Four powerful words Published Jan. 21, 2010 By 2nd Lt. Tony Richardson 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Sometimes the smallest of phrases can make the greatest impact . "I love you." "Look before you leap." "Service before self." While having a discussion with a group of friends, I heard a phrase that outlines a great roadmap for leaders. Second Lt. Angie Maldonado, who is currently attending school to become an intelligence officer, stated that her motto was "mission first, people always." Wow. Four simple words gave me clarity of vision. Dissecting the two parts of the phrase really made this one stick. As leaders in the United States Air Force, our first responsibility is mission accomplishment. Each morning, when I wake up, I always say to myself, "it's grind time." In other words, there's no substitute for efficient use of hard work and resources. The beauty of this idea is that everyone has the opportunity to be a leader. In my years working the flight line, we would always stress the fact that each day, someone will be looking to learn from you or be trained by you. From a technical standpoint, the learning never stops.Even the most seasoned technicians encounter new, difficult, challenging situations. So whether you are a recent technical training graduate, or you have 26 years of service, your skills and ideas can be utilized to impact the mission. This point, of course, is where the human factor enters the game. I have always viewed first sergeants as one of the most critical members of a unit. Taking care of the people so that the people, in turn, can take care of the mission, has long been one of the major roles that a first sergeant plays. While I've had the pleasure of working with a few "shirts" that were cut from the same fabric as Clark Kent, none have possessed the ability to see all or know all. As such, it is imperative that we, as people, look out for one another. Knowing what makes people tick makes it easier to motivate them when they need that extra boost. Additionally, as we build healthy working relationships within our work centers, we simultaneously increase morale. As a general rule of thumb, as we increase the morale of the people, we increase the productivity of the unit. That brings us back to the mission. "Mission first, people always." Four words, powerful phrase.