U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Investing in and focusing on Airmen assigned to the 10th Air Base Wing at the Air Force Academy was the impetus for Beyond Blue, Feb. 28-March 2 in Polaris Hall.
Col. Shawn Campbell, 10th ABW commander, said the event was designed to “ignite, inspire and invest in leaders at all levels” but was particularly designed for the NCOs in the audience.
“Beyond Blue directly targets what I call the ‘passion, promise, and purpose’ of every ‘Team Ten’ member,” he said.
Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Buckman, 10th ABW command chief, said senior leaders at the wing designed the three-day seminar to be a platform for honest and difficult conversations to improve each Airman’s understanding of their wing’s mission, their role in leadership engagement, and increase morale.
“We’re very focused on ‘keeping it real’ by having an open and honest dialogue as we discuss topics that need our attention as a wing,” she said.
The seminar began Feb. 28 with “Planting Seeds,” Buckman’s presentation about motivating and inspiring Airmen. The chief shared anecdotes from her career to relate to technical- and- staff sergeants in the audience.
Several officers and senior NCOs also addressed the NCOs in the audience during Beyond Blue’s 12 sessions, including “Two Peas in a Pod,” “We Are Sparta” and “Yeah, I said that.” These presentations focused on developing professional relationships, leadership perspectives and encouraged the audience to step outside their comfort zone. Each event was followed by time allowing audience members to journal and reflect on what they learned.
“We wanted this event to effectively address the things in the wing that need attention, but also let our Airmen know we understand where they are coming from and what they may be going through,” Buckman said.
Campbell said audience members were matched with mentors from outside their units or Air Force specialties in the hope these professional relationships would increase their commitment and scope of possibilities.
Concentrating on NCOs makes perfect sense, Campbell said.
“They supervise and lead most of our junior enlisted, are at the execution end of our mission, and are the ones most likely to change our culture from the middle out, where growth and positive impact has the greatest influence,” he said.
Each day ended with an event to build camaraderie, including the monthly wing promotion ceremony, the Senior Master Sergeant Release party, and a lunch and whirly-ball competition.