A little recognition goes a long way

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Patti Hickman
  • 459th Air Refueling Wing command chief
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. --  Did you know that recognition is a huge motivational factor?

Well I knew that it was, but an organizational behavior class I recently completed reemphasized the concept. Fifteen hundred employees were surveyed in a variety of work settings to find out what they considered to be the most powerful workplace motivator. Their response? Recognition, recognition and more recognition!

Of course, recognition can take many forms. You can personally congratulate someone in private for a good job. You can send a hand-written note or an e-mail acknowledging a positive act.

The recognition goes a long way when you publicly recognize them in front of their peers. And I have just the solution for this.

You can submit your troops for the 459th Air Refueling Wing Quarterly Award Program! Our troops work and train hard all year long and have accomplished many great tasks.

We have had two successful Operational Readiness Exercises in preparation for our Operational Readiness Inspection and I have personally witnessed the incredible talent and awesome attitudes displayed while we were deployed to Volk Field, Wis.

I cannot explain the pride I felt as I watched our young troops continue to accomplish the mission for which they have trained while donning their masks in mission oriented protective posture, or MOPP 4 gear.

There are many great things going on around the wing that deserve recognition.
Quarterly awards are easy to submit. Fill out an AF Form 1206 using three categories; Leadership and Performance in Primary Duty, Significant Self Improvement, and Base or Community Involvement.

That is it! Simple isn't it? Each quarter I solicit different senior NCOs to conduct the board and grade the packages to keep the process fair. All of our "Airmen" (E-1 - E-8) deserve proper recognition, especially our young troops who are the Air Force leaders of the future.

So, Airmen, tap your supervisor and let him or her know the great things you have been doing. Supervisors, please recognize our hard working troops!