Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF) Missed Attention to Detail

[Charles Fout]

So I'm reading news stories, with photos, about the  Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF). So the Air Force senior enlisted person is getting blasted for addressing Airman while his neck tie was too short. Silly rule, but it is a rule and, thd CMSAF is obligated to be the perfect exemplar of uniform standards. 

I assume he has his own decent size staff of senior enlisted people. I think his staff failed him. They should not have let him appear in public without a perfect uniform. This may appear to be insignificant. I think this little case study deserves discussion. 

Does it even matter that his tie did not cover his Belt buckle?

What difference does a leader's appearance make?

Did his staff fail him(I think they did), or is he the only one responsible for his uniform?

[NatsNerd]

So I'm reading news stories, with photos, about the  Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF). So the Air Force senior enlisted person is getting blasted for addressing Airman while his neck tie was too short. Silly rule, but it is a rule and, thd CMSAF is obligated to be the perfect exemplar of uniform standards. 

I assume he has his own decent size staff of senior enlisted people. I think his staff failed him. They should not have let him appear in public without a perfect uniform. This may appear to be insignificant. I think this little case study deserves discussion. 

Does it even matter that his tie did not cover his Belt buckle?

What difference does a leader's appearance make?

Did his staff fail him(I think they did), or is he the only one responsible for his uniform?

Having worked as a consultant on both commercial and DoD sides...this is exactly why it's so hard to get skilled, talented people to join or stay in the armed forces...or even contract to the DoD.  DoD contracts are EXHAUSTING dealing with stuff on this level.  I cannot tell you how much time I have wasted in meetings with different directorates arguing over procedure, or which silo was going to cover some absurdly minor expense.  All I hear is the sound of taxpayer money (and for that matter, operational readiness and morale) being flushed down the toilet.

In the commercial world, you would be laughed out of the room for pointing out a guy's tie was a couple inches too short, especially if the guy was otherwise good at his job.

I love our military, but there needs to be massive cultural change.

[Ares]

Look I get it, teaching young men to be organized, professional and responsible is essential for the military but it gets to a point where so much time and money is wasted on nonsensical details that no one cares about the bigger picture. Could you imagine any sort of delay in an important order during war time because of nonsense like this?

[LevelUP]

Even small uniform issues matter at that level as leaders set the standard, and appearance reflects discipline.

While his staff could’ve caught it, ultimately, he’s responsible for how he presents himself.

[Charles Fout]

So I'm reading news stories, with photos, about the  Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF). So the Air Force senior enlisted person is getting blasted for addressing Airman while his neck tie was too short. Silly rule, but it is a rule and, thd CMSAF is obligated to be the perfect exemplar of uniform standards. 

I assume he has his own decent size staff of senior enlisted people. I think his staff failed him. They should not have let him appear in public without a perfect uniform. This may appear to be insignificant. I think this little case study deserves discussion. 

Does it even matter that his tie did not cover his Belt buckle?

What difference does a leader's appearance make?

Did his staff fail him(I think they did), or is he the only one responsible for his uniform?

Having worked as a consultant on both commercial and DoD sides...this is exactly why it's so hard to get skilled, talented people to join or stay in the armed forces...or even contract to the DoD.  DoD contracts are EXHAUSTING dealing with stuff on this level.  I cannot tell you how much time I have wasted in meetings with different directorates arguing over procedure, or which silo was going to cover some absurdly minor expense.  All I hear is the sound of taxpayer money (and for that matter, operational readiness and morale) being flushed down the toilet.

In the commercial world, you would be laughed out of the room for pointing out a guy's tie was a couple inches too short, especially if the guy was otherwise good at his job.

I love our military, but there needs to be massive cultural change.

Thank you for your comments. Some joke that the Air Force is the corporate branch of our military. I assure you that is not the case.  It is a responsibility  of each top enlisted leader to always be in perfect in uniform At his level standards are very high, with good reason. It is his job to be perfect in uniform.

I also served on active duty, as aDoD civilian (including time as a Contracting Officer's representative (COR), and an employee of a company with DoD and DoN contracts. As a taxpayer, I am glad that standards regarding DoD contracts are very high.

