Cadets reap benefits of international partnership Published Feb. 22, 2013 By Cadet 2nd Class Christian Brechbuhl Air Force Academy Cadet Squadron 31 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Last summer, I had the chance to participate in the Diversity Office's Ambassadors of Inclusion program. This program, for the first time, added a program to the Academy's repertoire that focuses solely on a cadet's ability to work in a different culture and with different people. The AOI program took my international understanding and leadership skills to new levels, and I have already seen a great improvement in my own abilities and in those of my AOI classmates. I had the pleasure of spending four weeks in Guam with a multinational company known for best practices in diversity, inclusion and management. I saw firsthand how a culture of respect from the CEO to the company cook can inspire a multinational workforce to buy into the company's goals and become a coherent team after just a few months in Guam. I participated in employee mentoring sessions, group training sessions and watch dynamic leaders bring people from extremely different backgrounds together to accomplish a common goal. One of the most valuable lessons I learned during my time with this company was how quickly they brought me into their team. After just one week, I found myself referring to the company's assets and goals not as "the company's" but as "we"and "ours." I started to pay attention to the language used in the offices and the kitchens, and it quickly became apparent that I was not the only cadet who had bought in to the management team's goals -- but so had the frontline employees. The company referred to this culture of taking care of and respecting its employees as the "company way." But to a 20-year-old cadet, it was not just the "company way" but something that gave me an experience I will draw on for the rest of my life. My experience with this company has paid off in my cadet career. Last fall, I had the honor of serving as the Cadet Wing Support NCO, whose duties include coordinating food, rooms, uniforms, hot and cold running water and recreational activities with a multitude of agencies on base. The experience and knowledge I gained from working with people of different backgrounds helped me immensely when it came to working with support staff across the Academy, all of whom have taken different career paths and represent different facets of the Academy. The experience I gained in Guam also helped me this semester as I took on the responsibility of a cadet element leader, responsible for the development of six other cadets. I was quickly faced with several challenges of significant consequence for members of my element and again, the experiences I gained from the AOI program of listening to others and making decisions based on the options presented to me. This helped me navigate through uncharted waters in my leadership development. I am not the only cadet who saw a great benefit from the AOI program. In fact, 90 percent of cadets who participated in the program have gone on to hold command, group or wing-level staff positions. The AOI class has produced three wing staff members, four group staff members, several members of the cadet character/honor staff, a squadron commander,and one cadet who spent a semester abroad in China. The AOI program helped each of us in one way or another achieve these positions and do well at them. AOI immersed me in a foreign culture, in a cooperate culture and in a culture of respect. The experiences I gained from my time in Guam taught me valuable lessons from learning to delegate and make decisions based on options that a staff presents, to the importance and benefits of creating a culture of respect for everybody from the CEO or commander to the cooks or lowest ranking cadet. The experience my fellow AOI classmates and I gained has served us well in our cadet careers, and I suspect these lessons will benefit us for the rest of our lives.
Cadets reap benefits of international partnership Published Feb. 22, 2013 By Cadet 2nd Class Christian Brechbuhl Air Force Academy Cadet Squadron 31 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Last summer, I had the chance to participate in the Diversity Office's Ambassadors of Inclusion program. This program, for the first time, added a program to the Academy's repertoire that focuses solely on a cadet's ability to work in a different culture and with different people. The AOI program took my international understanding and leadership skills to new levels, and I have already seen a great improvement in my own abilities and in those of my AOI classmates. I had the pleasure of spending four weeks in Guam with a multinational company known for best practices in diversity, inclusion and management. I saw firsthand how a culture of respect from the CEO to the company cook can inspire a multinational workforce to buy into the company's goals and become a coherent team after just a few months in Guam. I participated in employee mentoring sessions, group training sessions and watch dynamic leaders bring people from extremely different backgrounds together to accomplish a common goal. One of the most valuable lessons I learned during my time with this company was how quickly they brought me into their team. After just one week, I found myself referring to the company's assets and goals not as "the company's" but as "we"and "ours." I started to pay attention to the language used in the offices and the kitchens, and it quickly became apparent that I was not the only cadet who had bought in to the management team's goals -- but so had the frontline employees. The company referred to this culture of taking care of and respecting its employees as the "company way." But to a 20-year-old cadet, it was not just the "company way" but something that gave me an experience I will draw on for the rest of my life. My experience with this company has paid off in my cadet career. Last fall, I had the honor of serving as the Cadet Wing Support NCO, whose duties include coordinating food, rooms, uniforms, hot and cold running water and recreational activities with a multitude of agencies on base. The experience and knowledge I gained from working with people of different backgrounds helped me immensely when it came to working with support staff across the Academy, all of whom have taken different career paths and represent different facets of the Academy. The experience I gained in Guam also helped me this semester as I took on the responsibility of a cadet element leader, responsible for the development of six other cadets. I was quickly faced with several challenges of significant consequence for members of my element and again, the experiences I gained from the AOI program of listening to others and making decisions based on the options presented to me. This helped me navigate through uncharted waters in my leadership development. I am not the only cadet who saw a great benefit from the AOI program. In fact, 90 percent of cadets who participated in the program have gone on to hold command, group or wing-level staff positions. The AOI class has produced three wing staff members, four group staff members, several members of the cadet character/honor staff, a squadron commander,and one cadet who spent a semester abroad in China. The AOI program helped each of us in one way or another achieve these positions and do well at them. AOI immersed me in a foreign culture, in a cooperate culture and in a culture of respect. The experiences I gained from my time in Guam taught me valuable lessons from learning to delegate and make decisions based on options that a staff presents, to the importance and benefits of creating a culture of respect for everybody from the CEO or commander to the cooks or lowest ranking cadet. The experience my fellow AOI classmates and I gained has served us well in our cadet careers, and I suspect these lessons will benefit us for the rest of our lives.