Excellence begins with standards

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Todd Preston
  • 30th Airlift Squadron first sergeant
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  How many times have you heard, "What does it matter if my uniform is pressed or my hair is cut? It doesn't affect the way I do my job."

The simple answer is, "because those are the standards." So why is so much emphasis placed on these small details?

These indicators are how we determine if we want to use a service or product. Would you eat at a restaurant if you thought the employees didn't wash their hands after using the restroom? If you walked into a restaurant and the employees behind the counter had dirty shirts that were half-tucked in, you might question if they follow all the rules.

"But first sergeant, the uniform standards are always changing, how am I supposed to keep up with them?"

The maintenance and security standards change, and you have to keep up with them. It will take a little effort on your part, but that is what you volunteered for. This is what you get paid to do.

An Air Force instruction directs you to keep your uniform neat and clean and to keep your hair cut to a certain length, just like an operating instruction spells out the proper procedures for handling a loaded weapon.

"But first sergeant, that's different. I always make sure I handle a weapon the correct way."

Do you? You may have never had a safety incident with a weapon, but does that mean you have followed the exact step-by-step procedures? I bet that most of us who have been doing the same job for a long time have forgotten a step or two and don't even realize it.

Early in my career, I was a quality-assurance inspector, and the first things my team would notice when we walked into a facility was the appearance of the people and the cleanliness of the facility. The people who followed the dress and appearance standards had fewer discrepancies than those that didn't.

The people who didn't follow standards seemed to always miss steps or overlook safety standards, and for some reason they couldn't understand why.

When you only follow certain appearance rules and nothing bad happens, you begin to think it's okay to slack in other areas. After a mishap where human error is the cause, I can guarantee the person responsible skipped a step because he or his trainer didn't feel it was necessary.

What it boils down to is paying attention to detail and following established standards. How are your leaders supposed to trust you with the mission of national security if you can't follow simple standards of dress and appearance?

So the next time you look in the mirror and decide your sideburns are "good enough" because they are only a fraction of an inch below where they should be, take a look at the work you are doing and see if that work is within standards or is it just "good enough."