Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1407173
you in the military?' Nearly 99 percent of the time it was the benefits. That's what draws them in — the education, the benefits, the stability for the family, the paycheck. So, I think these regulation changes are helpful, that they add to the quality of life and things like that, but in my experience as a commander, new Airmen most appreciated the benefits and what that meant for their stability and supporting their family. Gen. Hammerstedt: I think the changes to the hair standards are all about our senior leaders really listening. It's our Air Force listening — whether it's hair standards or expanding parental leave to male or gender-neutral partners. It's about listening to our Airmen and asking, 'What is keeping you from serving effectively or staying in?' And then say, 'Okay, we can fix that!' For a lot of women, the hair concerns were a big deal. Okay, we can fix that! Whether that recruits people, I don't know. But I do think those things help with retention because Airmen will want to serve in an Air Force with leaders who listen. MM: What do you feel are the most rewarding, and the most challenging, aspects of your positions? Col. Holbeck: The people — absolutely. To be a part of developing someone in such a way that they meet either their personal and professional goals, to be a part of mentoring and shaping their development is obviously rewarding. We like to say we're better together, and I like to say that I want everybody to be their best. Whether that means in my organization or somewhere else, I want you to be your best because when you're your best, we're all better. So, it's job satisfaction in the people, but oh my goodness, the people challenges. Nothing surprises me anymore. Col. Droz: As leaders, and especially the higher up you go, you can make an impact in somebody's life without realizing it. As a lieutenant, I could just talk to people and it was just talking. But now, in my role, if I stop and I talk to somebody, it makes a difference in their day. As a counterpoint, the challenge is not being able to help or to fix their individual problems or get them the resources they need. Everybody has an individual issue and a problem and I only have 24 hours in the day. And almost every minute is filled up, and if it's not filled up with something at work, it's filled up with something at home. I'm a people person, so I love being able to help people, and I get frustrated when I'm not able to get something done. MM: As you advance in rank, does it become more difficult to balance family, personal time and work? Do you have strategies to handle it? Col. Droz: I have always prioritized my family. I took a squadron command when my twins were 6 weeks old, but I had a boss who probably understood what I was going through a little bit better than I did, and helped me understand priorities. As a leader, I try not to spend all my time in the office, because when I do, my office staff feels it necessary to spend all their time in the office. But it also helps me balance my life a little bit more. Now my kids are playing soccer, so I prioritize: I'm going to go take my daughters to soccer. I'm going to go to their games. You also have to make time with your spouse a priority and also make time for you to be a human being. We talk about resiliency in our Airmen and helping to balance that. As leaders, we have to show them that it's not just a tagline that the Air Force is putting out there, but that we really believe in resiliency. Col. Carns: I tell my team to put my personal appointments on my calendar. We have a family lunch on Wednesday every week together. Putting those things on the schedule so that it's visible and everybody knows that you're doing something personal, that's okay. They need to know you're a human being, and if they see that you're prioritizing this, then they'll realize it's okay for them to have a life, too. If they think the commander's a machine, they'll think they're supposed to be a machine, and then you permeate that culture throughout the organization. If I don't live some kind of balanced, organized life, that's going to permeate the organization. Col. Droz: When I first came in as a maintenance officer, you knew what time the boss' car was in the parking lot, and you were there before then, and you didn't leave until the boss was gone in the afternoon. It was almost like a badge of honor. It wasn't even about the quality of work, it was about the quantity of work. Now, we're all in on resilient Airmen, and to do that you have to balance your life. MM: What could the community do better to support the base and its resilient workforce? Col. Holbeck: We get that question all the time and the answer is always the same: I don't think they could do any better. Like, it's just unbelievable. Col. Droz: I think this community is absolutely incredible. We've been all over the country, and communities that surround military bases are justifiably AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 | maconmagazine.com 47