Air Force Core Values Initiative: Implementing Values-Based Education in the US Air Force, Lecture notes of History

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AIR FORCE CORE VALUES

GURU'S GUIDE

Authors: Lt Col Pat Tower and Lt Col Doug Dunford

Prepared by Lt Col Pat Tower and Lt Col Doug Dunford, this in-depth guide was used during the initial promulgation of the Core Values throughout the Air Force. There is much of value here for those interested in further education or the history of the initiative.

Table of Contents

Chapter I. The Core Values Initiative: An Introduction ......................................... 3

Chapter II. The Field Wave.................................................................................... 13

Chapter III. The Schoolhouse Weave...................................................................... 21

Chapter IV. The Continuation Phase ....................................................................... 29

Chapter V. Doctrine ............................................................................................... 35

Chapter VI. Supporting Ideas .................................................................................. 44

Chapter VII. Active Learning ................................................................................... 48

Appendix 1. Tables A-F ........................................................................................... 61

Appendix 2. Global Engagement ............................................................................. 76

Appendix 3. Comprehensive Lesson Plan ................................................................ 84

1995 (JAN) : Joint Publication 1 ( Joint Warfare of the Armed Forces of the United States ) is issued. The second chapter is entitled "Values in Joint Warfare" (chapter excerpt, box at right). 1995 (MAY) : Secretary Widnall and General Fogleman publish a policy letter identifying the Air Force Core Values as Integrity first , Service before self , and Excellence in all we do. For the next year they give several speeches in which they identify the Core Values and emphasize their crucial importance to the Air Force and the American people. 1996 (APR) : General Fogleman directs AETC/CC, General Boles, and USAFA/CC, Lt Gen Stein, to form the Core Values Strategy Panel ( CVSP ) (box at left, below). AETC/ED, members of the Air Staff, and several other competent authorities are invited to participate on the panel and its associated working group. 1996 (JUN) : CORONA Top receives an initial description of the proposed Core Values implementation plan. 1996 (OCT) : CORONA Fall receives and approves the final conception of the Core Values implementation plan, including its three phases, web site, supporting publication, and oversight committee. 1996 (NOV) : CSAF kicks off the Field portion of the initiative at General Officers calls held in the continental United States and overseas. 1996 (NOV) : The Secretary and Chief of Staff unveil Global Engagement: A Vision For the 21 st Century , which expresses where the Air Force is heading in the coming decades and how it will get there. The Core Values are discussed at length in two different places in this document, and they are discussed in such a way as to leave no doubt about their continuing, critical importance to the Air Force mission as it is defined by the challenges of the next century. Far from being empty slogans, the Core Values are deemed essential to mission accomplishment. 1996 (DEC) : Training of cadre begins.

Our military service is based on values—those standards that American military experience has proven to be the bedrock of combat success. These values are common to all the Services and represent the essence of our professionalism. This chapter discusses those values that have a special impact on joint matters. First and always is integrity. In the case of joint action, as within a Service, integrity is the cornerstone for building trust. We know as members of the Armed Forces that whatever the issue at hand, we can count on each other to say what we mean and do what we say. This allows us to rely with confidence on others to carry out assigned tasks. This is an enormous advantage for building effective teams.

25 April 1996 MEMORANDUM FOR AETC/CC USAFA/CC FROM: HQ USAF/CC PENTAGON Washington, DC SUBJ: Air Force Core Values For the past several months the Secretary and I have emphasized Core Values as the cornerstone of who we are and what we do. We’ve spread this word throughout the force among officers, enlisted, and civilians.

Now we need to bring this together into a coherent, corporate Air Force strategy. We need to do it by adding the themes of Integrity, Service, and Excellence to officer, enlisted, and civilian training and education programs across the Air Force. This strategy must address Core Values in the accession stage and build upon this foundation in the training and education processes, tailoring the focus each step of the way. Such a career-long approach to Core Values will help frame our strategic direction and bolster the professional and personal stature of our people by applying in real, meaningful, and practical terms Core Values concepts at every level.

Please put together a conceptual plan suitable for CORONA TOP. It should reinforce our Core Values at every stage of professional development and leverage the work already underway. Following that presentation I anticipate a full court press with progress updates at subsequent CORONAs.

