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There are a set of principles around Air Force Global Strike Command that embody what it means to be a Striker known as the Striker Culture, a term which represents these principles inherent in Airmen throughout the command.
By placing focus on areas such as excellence, teams and people with an emphasis on building balanced Airmen who care for each other, the mission, and families, the 2nd Security Forces Squadron was recognized by AFGSC leadership for their efforts to cultivate their own Striker Culture. Members of the 2nd SFS were awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal Aug. 7, by Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton, AFGSC deputy commander.
“We bring different, incredible people of our great nation, put them, in this case, under the umbrella of the 2nd SFS, and make it so they can collaborate and share experiences for the common good,” Cotton said as he addressed Airmen of the 2nd SFS. “Every single soul in the room is relevant to the mission at hand and don’t you ever forget that.”
Chief Master Sgt. Charles Hoffman, AFGSC command chief, was also on hand to help recognize the 2 SFS.
“This is your culture,” said as he addressed 2nd SFS Airmen. “This is your opportunity to take all the things you have assessed and looked at, and make it better for every Airman.”
After taking a look at their squadron dynamics, senior leaders of the 2nd SFS recognized that the environment within the squadron had room to improve. With the aspirations of creating a more inclusive and cohesive unit, they decided to make a change.
“Everyone was kind of in their own sections, areas and flights. They were just doing their job and going home,” said Chief Master Sgt. Rodney Kizzia, 2nd SFS chief enlisted manager. “So we got together and said ‘how do we make this more of a family environment? How do we get our Airmen to come to work, be excited to work and not be in such a hurry to get home?’”
The unit began the process of implementing a culture change by simply listening to their Airmen.
“We went into a room and they asked us questions, kind of like a climate survey,” said Senior Airman Asia Gray, 2nd SFS counter unmanned aircraft systems NCO in-charge. “They asked us about what’s good, what’s bad, what we were trying to change. We probably spent a good four to six hours there.”
Understanding the issues and concerns raised by their Airmen allowed senior leaders to implement new practices to foster their new culture.
“Instead of just hearing our Airmen, we actually listened to them and put steps in place to fix all the issues that they brought up,” Kizzia said. “We looked at all of the programs and processes that we have and we looked at what needed to change to help us improve.”
Hosting events outside of normal duty hours has been a step in the direction of creating a culture of inclusiveness and camaraderie.
“We’ve had barbecues, brought in breakfast at all times of the day, just showing that we care about them,” Kizzia said. “We want to take care of all of our people. People first, mission always.”
Fostering Striker Culture in the 2nd SFS has not only impacted the Airmen of the 2nd SFS, but the mission as a whole.
“You can definitely see change beginning to happen, this is just the beginning,” Gray said. “Not only as a Defender but as an Airman on this base, it feels good.”
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2020 07:45 |
| Story ID: | 379168 |
| Location: | BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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