Know your job, do your job

  • Published
  • By Col. Mark Baran, vice commander
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  The old Proverb ‘many hands make light work,’ still holds true here at McConnell. Everyone here is essential to success and mission accomplishment — there is no one that is extra. The best way for us to get after our mission is for everyone to know their job, and then do their job.

Know your job. When you don’t, you’re forcing someone else to not only do their job, but teach you how to do yours. This is expected during upgrade training, but once you’re signed off, strive to become an expert in whichever work center you’re assigned. After you’re an expert in your job, start learning your wingman’s job. This cross-functionality will help take our team to the next level.

Do your job. Once you’ve learned your job, well you have to actually do it. If you’re putting in less than your best effort every day, then someone else is picking up your slack. Eventually that someone else is going to get tired, and possibly look to serve in a different capacity. This weakens our team. Doing your complete duty is a necessity in any military organization. You cannot pick and choose which parts of the job you like to do, the team needs you to do all of it.

Success isn’t hard to find, it’s hidden behind hard work — the type of work you do here every day. We need the entire team to know and do their job. We’ve been asking a lot of you lately, and we couldn’t be more proud of the way you’ve responded. Our Nation will continue to rely on us to refuel the fight, and I know you’ll answer the call.