(signed) RONALD R. FOGLEMAN General, USAF Chief of Staff

 Several lessons can be taken from this historylessons that have a direct bearing on the nature and purpose of the initiative itself.

First , the Air Force Core Values dialogue has been going on for a very long time. Sometimes (unfortunately) the dialogue has been fueled by the eruption of a sensational scandal in the press (for example, the Lavelle affair, the Fairchild B-52 crash, the Blackhawk shoot down, the Ramstein CT-43 accident), but more often than not, the quest for an adequate formulation of the Core Values has been driven by a desire to provide the force the vision and guidance it needs to accomplish the mission in the face of future challenges. (The search for the right expression of the Core Values is similar to the search for the best instrument to navigate a ship: Do we use gyroscopes? Do we use GPS receivers? Both? Something else? And once we have identified the NAVAIDS that are best for us, how do we know they are being properly followed and maintained?) In other words, what we learn from the efforts of the Academy, General McPeak, Secretary Widnall, and General Fogleman is that the search for the Core Values has an important, pro-active function for the senior leadership: the Core Values help to organize and steer our efforts in the direction the senior leaders deem to be best.

Second , the Core Values have been and remain a special interest item for the most senior leaders of the organization. Three Chiefs of Staff and a Secretary have recognized their importance for the Air Force as a whole, and the importance placed on them at the most recent CORONA is ample testament to their importance to all of the current senior leaders of the Air Force_._

Third , the senior leadership of the Air Force and the Department of Defense have come to a consensus as to the nature of the Core Values and their essential importance in defining professionalism. The Core Values are described as essential or indispensable and as playing a crucial role in our basic capacity to defend the Constitution of the United States. Over and over again, the senior leadership has told us the Core Values point to something substantial, unchanging, timeless, fundamental, and foundationalsomething without which we will fail to do our jobs. This point is made clearly by the excerpt from Global Engagement , which is found in the box above, right. The information in the box at right appears in Global Engagement after that section in which we are told that " In the future, any military or civilian member who is experienced in the employment and doctrine of air and space power will be considered an operator. " In other words, the nature of the Air Force team will

A FORCE GROUNDED IN CORE VALUES The ideals embodied in the Air Force core values are: Integrity first Service before self Excellence in all we do They are universally prescriptive. Despite the uncertainty of the future, the Air Force can say with certainty that today and tomorrow, it must live up to these ideals or it cannot live up to its responsibilities. Our core values are fundamental and timeless in nature, and reach across the entire force. Our core values are values for service, values for life, and must be reflected in everything that we do. A values-based Air Force is characterized by cohesive units, manned with people who exhibit loyalty, who want to belong, and who act in a manner consistent with Air Force core values, even under conditions of high stress. To ensure this values- based Air Force, three elements—education, leadership and accountability—provide a framework to establish the strongest imprint of shared Air Force core values. In the Air Force of tomorrow, as in the Air Force of today, these stated and practiced values must be identical. The Air Force will continue to reinforce its core values in all aspects of its education and training. The goal is to provide one hundred percent of the Total Force with core values education and training continually throughout a career. The Air and Space Basic Course will also ensure that the Air Force's future leaders, military and civilian, have a common, shared foundation in core values, doctrine, and operations.

The Air Force Core Values initiative goes beyond the Cheney Report's recommendations, however, in two critical respects. First, active learning will be used to instruct all Air Force members in the Core Values. Second, as Chapter VIII of this Guru’s Guide makes clear, our definition of active learning goes well beyond free-wheeling discussions. In fact, the Air Force Core Values initiative recognizes seven different types, each of which has a special role to play.

4. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

From the very start of the Core Values Strategy Panel’s deliberations it was clear that certain important rules of engagement would have to be observed:

