Be an impressive follower Published March 3, 2009 By Chief Master Sgt. Kevin McCoy 21st Medical Group PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Everyday when you come to work your intention should be to impress your boss. This doesn't mean you're going to do things just to impress him/her or do things that will cause him/her to come up and say to you "you are a great Airman". Your goal should be for him/her to go home at the end of the day and think to themselves I could not do this job without a follower like Airman Jones, he/she makes a difference in this organization. Whether or not he/she ever says it to you is irrelevant. Don't just try to impress your boss but it is just as important that you impress your peers and/or subordinates. How can you be a good follower and/or impress your boss? I believe it is easy, don't get wrapped up on the big things, it's the small things that make a difference. "Don't require micro-management" I have heard people say my entire career that this boss or that person is a micro-manager. I believe micro-management is a result of bad followership. If you are tasked to do something whether it is small or large, the expectation is that it is done correctly and on time. If your boss has to constantly ask for updates and the end product ends up being incorrect or does not happen on time you can bet, if given another assignment, the boss is going to micro-manage you to make sure it gets done. When assigned a task, get it done as efficiently as possible and do it right the first time, if you have questions ... ask, do not put it off, "just get it done!" "Don't volunteer if you don't plan to do it". No matter how insignificant the task or if you are volunteering for the Top 3, the wing commander or for the Airman in your shop, once you raise your hand and say "I will do it" you own it. How many Top 3, JEA, CGOC meetings have you been to when an update was asked for on a certain project that someone volunteered to oversee and the response is "I have no update at this time" what they are really saying is, "I haven't done anything on this since our last meeting." This is unacceptable. Either do what you said you were going to do or say you can't and give the project to someone who will. " Be proactive" Don't put things off, they're not going to get any easier and you can bet there is another tasking getting ready to drop that will try to take priority over the last one. Try to get things off your desk as quick as possible, you should never let a performance report sit on you desk for extended periods. Don't forget these reports are affecting someone's career, you should have the courtesy to do a proper, expedient review the way you would want someone to review yours. "Write reports, correspondence as if they are going straight into a person's records with no further review." How many times have you wrote an EPR thinking it doesn't matter what I write, someone further up the chain will edit it and it won't matter what I write anyway? Don't fall into this trap; take pride in what you write, look at examples of good reports, and pay attention to the fine details. The day will come, before you know it, when you will be that person further up the chain who will have to edit someone else's report who didn't think it mattered either. "Be on time ... be early" In basic training you are taught to be to all appointments 15 minutes early, that is still a good rule to live by and trust me it is noticed when you are punctual. No one likes to wait and regardless of your rank or position. It is important for you to be timely, and I should add, it is probably more important you are timely when meeting with your subordinates. Their time is just as important and showing respect for their time will teach them to respect other's time. These are just a few things that good followers should practice. I believe if you get up everyday with a humble attitude and a desire to impress everyone you come in contact with, you are destined to be a great follower and certainly a better leader.