Photo By Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman | Master Sgt. Janine Obando, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Equal Opportunity Office...... read more read more
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AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar - Every Airman has a story and a master sergeant at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, is determined to learn as many of those stories as she can.
Master Sgt. Janine Obando, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Equal Opportunity Office director, from Ewa, Hawaii, is responsible for assisting people with complaints of unlawful discrimination and ensuring Airmen here work in professional environments.
“My job is to get a pulse of what is happening in units and inform commanders of any concerns or issues that need to be addressed,” Obando said.
In an effort to build rapport with military members at AUAB, Obando said, she takes time to learn about them. With every meeting, every conversation, she learns about another Airman’s journey and every one is unique.
“It is important to take time to learn about our Airmen, to learn what matters to them, the more you get to know someone, the better you are able to communicate and hopefully build some rapport,” Obando said.
“Everyone has a story, and I am fascinated learning about each Airman’s journey,” Obando added. “The more I learn about one’s background and life experiences, the better person and leader I become. These interactions enable me to think about how I can affect change and serve every Airman better.”
Obando has met many service members during her time at here. She recently met Staff Sgt. Yolanda Jackson, 379th AEW protocol noncommissioned officer in charge from Chicago.
“She was really interested in my job and seemed very genuine,” Jackson said. “Since then we’ve met on several occasions and she’s always quick to ask how I’m doing and how everything is going.”
Jackson joined the U.S. Air Force in June 2009. She enlisted because of the education benefits the service offered.
“I knew I wanted to go to college since the eighth grade,” Jackson said. “My mother always stressed the importance of education. She was a factory worker and worked hard for my brothers and sisters to have a good life. She wanted the best for us.”
Since joining the USAF, Jackson used tuition assistance to pursue a Community College of the Air Force degree in restaurant, hotel and fitness management. She will soon complete her degree and plans on pursuing a bachelor degree in hospitality management.
The staff sergeant said interactions like the one she had with Obando help foster trust, which is important.
“I kind of have an automatic trust in certain offices and the EO office is one of them, I know what the EO office is meant to do,” Jackson said. “I would definitely bring my concerns to that office, but, that trust is more solidified by the personal interaction by Obando and I’m more likely to report something to EO because of it.”
“Meeting people who are approachable and genuinely interested in your views makes it easier to open up to them later,” Jackson added.
Capt. Brian, an 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III pilot, shares Jackson’s sentiments.
“A certain amount of trust is implied by someone’s position or rank but a good deal of trust is earned,” Brian said. “When someone takes time to get to know you a kind of one-on-one level trust develops and that’s important.”
Brian, a Georgia native currently serving on his fifth deployment, met Obando recently while he was running errands. He said he was impressed with how genuine she was and just how interested she was in learning of his job and experiences.
“She’s one of the friendliest people I’ve met, she’s easy to talk to and easy to get along with,” Brian said. “She was also very interested in getting to know me, I wouldn’t hesitate to talk to her if I ever had a problem.”
For 20-minutes Brian said he and Obando talked about deployed life and about his career, which started as a navigator after he completed the Reserve Officer Training Corps course at the University of Georgia followed by navigator training at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. The captain has served in the Air Force for nine years and became a pilot in 2011.
He said it’s important for leaders to know their Airmen so they can properly lead them.
“It’s important to know the stories of your Airmen and so important to know your people,” Brian said. “Each Airman’s story evolves over time, but understanding them and what their goals are, understanding who they want to be and what mattes to them, that’s huge; knowing these things helps leaders mentor and develop their Airmen.”
| Date Taken: | 02.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.02.2016 03:38 |
| Story ID: | 187656 |
| Location: | AL UDEID AIR BASE, QA |
| Hometown: | ATLANTA, GA, US |
| Hometown: | CHICAGO, IL, US |
| Hometown: | EWA, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 393 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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