1. Another wrinkled-poster-on-the-wall program will not be successful. Such programs have been unsuccessful in the past, and such a program could not meet the requirement that the initiative must “bolster the professional and personal stature of our people by applying in real, meaningful, and practical terms Core Values concepts at every level.”
2. Training and education programs alone cannot deliver “a values-based Air Force... characterized by cohesive units, manned with people who exhibit loyalty, who want to belong, and who act in a manner consistent with Air Force core values, even under conditions of high stress.” Both the Schoolhouse and the Field must be involved in the initiative because the Field can undermine in 10 minutes what it took the Schoolhouse weeks to build. Therefore, the strategy we develop must enlist the full and unreserved collaboration of the Field with the Schoolhouse.
3. If the Field and the Schoolhouse are both required for the success of the initiative, then the strategy we develop must address the special needs of each of those functional areas and closely coordinate their activities. 4. Common Air Force Core Values doctrine must be universally available to our people, written in plain language, and easy to carry so it can be applied at a moment’s notice. We must all read from the same sheet of music, and we must understand what we are reading_._
4. The success or failure of the Core Values initiative will be determined by the behavior of Air Force leaders, from the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force to the flight level. An Air Force leader can be anyone who steps forward with the courage to do the right thing. An Air Force leader is anyoneofficer, enlisted, civilianwith the gumption to take the lead. Therefore, the Core Values strategy must encourage value-driven leadership from all directions and echelons. If we all read from the same sheet of music, then the song sung by leaders must be the same as ours, and the voices of leaders must be the strongest, the purest, and most constantly on pitch. ... ethics instruction should be customized to correspond to the real-life demands of an officer’s next assignment and level of command. At each plateau of ethical instruction, active learning models based on free-wheeling seminars and discussion should take precedence over more passive lecture courses. As one instructor emphasized, “ethics are best caught, not taught.” Officers need to refine how they think about important ethical issues, wrestling along with their fellow officers with the moral dilemmas presented by real-world case studies. The essential ingredient of each ethics course should be a commitment to pull officers out of “group think,” and to give them an opportunity to reflect on ethical questions free from the pressures and demands of an operational environment. In their PME experiences they should continue to be presented with moral controversies, exposed to other points of view, and engaged in reasoned argument about what is “right” and “wrong” in the context of modern military operations. As officers advance through the PME system, and climb the hierarchy of command, ethics instruction should emphasize the increased ethical and moral responsibilities they assume.  Professional Military Education (PME): An Asset For Peace and Progress (Draft), 12 July 1996, Center For Strategic and International Studies (The Cheney Report)

6. We must not assume that we know in advance whether or not a unit or person is truly values- driven; past programs have failed because they pushed rigid solutions resting on false diagnoses. We don’t want to be in the business if fixing what isn’t broken or correcting what isn’t the cause of a problem. Thus, the initiative must carry with it the capacity to accurately diagnose and flexibly respond to the conditions discovered. If we already have “a values-based Air Force... characterized by cohesive units, manned with people who exhibit loyalty, who want to belong, and who act in a manner consistent with Air Force core values, even under conditions of high stress” (and there are persons in the ranks who believe we do have such a force), then the initiative has very little to do beyond the diagnosis stage.
7. We must aggressively include all members of the Air Force team in this initiative. No one is exempt from the ideals of excellence, selflessness, or integrity. Civilians, enlisted personnel, officers, and contractors must be educated in the Core Values and expected to walk this talk.
8. If the Core Values are “the bedrock of military success” (as expressed by Joint Pub 1), then the Core Values initiative must be one that continues indefinitely into the future. In the arena of national defense, we can never rest on our laurels or ever just assume that we can do the job. We must be ever-vigilant that a values-driven Air Force, once achieved, is maintained into perpetuity. Of course, given the fact that the care and feeding of the Core Values historically has been the prerogative of senior leadership, the perpetuation of the dialogue about the Core Values seems likely in any case, initiative or not.
9. Given that our people are outstanding in all other ways, we also must assume (until proven otherwise) that they are inclined to follow the Core Values; our first order of business is to ensure we have an environment for ethical success. That is, we want first to create an environment in which good people can thrive and set the example for those who are unsure about their acceptance of the Core Values. 5. ARCHITECTURE

The initiative has three major architectural components. The first of these components pertains specifically to the operational or field units of the Air Force. The second component pertains specifically to the classroom or schoolhouse units of the Air Force. And the third component is a mechanism that will (a) coordinate the efforts of the field and the schoolhouse and (b) ensure the perpetuation of the initiative. The first component is called the “Field Weave”; the second component is called the “Schoolhouse Weave”; and the third component is the “Continuation Phase.” As Global Engagement makes clear, "to ensure this values-based Air Force, three elements— education, leadership and accountability—provide a framework to establish the strongest imprint of shared Air Force core values." The

FIELD WEAVE

SCHOOLHOUSE WEAVE

CONTINUATION PHASE

VALUES-BASED

AIR FORCE

assignment following school; for, it is that first Field assignment that determines what is real, meaningful, and practical for the student. Opportunities ##2 and 3 must prepare the student for opportunity #4; opportunity #5 must prepare the student for opportunity #6; and so on. Likewise, each of the Field opportunities generates a set of experiences and lessons-learned that the student can bring to the next classroom opportunity.

