frozen middle’. There has been a lot of push to get past this in many organizations after Adam Grant’s book, Originals, revealed how middle managers are typically the ones who kill innovation. Those who recognize the dangers of losing innovative thinkers or ideas,…
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SNCOs Don’t ‘Need’ Feedback
I am currently working on a book about feedback and here is an excerpt from the rough draft: Problem: SNCOs Shouldn’t Have to be Told How to do Their Jobs: Not too long ago, I asked a friend how his new job was going. “I think I am doing well.” He noted with a questioning…
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3 Steps to Getting Promoted
We all want to be promoted. Some want it for more money, some for more leverage to help others, some are just tired of doing grunt work. Whatever the reason, the most asked question throughout my career was how to make the next rank. Although, how I have worded it has changed over the years,…
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Can You Make Rank with a Markdown?
One of the most often asked questions is about how the promotion board will view a blemish on your record. “Can I still make rank with a markdown or if I am just a ‘promote’?” Short answer is: yes. In the new Enlisted Evaluation System, there is a fear that being just a ‘promote’ or…
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Are You Becoming a ‘Yes’ Person?
We have all seen the ‘yes-men’ and ‘yes-women’ in our organizations who seemingly can’t wait for the next proclamation from the boss so they can fawn all over how great of an idea it is and push it to the masses. I have seen this with commanders and their bosses, Chiefs, CGOs, and every other…
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Entitled Generation or Underserved Generation?
It amuses me when I hear leaders talk about the younger generation of Airmen and NCOs as entitled. Although, there is some truth to most younger generations being seen and acting as entitled; the Millennials really are viewed this way to the extreme that they are known as the ME Generation. The bad news: we…
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Forced Distribution: Simple Fix to Eliminate Brown-Nosers
When the Enlisted Evaluation System changed, CMSAF Cody believed that the new system would not lead to backstabbing–many Airmen I’ve spoken to would have a different opinion on the matter. In examining that system we have to keep in mind how it is administered, which leads to a question; is the system broken or is…
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My Boss Said I Could
Decisions and their weight become heavier once the burden of responsibility is yours to carry. When we become accountable for an outcome, we suddenly become more deliberate about avoiding a poor outcome and we rally more brain power toward the solution or the execution of the task. In one small decision, I witnessed the shift…
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You Can’t Change My Mind!
We are living in a time where we have access to everyone and can find any piece of information we want; however, we resort to isolation and binary thinking. Binary thinking is when we automatically go to two different options when faced with a problem or decision. For example, democrat or republican; stand or locker…
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