Saturday, November 21, 2009

Accentuate the Positive

Our Chief just sewed on her stripe this month, which is a pretty big deal. But she's been sitting in the Chief Enlisted Manager position for a few months now. As the Booster Club Vice President, I've been interacting with her quite a bit over the past year, and at first, I didn't really know what to think of her. It's hard to believe people who are always cheerful don't have something to hide.
Chief Jacobs has been my number one ally in getting my extension. She's helped me figure out all my options, and yesterday, we spent an hour editing a one-page memo to the Commander detailing my justification for staying in Italy. I feel really good about our finished product, and I hope all our efforts won't be in vain.
As I was leaving, I told the Chief how much I appreciate her help. I mentioned that I think of her as an idealist, which many confuse with naïveté, and we had a short discussion about maintaining a positive attitude. There are many in our squadron who think her optimism and sunny disposition is annoying, or worse, fake. But I tend to think of these things as contagious. I know her guise is genuine, and I hope it filters through the rest of our organisation.
Usually, issues can be handled on a much lower level, and I hope I don't require the Chief's assistance for anything like this ever again. But if I do, I know she's on my side.

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