The Core Values must be woven into each course, but they must be woven in such a way as to build upon and contribute to the other opportunities in the career sequence, including the Field opportunities.

c) The “Continuation Phase”

The Continuation Phase covers whatever it takes to support the initiative and to keep it running on a long-term basis. In this regard, it includes the following:

° The creation of the Air Force Core Values booklet (the Little Blue Book ). ° The creation, maintenance, and regular updating of the Air Force Core Values Web Site. ° The management of the Air Force mentoring and performance feedback programs as prime mechanisms for the promulgation of a values-based Air Force. ° The formation of a two-tiered body to oversee the implementation process and to ensure continuation of the Core Values initiative. This bodycalled the Architectural Control Committee or “ArchConCom”will do the following:

1. Review materials for inclusion on the Web Site.
2. Review Schoolhouse plans to ensure the initiative provides a true cradle-to- grave education and training strategy.
3. Review the Continuation plans of Field wings.
4. Create, train, and provide support to a cadre of Core Values “gurus” across the Air Force. ° Make recommendations to the Chief of Staff, as necessary, on matters pertaining to the Core Values initiative.

C. RESPONSIBILITIES

1. COMMANDERS

Commanders and other leaders at all echelons can make a profound difference in the success of the Core Values initiative, especially at their specific level of responsibility. As such, commanders should be concerned with the following:

 Select their very best personnel to perform as Core Values Gurus. These must be values-driven persons capable of working with a wide range of persons at all echelons of command. Two years retainability is highly desired, but not required.  If commanding a Schoolhouse unit, then the commander must be sure the Schoolhouse Weave is correctly and fully performed (see Chapter III).

 All commanders, whether they are responsible for Schoolhouse or Field units, must perform the Field Weave (see Chapter II).  All commanders must create a plan to continue the initiative at the local level, to include the regular and orderly selection and training of Gurus, the regular dissemination of information about the initiative, the creation of some standing mechanism for the identification and removal of impediments, and the regular reaffirmation by all leaders of their commitment to the initiative (see Chapter IV).  Field and School Commanders may submit their local plans to the ArchConCom for review/feedback. Schoolhouse commanders must submit a single plan containing a section devoted to the Schoolhouse Weave.

2. GURUS

Gurus are persons selected by their local commands (wing and above) to do the following: Gurus are to serve as advisors and resource managers, they cannot serve as surrogate commanders. As a minimum, Gurus can be expected to do the following:

1. Serve as an authoritative, local source of information about the Core Values initiative, to include the regular tracking of developments as found on the Core Values web site.
2. Assist the commander with the development of a plan to carry out the Command Cascade, to include schedules, lesson plans, and other support as required.
3. Assist the commander with the application of those active learning techniques appropriate to the unit served (applies to both Schoolhouse and Field).
4. Assist the commander with the development of a plan to carry out Impediment Removal at the wing level.
5. Assist the commander with the development of a local Continuation plan, to include the recurring orientation of newly reported personnel, the promotion of a robust mentoring and performance feedback system, and the effective publication of the existence of the local program and its role in unit operations.
6. Assist the commander with the creation and administration of an ethical climate survey, to include the writing of questions; collection , analysis, and proper interpretation of data; and the formulation of ‘get well’ plans, if required.
7. Maintain a healthy liaison with the Guru at the next higher level of command, to include the relaying of possible impediments requiring the attention of the commander at the next higher level.
8. Maintain a healthy liaison with other Gurus across the Air Force by sharing information via the web site and other appropriate Air Force communication channels.

The initiative recognizes two distinct kinds of Guru. In the Field, Gurus are referred to as “Field Consultants,” and while their responsibilities are as described above, they are different from the other Guru type in that they must emphasize duties ##2 and 4, above. In the Schoolhouse, Gurus are referred to as “Case Cadre,” and while they, too, are prepared to carry out all of the above duties, they must be especially expert with respect to duty #3.

