Growing tomorrow's leaders Published Sept. 12, 2013 By Senior Master Sgt. Stacy Otte 9th Medical Operations Squadron BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Our role as leaders is to cultivate each and every Airman and help them reach their full potential so one day, they will be ready to take our place. It is our responsibility to plant the initial seed for our young Airmen, nurture their development and prune when needed, ensuring the growth of new Air Force leaders. The first stage in growing future generations of leaders is to plant the seed. It doesn't matter whether you have a fast burner or an average Airman. Each of them deserves the same care and attention. You can plant the seed by being clear in your expectations. Ensure you set specific and measurable standards and that your Airmen understand what you require of them. Finally, just as you have to water the plant every day, you must work with your Airmen every day to meet the goals you have set for them and encourage their pursuit of personal goals. Once the seed has been planted and the foundation lay, you must continuously nurture as you watch it grow. Provide them with consistent, honest feedback and constantly challenge with greater opportunities. Utilize intrusive leadership, coaching and mentoring as approaches to ensure their seed (stems) continue to grow and develop. It doesn't matter how strong or quickly the plant grows, they all require pruning from time to time. Great leaders teach their Airmen how to take risks, how to cope when they fail and how to achieve their goals. An important part of growing is learning how to fail. Leaders provide the guidance and correction to help their Airmen discover how to bounce back and move forward to succeed. When the seed has been planted, nurtured and pruned at the right time, it will continue to grow and flourish in any environment. If grown correctly, the new generation of leaders will follow in your footsteps. I challenge you to plant the seed to help grow the leaders of tomorrow.