Stop Delegating YOUR Work to Others!

I am a member of a group on facebook that can really be aggravating at times. It is the 3S0X1 group. This was my old career field when I was in the Air Force. The positive to being on this site is seeing what is going on so I can let my husband know if it affects him. The negative aspect is being reminded of why I was ashamed of my career field at times.

from pinterest, owner unknown

 The main thing that bothers me is when these high and mighty personnelist (3S0X1s) get on this board and make fun of the other career fields (mostly maintainers and cops) for not being aware of what is going on with personnel stuff. Are you serious? I finally had enough today. A maintainer (someone who works on the aircraft) was made fun of for not knowing what MilPDS (the computer system that houses "career" information) is. This was my response:



"In defense of the maintainers, they are trained on aircraft, not personnel business. They trust in you to take care of that business, just as the pilots trust in them to take care of the plane."

This is the response I received: 


"I hear all the remarks about maintainers and cops and all the other careerfields that dont understand personnel. However, when those same careerfields retire... THEY ARE ALL OVER IT!! Every percent, every medal, everything. If they can do it at 20+, they can do it throughout their career. IMHO."

This was my response to that stupid comment:

 "They learn over time. That is why they can do it at 20+. Do you want to know how they learn? They learn because a FEW people over their career did NOT do their job and screwed them over. I used to be a personnelist (now separated) and in the 11+ years I served, I have personally fixed many mistakes made by my peers that really "hurt" these other people. I really wish people would stop slamming them for not knowing other AFSC jobs when sometimes the people that are supposed to know their job does not and what happens a slap on the wrist. If a maintainer or cop does not know their job someone can potentially die. Lets get some perspective. No disrespect meant, just please stop picking on people that are not on here to defend themselves. Its rude. Making fun every now and then is one thing, but personnel is not their primary AFSC and "we" should be more understanding."


Then I got to thinking. What would it be like if the roles were reversed and personnelist behaved the way we think cops and maintainers should behave.

Personnelist: (to crew chief (maint)) Excuse me sir. Before I board the C-130 I would like you to open the panels so I can make sure all the hydrolic lines were reconnected. After that, I would like to see the inspection paperwork so I can ensure that NDI (the plane inspectors) have done their proper inspections. Then, I would like to see the oil sample paperwork so I can make sure that there is no foreign debris in the oil.
Crew Chief: Good on you airman for checking up on my work because I might have forgotten to do something. It is your responsibility as an airman to ensure your own safety when boarding my plane. 

or how about this one

Personnelist: (to Security Forces K-9) Excuse me ma'am. I am not sure that your dog completely checked that vehicle. Can I please take another look? I need to make sure that I am safe on this base. 

Security Forces: Thank you for caring about the safety of yourself and the base. It is highly possibly that I might have missed something. 

or how about this one

Personnelist: (to C-130 pilot) Excuse me sir. I really think that I need to sit next to you while you fly this plane. I am just not sure that you are properly trained in flying it. 

Pilot: I am so glad that you care about your life. Please come sit next to me and let me know if I mess something up. 

I seriously could go on and on. Do you know why I know this stuff? It is because I cared to ask. I know what most AFSCs do in the Maintenance and Flying squadrons. I used to work there in their Commander' s Support Staff taking care of their personnel needs. I even fixed many mistakes from other personnelist (many, many, many mistakes). I never expected them to know my job. I only expected them to answer my questions and return my paperwork in a timely manner. They loved me because I took care of them and in return they were nice to me and gave me tours of what they did. I got to ride around with them on the flight line during my deployment and see the amazing work they did. I was fortunate enough to hear the awesome stories that the pilots told of their experiences. These folks do their jobs with excellence because they are the only ones that can. Us paper pushers can only earn their respect if we do our job with the same excellence.



UPDATE:

Further response to my post:

"Christina, not slamming maintainers...I grew up as a mechanic. It doesn't excuse the fact they don't even know even the system is that controls their careers. I don't expect them to know how to udpate an ACC/PES/RE (or what each code means...or DIN Tables for that matter...ooops showing my age), but they should understand what the system is/does for them and the signifance of this shutdown."


This was the reponse I gave to him:

you want them to know, but knock them for asking? SMH That had to have taken a lot of courage to do that. Should that same airman expect a personnelist to know the computers that control the aircraft if you are going on a HOP?