CHAPTER II

THE FIELD WEAVE

A. CORE VALUES IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING

1. THE TASK

For a brief introduction to the Field Weave and what it requires, please read Chapter I, section 5a. The Field Weave is the first of three 'rounds' of the Core Values initiative; its focus is the entire Air Force, including the so- called 'Schoolhouse' units of AETC , the Guard, and USAFA.

2. RESPONSIBILITIES

Wing and Group commanders are responsible for implementation of the initiative at their level and in subordinate units. This responsibility will not be delegated. The Core Values initiative is an initiative by and for leaderswhether they are formally recognized as such or are informal leadersand leaders must be responsible for its implementation.

Leaders must be directly involved in the process of developing a local plan for fully implementing the more general Air Force Core Values initiative, and they must be directly, regularly, dynamically, and proactively involved in the actual implementation process. The degree of a leader’s involvement is an index of that person’s integrity. The Field Weave demands much, much more than an annual 10 minute briefing given by a second lieutenant at commander’s call. The Field Weave demands nothing less than a daily demonstration by leaders at all echelons of their commitment to fully meeting the obligations of professional military service. This is much more than walking the talkit is being the walk.

3. REFERENCES

The Field Weave is governed by the following documents:

• “Air Force Core Values”the Little Blue Book ;
• Air Force Doctrine;
  • Other directives (as indicated below).

ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL COMMITTEE

OPR: USAF DOCTRINE CENTER

FIELD WEAVERound 1

ARCHITECTURE

SCHOOLHOUSERound 2 CONTINUATION Round 3

EVALUATION

WEBSITE

ON-GOING TG

CURRICULUM

EDUCATION

PME

TECH/FLY TG

INITIAL TG

FIELD TROOPS

SQUADRON CC

WING/GRP CC

MAJCOM

These documents are authoritative. They cannot be rewritten to satisfy local interests or unofficial requirements. The Little Blue Book is the primary means for resolving disputes over the Core Values and their application, while Air Force Doctrine explains the relationship between the Core Values and the Air Force mission.

4. GOALS

In the most general or strategic sense, we can say there are five basic goals for the Field Weave:

1. Correctly EDUCATE all assigned personnel
2. ENCOURAGE a culture of conscience in your organization;
3. Ensure full ACCOUNTABILITY for following the Core Values at all echelons
4. Appropriately EVALUATE the impact and effectiveness of the initiative
5. Establish strong, values-driven LEADERSHIP at all echelons 5. INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION

As described in the Little Blue Book , initial implementation occurs in three waves or approaches. Each approach supports the achievement of all five Field Weave goals, but each approach also emphasizes certain of the goals over the others.

a) The Top-Down Approach

The top-down approach is the first attempt at ensuring the Core Values are woven into field operations. Although it supports all five of the Field Weave goals, its main focus is upon education, leadership, and accountability. On the one hand, the so-called command cascadewhich includes every echelon of command from CSAF through flight commandersis designed to get the word out: the Core Values initiative is here; this is what it involves; this is what it means to me; and this is how I will demonstrate my complete and unflagging support. On the other hand, commanders have a chance to use the top-down approach to enlist the full commitment and planning talents of subordinate commanders, i.e., to build a viable command team.

b) The Bottom-Up Approach

The bottom-up approach should begin once the command cascade is completed. It too supports all Field Weave goals, but it especially emphasizes the second and fourth goals: encouraging an environment for ethical success and evaluating how well the initiative is doing. The point of the bottom-up approach is to identify and remedy those policies, procedures, and processes that are genuine impediments to the creation of a culture of ethical success at the unit- level., and to make an informed guess as to how well the impediment removal process and the rest of the initiative are working.

c) The Back-and-Forth Approach

The back-and-forth approach informally builds upon and helps to perpetuate the other two approaches. It too supports all five goals, but it most focuses upon leadership and the encouragement of an environment for ethical success. The back-and-forth approach is really a request to all assigned personnel to continue to work on the implementation of the Core Values initiative by ‘keeping straight’ those at one’s organizational echelon.

that his/her organization will not be values-based (and that he/she is probably unfit for continued service).

