Retiree addresses ALS graduates

Hurlburt Field, Fla. — Graduation day for Airman Leadership School students is a joyous occasion. However, the students of Class 08-F at Hurlburt Field’s ALS enjoyed an even happier day thanks to a special guest speaker.

Retired Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Eric Benken, who served in the position from 1996 to 1999, spent some time with the ALS students on their last day of class, passing on tidbits of wisdom to help them as they prepare to enter the noncommissioned officer tier.

“This is an exciting time for you. There were no formal discussions about leadership when I came in,” Chief Benken said as he addressed the students. “You kind of learned leadership by osmosis.”

According to Chief Benken, when he was coming up through the ranks early in his career, the Air Force didn’t prepare the airmen for their new roles as NCOs.

“They were setting a lot of people up for failure because they didn’t train us how to be NCOs,” he said. “Whether you’re a staff sergeant or a chief, you have certain inherent responsibilities. Without training, you can’t accomplish them.”

Throughout his visit at ALS and during his speech at their graduation later that night, Chief Benken passed on what he feels are the three crucial elements of leadership: fundamental discipline, high standards and teamwork. He says these elements are important in preserving military culture and keeping the corporate atmosphere out of that culture.

“Fundamental discipline is what you learn at basic training. We should always remember the knowledge we are given there,” he said. “As for high standards, we have no choice but to set the bar high. The weapons we deal with are lethal and require high standards. If you set the bar high, the standards will be met. If you set it low, you’re destined for failure.

“Finally, you must remember that whether you’re an airman basic or a four-star general, you have a place in the Air Force and a job to do,” Chief Benken added. “You are part of the team, so you must practice teamwork.”

The chief also talked a lot about dealing with the difficult decisions NCO face.

“You’re going to have to make tough decisions,” he said. “There’s no way around it. But if you don’t do the right thing, you’re going to lose sleep over it.”

Chief Benken then passed on tips to make dealing with those tough decisions easier. He encouraged the students to use his “one-minute’s worth of feedback” method.

“It’s really quite simple. At the end of the day, you stop your airmen and talk to them tactfully for a minute and tell them all the good things they did that day, but more importantly, you tell them the areas where they need improvement,” he said. “When you do that every day, it makes that midterm feedback easier to give and that EPR easier to justify. It also makes the tough decisions easier to deal with because you’ve built up a level of trust with that airman.”

Finally, when asked for advice on how to become the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Chief Benken’s reply was simple.

“Don’t ever run for office. Just work hard, and if it happens, it happens,” he said, but added some extra pointers. “Consider stepping outside your career field to broaden your experience. You could be a military training instructor, a recruiter, professional military education instructor, a first sergeant or many other things. Of course you will inevitably have to be a command chief first.”

His advice was very well received by the ALS students.

“It was a privilege to hear what he had to say and to hear the difference between past and present leadership situations,” said Senior Airman Jake Duffy, Class 08-F student. “He has valuable insight to pass down to the Air Force’s future leaders.”