Standard of perfection: Are you accountable? Published July 16, 2008 By Chief Master Sgt. Tony Bales 90th Missile Maintenance Squadron F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. -- We need to continue holding ourselves up to the standard of perfection. We've been doing it as long as the Air Force has been a service, and the challenge continues today. In the nuclear arena we only have one chance to get it right. Are we failing to hold Airmen accountable to the standard of perfection? We need to ensure the standard of perfection is obtained and maintained. The overwhelming concern for taking care of Airmen may have contributed to supervisors failing to hold Airmen accountable to the standard of perfection. When an Airmen fails to perform a step or procedure in the technical order, do you automatically say he or she is a "good" technician, but they just missed the step? Yes, sometimes it does happen, but there still has to be a consequence for this action. If not, what message are you conveying to all your technicians? In the criticality of our business, we don't have the luxury of missing a step. When one of your Airmen gets into trouble with the downtown authorities or violates the Uniform Code of Military Justice, don't automatically say he or she is a "good" Airman, and they just messed up. In your rush to take care of your Airman's career, don't advise your commander to be lenient. If you do that, you are sending a message to the Airmen: It's ok to mess up. I have news for you folks. When holding someone accountabe to the standard of perfection, an Airman in trouble is not a "good Airman." I'm not saying we won't have good folks getting into trouble, but in today's environment of less people, we need all the good Airmen we can get. How do we obtain and sustain the standard of perfection? You obtain the standard of perfection by teaching the standard of perfection. You teach with leadership by example. Leadership by example is you achieving perfection in every task you accomplish. Whether it's picking up trash on base or turning a wrench on an ICBM. Our Airmen learn from the actions or inactions of their supervisors and peers. You also obtain the standard of perfection by accountability. You, as the supervisor, should be concerned about your Airmen's career but not at the expense of the Air Force. If an Airman makes a mistake, react in the best interest of the Air Force, not the individual. If they deserve a boot in the rear, put a boot in their rear. As Air Force members with nuclear stewardship, we have to ensure everyone obtains the standard of perfection. And remember, accountability is not always about paperwork, it can be re-training, technical order study or re-accomplishing the task with the supervisor observing. When dealing with nuclear weapons, everyone is accountable to the standard of perfection. We all have supervisors, and we are all Airmen.