The command cascade should leave no doubt in the minds of subordinates that you support the Core Values initiative; that you believe the Core Values are important to mission accomplishment; and that you are committed to creating and/or maintaining a values-based organization.

Establish a values centered mentoring program (afpd 36-34); although afpd 36-34 requires mentoring for company grade officers only, you should seriously consider the establishment of a mentoring program for all As described by AFPD 36-34, the mentoring program you establish locally should do much more than provide performance feedback on an occasional basis. Mentoring is that important relationship by which the senior helps the junior member to understand the nature of the profession of arms, the requirements of military practice, and the obligations of a career professional. As a complex form of modeling (see Chapter VII), mentoring may well be the most common and the most powerful means of building and/or preserving a values-based organization. The trusted and respected mentor who walks the talk of the Core Values may be all anyone needs to begin the walking the talk themselves.

assigned personnel

Of course, mentoring does not have to be a formal process. A leader can mentor at any timeformal recognition of the mentoring relationship and formal recording of the occurrence of the session are not necessarily required.

Ensure that all commanders, supervisors, and recognized informal leaders understand and can apply the active learning techniques of modeling, one-way storytelling, and directed discussion (see chapter VII of this guide This is not a difficult requirement. Modeling cannot be avoided because it is not something we choose to do. By reason of a person’s rank, position, experience, role, or performance record, he/she is a role model for those occupying a position subordinate to him/her. Consequently, we need to understand the ways in which we can be good or bad Core Values role models. As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words”and we must all be conscious of the messages our actions (or in-actions) are sending to the ranks.

).

One-Way Storytelling is something that many of us do already. Why not turn some of those stories to the advantage of the Core Values initiative? As Chapter VII points out, this can be done without even mentioning the Core Values by name.

Directed Discussion is as easy to perform, and those who are unsure or reluctant to engage in it should probably avoid it. Nevertheless, if we think of Directed Discussion as the sort of discussion generated during healthy staff meetings, then engaging in it may not be all that frightening. The point of any Directed Discussion is to get your people to explore some Core Values issue at length or in depth. The trick is to start with the right question. For example: Do we really

Make the core values the centerpiece of performance feedback sessions by accentuating positive, values-driven actions and suggesting ways to avoid counter-value actions and attitudes.

need the Core Values initiative in this unit?

This simple and straightforward idea should be easy to implement. As the performance feedback worksheet is being written, use the Little Blue Book to identify the person’s strengths

and weaknesses. Your evaluation should emphasize what is right and how things can be improved. The Little Blue Book is not , however, meant to be used to create “integrity report cards,” and the supervisor must never represent his/her remarks as definitive and final with respect to the person’s integrity, selflessness, or commitment to excellence. The reason for this is straightforward: the Little Blue Book is designed to provide general guidance; it is at best a crude assessment tool. This is not a criticism of the Little Blue Book ; it is in fact a reflection of the more general fact that any precise tool for character assessment does not as yet exist.

Employ public affairs and other avenues to emphasize the importance of the core values and the commitment of leaders to them. Of course, this includes the writing and publication of newspaper articles by senior leaders, but it may also mean attempting to generate dialogue about the Core Values initiative via a Q&A column in the local paper, a call-in show on the radio, or even a discussion panel on the local closed circuit television channel. The creation and publication of flyers and posters may also be considered, but these should never be viewed as substitutes for other portion of the initiative.

Consciously set yourself the goal to Avoid turning this into a once-a-year-at-commander’s-call or another-wrinkled-poster-on-the-wall “program.” The Core Values initiative asks us to make the appreciation of our professional obligations the focus of our daily activities. Such a focus requires a dynamic initiative that we constantly refresh and refuel. Posters, T-shirts, slogans, and souvenir key chains cannot do that for us. The Core Values are much, much than a few words in a booklet or slogans on a banner. They are nothing less than the unchanging foundation upon which we build the Core Competencies and ultimately achieve mission success.

Spontaneous opportunities for education occur several times every day; expect them, be prepared for them, and use them. Those who apply the Little Blue Book to their daily affairs are surprised at how frequently they question whether or not some contemplated course of action, attitude, behavior, program, or process is values-driven or is a ‘values issue’. Such questions, although informal and off the cuff, can stimulate extremely valuable discussions having genuine professional significance.

