Do I hear bees?

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Gary Hamm
  • 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Sometimes, for no apparent reason, I begin to hear buzzing sounds. At first I thought it was tinnitus, but that's ringing not buzzing. Then I figured it was just me getting older. That's my wife's explanation for everything, but I soon realized that wasn't it either.

After ruling out the other possibilities I started to really listen to the buzzing, getting in tune with it, and I was amazed at where it was coming from. The source of this buzzing was all the buzz words that are thrown around every day.

Now there's nothing wrong with buzz words, in a sense, but sometimes it seems as if we think saying catch phrases will somehow make things happen. If I want someone to focus on their primary duties I may tell them to "get back to basics", but that does not miraculously make everything change.

It takes hard work, focus, attention to detail and a motivation to do things correctly to get back to the basics. When I was a kid my parents told me to "do my best" at whatever I was doing. Sometimes I was the best imaginary golfer with a wiffle bat and ball, and other days I was the best Evel Knievel imitator in southern Ohio.

Not because my parents told me to do my best but because I wanted to do my best. Doing your best weren't buzz words my parents used it was their way of asking for a commitment of effort on my part.

In today's world you can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone spewing buzz words, catch phrases or clichés. I've spent the better part of my career trying to "do more with less". I think at one point we were actually doing everything with nothing.

Thankfully, the quality movement and now AFSO 21 are there to "help" find the most efficient way to work. I am determined to become more efficient regardless of the amount of post-it notes I have to stick on my wall. Of course I'll need "metrics" to prove I'm more efficient but since 85% of statistics are made up 100% of the time I am certain I can get at least a 33% improvement in productivity.

Hopefully some "synergy" will develop from this article that will have "enterprise" wide effects. Which I think means that we need to tell Scotty there's a new power source on board and he may need to beam up some updated T.O.'s.

We should probably also find the thinkers that are in the box and tell them to stop because we need "outside the box" thinking right now. This advice usually comes from box owners who may need to fire their boxed in thinkers, but I digress.

As you can see I am having a little fun here with some buzz words and catch phrases that we hear a lot. My point here is a simple one, buzz words are movements of the vocal chords and not miraculous answers to anything.

We have hard working, motivated and well led Airmen giving their best each and every day, and that is what makes us the most powerful Air Force in the world. It has nothing to do with witty phrases or "empowering" words. Nothing is accomplished without actions. Because of the actions of Airmen in the 509th Bomb Wing there is no sanctuary for America's enemies, to quote BG Harencak "Let the bastards dig!" because they can't hide.