“First Shirts” participate in team building weekend Published Sept. 7, 2018 By Senior Airman Noah J. Tancer 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- The 910th Airlift Wing hosted a First Sergeant Retreat and Team Building Activity for the first time August 24 through 26 at Youngstown Air Reserve Station and Camp Ravenna. The intent was to enhance the three principle components of affective leadership: communication, trust and teamwork. “As first sergeants we need them to trust each other,” said 910th AW Command Chief Robert Potts. “They need to build cohesive teams amongst themselves and within their squadrons as well as enhance communication amongst squadron leadership, each other and squadron members.” Eight first sergeants from YARS, three from Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station’s 911th Airlift Wing Command Chief Christopher Neitzel convened around noon on Friday in the 910th AW Headquarters with a guest speaker, who spent the afternoon discussing the principles of how to talk like a leader. The day ended with an ice-breaker letting the first sergeants get to know each other. The next day the first sergeants went to Ravenna split into two teams and utilized Ravenna’s leadership reaction course, an obstacle course that limits the teams resources and gives vague instructions forcing the participants to work together to overcome each obstacle. “We watched their progress and gave them minimal coaching,” said Potts. “ We monitored how well they would communicate together and how quickly or easily they would form an effective team and see how well they would trust one another.” A break for lunch consisted of Meals Ready to Eat, and a discussion led by the 910th AW’s Chaplain (Maj.) David Black on communication, trust and how you can motivate an Airman by pulling them along rather than using rules, regulations and Air Force instructions to push Airmen into compliance. After Ravenna, the first sergeants returned to YARS and were given a break as hamburgers, hotdogs, and sweet corn were cooked for dinner. Camaraderie and networking continued for the rest of the night over bocce ball and further conversations to get to know one another. They spent the final day discussing what they had learned from the previous day’s activities. They discussed the Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David Goldfein’s Air Force strategic priority of revitalizing the squadron and how they as first sergeants are key players in achieving that goal. They also discussed Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright’s video on “thawing the frozen middle,” which is about enlisted leadership encouraging Airmen innovation and creativity to find a better way of making the squadrons more lethal and ready. “As said in General Goldfein’s letter and Chief Wright’s (video) ‘We don’t have a God given right to victory in the air space,’ said Potts. “We have to continually earn that.” The final activities before adjourning included watching a video over the components of open ranks, the order given to line up Airmen for inspection, and practiced open ranks a few times. “We established the objective right from the beginning that we wanted to enhance the first sergeants’ trust, teamwork and communication,” said Potts. “For each element of the weekend, I asked for feedback on how well we did on meeting those objectives and across the board it was all very positive.” Potts added, “The 911th Airlift Wing in Pittsburgh has already decided to host next year’s event. It’s important as first sergeants that you not only get to know and network with peers at your wing, but it’s equally as important to get to know and network with first sergeants from other wings.” First sergeants are charged with being the enlisted leadership for the squadrons and advocates for their Airmen in all enlisted issues. As well as being an adviser to the Airmen on everything from enlisted force development to administrative actions and an adviser to the squadron commander on how decisions affect the enlisted force. “Being a first sergeant is not the end of your career,” said Potts. “Being a first sergeant is a stepping stone, it’s a developmental special duty that is intended to give you some skills and experience that otherwise most other senior non-commissioned officers don’t get unless they’ve had the opportunity to step outside of their career field and do that developmental special duty and learn what it means to led from that strategic level with the squadron commander.”