Meet the chief: Taking care of people

  • Published
  • 17th Air Force Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  New 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa) Command Chief Master Sgt. Mike Grimm recently sat down with Public Affairs Superintendant Master Sgt. Jim Fisher to discuss leadership, his goals for the organization, developing enlisted leaders and mission accomplishment.

PA: What are your priorities as you begin this tenure as our command chief--what is your vision for the CNAF?

Chief Grimm: My priorities are General Ladnier's [17th Air Force Commander, Ronald R.] priorities. My role as the command chief is to find out what his vision is and what his priorities are and how I can impact and ensure that they are implemented.

PA: What are some keys to leaving 17th Air Force better than you found it?

Chief Grimm: Any good NCO wants to leave a duty section better and more vibrant than when they arrived. Obviously, for me this means taking care of the enlisted folks in our organization. I generally measure my success as a supervisor by how successful my people have been. At the end of the tour, I will consider it a success if the folks that I work with are successful.

PA: What particular experience or person has had the greatest impact on you as a leader?

Chief Grimm: I've been in more than 26 years, and without a doubt it has to be my time at Lackland Air Force Base as a military training instructor from 1989 to 1992. Every six weeks I was given 50 new people with 50 new sets of problems from 50 different walks of life. I learned more about leadership and taking care of people, and how to motivate them in that job than in any other job I could've done in the Air Force. Being an MTI forces you to learn time management, situational leadership, and things you would never imagine you'd have to deal with as a supervisor in the Air Force.

In terms of people I've worked with, I've learned from my really good supervisors and my not-so-good supervisors--each of them had a takeaway for me.

PA: After spending several years at the "gateway to the Air Force" for enlisted people, what is your take on the quality of people coming in today versus 10 or 20 years ago? How can the current generation of Airmen be successful in the Air Force?

Chief Grimm: Back in 1988 at Lackland, a bunch of us were sitting around talking about the Airmen, saying how they weren't as good as when we came in five years before. And five years down the road, I'm sure those new Airmen were sitting around saying the same thing. I believe the Airmen coming in today are just as good as they ever were. They bring the same qualities we brought, and the generations that came before us going back to when we stood up over 62 years ago. They continue to embrace the same values our forefathers embraced and these are the keys to success: you have to set goals, you have to have initiative and you have to seize the opportunities. I see our Airmen doing that every day.

I talked to a master sergeant the other day who had just over 10 years in, who had his bachelor's degree and was working on his master's degree. I speak to FTAC Airmen all the time who show me that our Airmen are doing great things. The traits that made Airmen successful in 1983 are the same traits that will make them successful in 2010.
PA: What is your definition of good leadership?

Chief Grimm: A very good definition of leadership is "the art of influencing people to progress with cooperation and enthusiasm toward accomplishing the mission." To break it down, I think good leadership overall means that you have to be committed to your people and the organization and the mission. You have to be a good listener and a good communicator and you have to possess core values. Then it comes down to the situation.

A good leader has to be able to adapt to the situation in front of them. Some leadership styles and traits don't work in all situations, but a good leader can find the right approach and leadership style that fits the circumstances and the group they are working with and their level of training. You also have to look at your people. How enthusiastic are they and how well do they accomplish the mission?

PA: How do you see the command chief's role in today's Air Force:

Chief Grimm: From a command chief point of view, part of it is the stuff that every NCO does: we should be in contact with our Airmen, we must know what their concerns are, what conditions they are working under and make sure we are engaged with them so we can inform our commanders. But we must also engage with our Airmen to make sure they understand what our commander's intent is.

We are supposed to look for issues, not wait for them to find us.

PA: Thank you very much Chief for sharing your thoughts and experience with us. Is there anything you'd like to add?

Chief Grimm: I'm happy to be here, and am truly looking forward to the challenges here at 17th Air Force and US Air Forces Africa. I am very grateful for the opportunity General Ladnier has given me.