Photo By Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Bowcock | U.S. Army Retired Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum speaks to more than 150 New England...... read more read more
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SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass. – Non-Commissioned officers from around the northeast gathered for a unique professional development opportunity: the Technical Sergeants Involved & Mentoring Enlisted Airmen workshop, held at the Southbridge Convention Center March 21 -25 here.
The TIME workshop focuses on developing and retaining technical sergeants as well as staff sergeants promotable to technical sergeant, who are at a crossroads in their careers.
Throughout the week, military and civilian speakers came in to address the NCOs about resiliency, leadership, professional development, special-duty opportunities, and interacting with different generations.
Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe, Massachusetts Air National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters Chief of Staff, spoke about the importance of the NCO corps.
“They’re the backbone of the Air Force, they’re the backbone of the military, and in the Air National Guard right now, they’re the technical experts and they are the ones that are training our Airmen to be mission-ready,” said Keefe.
Tech. Sgt. John Robinson from the 105th Airlift Wing Operations Group in New York relayed why he saw value in attending the TIME workshop.
“I came to the TIME conference so that I could know the expectations of a master sergeant going forward,” said Robinson.
One of the focuses of the TIME workshop was the importance of mentoring and the qualities of an effective mentor should possess.
“I think the most important one is communication and understanding your Airmen or your higher ranking NCOs and understanding where they’re coming from,” said Robinson.
Becoming a master sergeant and a supervisor means understanding the mentoring process and how to work with people from different generations, such as the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millenials, Robinson said.
“Some important qualities of a mentor and a leader are to listen to the ones they’re supervising, to not dismiss their ideas, to lead by example and to have compassion on your fellow Airmen,” said Tech. Sgt. Ronald Montague, 102nd Civil Engineering Squadron, Massachusetts.
The five-day workshop culminated with keynote speaker (ret.) Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum recounting life her story as a professional, a soldier, a prisoner of war and the importance of resiliency.
“Being resilient not only helps you get through bad things, but it also helps you take advantage of good things,” said Cornum. “Don’t ever judge someone else’s problems by your standards or by how you would react to it.”
Massachusetts Air National Guard Command Chief Rick MacDonald started the TIME workshop in 2012 and continues to enhance it for the growth of technical sergeants. There were 155 NCOs in attendance this year compared to the 130 attendees at the inaugural conference in 2012.
“I want them to know you have to work outside of your comfort zone and you have to accept challenges that you otherwise wouldn’t normally take,” said MacDonald. “That’s the only way you’re going to grow. The speakers that I have arranged have the expertise and the delivery system that will get their attention at the end of the day.”
After five days of collaboration and guidance from enlisted, officer and civilian leaders, the attendees from New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts left the conference feeling revitalized and motivated to take what they learned back to their units.
“The week gave me a lot of time for self reflection and to really think about my leadership role both within the Air National Guard and in my civilian life,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Bowcock, 102nd Intelligence Wing Public Affairs, Massachusetts. “The conference focused not only on managing others, but also the importance of being physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy ourselves.”
“The TIME conference was a great experience,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.04.2016 22:12 |
| Story ID: | 194357 |
| Location: | SOUTHBRIDGE, MA, US |
| Web Views: | 135 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Technical Sergeants Flourish at Professional Development Workshop, by MSgt Lindsey Watson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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