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Show COMMENTARY Get to know those you manage; it pays off TIMES April 3, 2008 Hilltop ^W ^ TfMES I'HK Hilltop Times Editorial Staff: Lee Carter... Standard-Examiner publisher MoryLouGorny Hilltop Times Interim editor Deadlines: Editorial and news itcmi are due by noon on the Friday prior to the Thursday print date. To submit nevrt iterm e-mail hilltoptlm«estandnrd.net or call 629-1273. For Gawified Advertising, call 62S-4300. For Retail Advertising, call 625-4388. The Hilltop Times is published by Ogden Publishing Corporation, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under, and in compliance with, a Memorandum of Understanding with Hill Air Force Base. The content of the Hilltop Times does not neccessarily represent the views of, nor is it endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or Hill Air Force Base (collectively, the Government). The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Government of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Standard-Examiner's Davis County Office, 67 S. Main St., Suite 140, Layton, Utah, 84040. Additional editorial content is provided by various military and civilian wire services and Hill Air Force Base public affairs departments. Call 629-5250 with story ideas or comments, or send e-mail to Interim Editor Mary Lou Gorny at mgorny@standard.net. Call 625-4300 for Classified Advertising or 625-4388 for Retail Advertising. COMMENTARY BY MIKE BROCK 75th Air Base Wing director of staff S tream of consciousness is a wonderful thing sometimes. I was sitting in front of the TV watching one of the 30-pIus college March Madness basketball games last week with a cold, adult beverage of my choice in front of me, and it reminded me of a classmate from several years ago who was from the United Kingdom and a member of the Royal Air Force. In a seminar about management styles and principles, we were extolling the virtues of what is known as Management by Walking Around. That is, the getting out, seeing your folks in their work environment, and understanding what they have to deal with to do their job. My classmate went on to describe how the British had taken that concept to another level which he called Management by Beer. What he meant was the importance of leaving one's desk periodically and engaging in some form of interaction outside the confines of an office environment. The premise was that gathering somewhere away from the office somehow lessened the need to defend one's personal turf and it made you more receptive to new ideas or more acceptable to consensus building. This was possible he argued, because you gradually build a better understanding about what was important to that individual and why Brock they come to work every day. While it doesn't hav£ to be beer as the "common thread," it does show these interactions are important in the long run because it allows you to get to know individuals on a more personal level. What is important to them and what are they passionate about? While it's difficult at best and illegal at worst to ask questions that hit at some of these points in a job interview, you may find you share a common interest in something with your co-workers and can use that to build camaraderie. You may also better understand what truly motivates the people around you. The Standard-Examiner ran an article a couple of months ago on Dr. Kevin Brown from Hartman Communications in which he talked about understanding employee motivation as a necessary ingredient in creating a positive work environment. Once you know what drives someone, you can use that knowledge to help effectively build synergistic teams. Why is this important? Experts say the average manager spends 20 percent to 30 percent of their time dealing with real or perceived personality conflicts in the workplace. So anything you can do to reduce that is time well spent! Since the majority of us spend the bulk of our waking hours here at work, we want that time to be as productive as possible. So do something radical one day a month — refuse to send e-mail. Get up and walk down the hall or pick up the phone. It will encourage more face-to-face communication. Establish a monthly goal of being able to put two more faces to the names you've been sending e-mails to for the past six months. Do not underestimate the value of establishing these personal relationships. Trust me; they will pay off sometime in the very near future. Now if only I can get personnel to allow me to ask the next person I interview for a job the question, "What's the last book you've read?" I will be happy! 