Likewise, commanders, supervisors, and other leaders have an obligation to raise Core Values questions when the contemplated course of action can have negative consequences for the values environment of an organization. But such consequences need not be earth-shaking or life threatening to stimulate useful discussion.

Above all, be judicious in selecting education opportunities: the sledgehammer approach and the fire hose technique will succeed only in killing the initiative. The rules of engagement found in Chapter VII also apply to the Field Weave. The goal is to develop a 'light touch' when approaching Core Values discussion and not to bludgeon people with rigid ideas and inflexible thinking.

b) ENCOURAGE

The Core Values initiative assumes that most of our personnel are fundamentally good and decent people. As such, all we need do is provide an environment within which they can do, so to speak, what comes naturally—follow their conscience in doing the right thing. Thus, we

A CULTURE OF CONSCIENCE IN YOUR ORGANIZATION

values-driven activity—and a truly values-driven person would probably be embarrassed by anything more.

Of course, there are instances when public awards and proclamations are entirely in order. For example, awards given to organizations for exceptional excellence and rewards given to individuals for service above and beyond are entirely appropriate—not just because it was values-driven, but because it was values-driven conduct beyond the normally expected.

At the very least, it is important that we not make counter-value awards or praise counter- value actions. A person who accomplishes something should be praised when and only when he or she has accomplished something consistent professional service. For example, the junior officer who wins a marathon has performed a noteworthy act—but only in so far as he or she accomplished this feat without shirking professional responsibilities and obligations. When commendable action is publicly praised or rewarded, it must be commendable precisely because it is values-driven.

Ensure counter-value actions are dealt with by applying the appropriate corrective remedy As already suggested, the spectrum of remedies for counter-values conduct runs from informal mentoring, on the one extreme, to imprisonment and execution, on the other. This spectrum of remedies was not created by the Core Values initiative. Indeed, the Air Force had programs and mechanisms for dealing with improper conduct long before it gained independence in 1947. The UCMJ and various personnel regulations have placed remedies at the immediate disposal of the commander and the supervisor for a very long time. The Core Values initiative merely says this: Use the tools available, and use them in a judicious and appropriate way. From the standpoint of the organization and mission accomplishment, the person who is lax because of a pre-existing friendship is just as bad as the person who is severe because of a pre- existing prejudice.

d) APPROPRIATELY EVALUATE

It is no easy matter to evaluate the ethical climate of an organization, and in any case it is absolutely essential that any assessment tools that are adopted not be counter-value. One problem is that behavior is not always a good indicator of character. The fact that the people in your organization manage to avoid UCMJ actions may not be a sign they are committed to the Core Values. It may only be a sign that they are clever about avoiding detection. Another problem is that it is not clear how we can consistently 'count' values-driven actions. If a person tells the truth because he wants to cause trouble for another person, does that count as a 'full' instance of honesty or should we give it 'partial' credit. The simple fact of the matter is that unless you can look into the hearts of your people and can be aware of everything they do, the 'counting actions' approach simply won't work.

THE IMPACT AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE

LOCAL INITIATIVE

It may be possible to achieve limited results with an organizational climate survey (a sample of which is found on the last page of Appendix 3). Of course, this can only provide some idea of the way your people perceive things. Perceptions can be faulty, and they should never be used as the basis for remedial action. Nevertheless, they can serve as the basis for developing other ways of assessing what is taking place in the organization. (See Appendix 1, Table D, for an example of "crystal ball gazing" for your organization.)

e) ESTABLISH

Given everything else that has been said, it should be obvious that we must promote leadership at all echelons, and here we mean what General Fogleman means by a leader— anyone who is willing to step out in front and get the job done. Specifically, we are looking for the following:

STRONG, VALUES-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP AT ALL ECHELONS

Leaders who aggressively work to properly educate their people in accordance with the techniques described in the Little Blue Book Leaders with enough courage to hold themselves and others accountable for the actions they perform Leaders who will enthusiastically take the steps necessary to remedy impediments to a values-based organizationand can do so without violating the Core Values Leaders who are savvy enough to develop and appreciate the stark limitations of useful assessment toolsand can apply them without defeating the Core Values initiative provide direction and vision for the local implementation plan Walk the talk