777-7000 action.line.pa@hill.af.mil Q I am wondering again if there's a possibility of putting in a diesel pump at the base service stations. A Thnnksfor your question. AAFES offers diesel at some installations, with the lumber of locations expanding all the time. Diesel and alternative fuels like bio diesel (B20) are fuels we are interested in offering our customer. However, this is depending on if we can make a business case t)uit fulfills our txvo-fold mission: to sell merdiandise at competitive prices and to generate earnings for the Morale, Wellness and Recreation dividend. Although we offer diesel fiiel at some exchanges, diesel represents less than 2 percent of the total volume of fuels tliat we arc currently dispensing across AAFES. With that said, we are in the initial stages of reviewing the feasibility of adding diesel and other alternative fuels, along with looking for opportunities to offer dieselfbio-diesel and alternative fuels at all of our locations. We look forward to the day xohen we can offer tliese additional products at competitive prices at all exchanges across the United States. We will have our assessment toward the end of April and will get the word out to Team Hill on the results. Base service stations could begin offering diesel fuel if feasibility studies show that prices would be competitive and earnings would be able to be When you call or send an e-mail, your comments will be generated for the Morale, Wellness and Recreation dividend required by recorded and staffed through the agency responsible for acAAFES operations. tion. Please give your supervisor and chain of command the opportunity to work with you in answering questions and solving problems before calling the Action Line. This will help me better serve your interests. Items of basewide interest will be published in the Hilltop Times. Phone numbers—The base agencies listed can be contacted directly if you have a complaint or a problem with their services: Report suspicious activity via the AFO5I EAGLE EYES program Dial: 777-3056/3057/3508. Watch - Report - Protect Force Protection is Our Business - Everyone is a Sensor Security Forces 777-5550 Military Pay 777-1851 24-hr. Crisis Information... 777-3056 Civilian Pay 777-6246 Services 777-4134 Air Force Suggestion 777-6901 Base Restaurants 777-2043 Program Retirement/Compensatk>n....777-6142IG Complaints 777-5305 (civilian) (for appointment) Social Actions „..: 777-3516 IG Complaints .„.„. 777-5^61 Employer Relations 777-7129 (after noun) _ •:&&^&M& Fraud, Waste or Abuse 777-5361 (recording) 75th Medical Group 777-4918 Civil Engineering 777-1856' Hill Pride Hotline.... 777-7433 Public Affairs „ 777-5201 Public Affairs IntoiTnation ...777-9696 • Control Une -^fe^mv Military Housing 777-2963 Maintenance Safety Office 777-3333 Union 777-3257 AFOSI Narcotics Hotline 777-1852 Family Assistance Center....777-3090 (vyhen activated) What is the best April Fool's prank you have pulled on someone or that has been pulled on you? t'orr f* Htftt-h or.ri HfeHneu Ccnltr The Family Fitness Center in the Hess Fitness Center, Building 520, is a child-friendly site where parents can work out while they watch their children. It includes both a cardio room and a weight room, each with an enclosed play area with TVs and toys for children visible to parents while they work out A teen workout room is also available for youth ages 10-13 that includes a variety of bikes, strength and core training equipment THINK SAFETY Hill's Total 2008 DUIs: 12 Hill's Last DUI: 3? Unit Involved: Airmen Against Drinking and Driving provide rides when designated driven •re unavailable. Call 777-1111 any time to requests ride. Carol Nash 309th Maintenance Wing "One of the better ones wasn't actually intended to be a joke. On April Fool's Day 19 years ago, we were scheduled to hold my wedding ceremony. We had sent out invitations, but apparently no one thought we were serious. Many of them attended but expected us to say, 'April Fool's!1" Maj. Greg Schwabacher 508th Aerospace Sustainment Wing "My friend drove a Firebird that we dubbed the Bon Jovi mobile. One year we stuck a whole bunch of Bon Jovi pictures on it, and when they warmed up in the sun all day they wouldn't come off." Lourdes Whitmore . 75th Air Base Wing "I called my boyfriend and told him that I was pregnant even though he is stationed in Florida. He got upset and asked me about it and if I had been lying to him. I told him it was just an April Fool's prank." Staff Sgt. Charee Nelson 388th Fighter Wing "My cousin told me over the phone that my boyfriend had been cheating on me when he called. I swapped calls and yelled at him. Then when I switched back she told me rt was just an April Fool's joke." |