Throughout my service and employment I was always impressed by the performance of nearly each active duty service person, civilian, and contractor  I observed.

The actions of the services most senior enlisted leaders will certainly affect the jobs of active duty, civilian and contractor personnel

Much of my thought here goes to the performance of theCMSAF's staff. Some civilians may have similar roles but, not the same, I argue.
As I see it, Each member of his staff has the primary responsibility of making him look outstanding. Sure, He is ultimately responsible of his actions and appearance. Yet, it's my opinion that each member of his staff failed him

[Mint Berry Crunch]

So I'm reading news stories, with photos, about the  Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF). So the Air Force senior enlisted person is getting blasted for addressing Airman while his neck tie was too short. Silly rule, but it is a rule and, thd CMSAF is obligated to be the perfect exemplar of uniform standards. 

I assume he has his own decent size staff of senior enlisted people. I think his staff failed him. They should not have let him appear in public without a perfect uniform. This may appear to be insignificant. I think this little case study deserves discussion. 

Does it even matter that his tie did not cover his Belt buckle?

What difference does a leader's appearance make?

Did his staff fail him(I think they did), or is he the only one responsible for his uniform?

Having worked as a consultant on both commercial and DoD sides...this is exactly why it's so hard to get skilled, talented people to join or stay in the armed forces...or even contract to the DoD.  DoD contracts are EXHAUSTING dealing with stuff on this level.  I cannot tell you how much time I have wasted in meetings with different directorates arguing over procedure, or which silo was going to cover some absurdly minor expense.  All I hear is the sound of taxpayer money (and for that matter, operational readiness and morale) being flushed down the toilet.

In the commercial world, you would be laughed out of the room for pointing out a guy's tie was a couple inches too short, especially if the guy was otherwise good at his job.

I love our military, but there needs to be massive cultural change.

Thank you for your comments. Some joke that the Air Force is the corporate branch of our military. I assure you that is not the case.  It is a responsibility  of each top enlisted leader to always be in perfect in uniform At his level standards are very high, with good reason. It is his job to be perfect in uniform.

I also served on active duty, as aDoD civilian (including time as a Contracting Officer's representative (COR), and an employee of a company with DoD and DoN contracts. As a taxpayer, I am glad that standards regarding DoD contracts are very high.

Throughout my service and employment I was always impressed by the performance of nearly each active duty service person, civilian, and contractor  I observed.

The actions of the services most senior enlisted leaders will certainly affect the jobs of active duty, civilian and contractor personnel

Much of my thought here goes to the performance of theCMSAF's staff. Some civilians may have similar roles but, not the same, I argue.
As I see it, Each member of his staff has the primary responsibility of making him look outstanding. Sure, He is ultimately responsible of his actions and appearance. Yet, it's my opinion that each member of his staff failed him

Well, he's been pretty much under the radar for the most part as far as being the CMSAF is concerned, so this will pass with time. We've only had a brief reprieve in the past couple of decades with Enlisted Jesus being our north star for enlisted morale lol. Sure, his staff failed him in prepping his uniform, but like you said it ultimately falls on him. It's the same people that are advocating the newest publication of the "Field Notes" and 2903 stressing the importance of being "LETHAL", like boot height requirements, multi capable airmen (now ACE to justify doing more with less [wage theft]), changing the 1 1/2 mile to 2 mile, removing duty identifiers, making shaving waivers harder [even with case studies on black Airmen], and now quarterly SRRs (uniform inspections) to make sure you still wear your blues... arguably, these individuals shouldn't have to be the final defense against their own uniform readiness, rather, the responsibility should solely be theirs alone. I've got a polluted day too chock full of crap, and I'm sure Flosi does too, but I'm sure he gets just as much off time/leave days as myself, if not, maybe more with added resources to obtain uniform items and to prep his stuff the day before. Sure, he's got the added bonus of pushing it off onto someone else, but I can also push mine off to a poor A1C too. I think it comes down to personal accountability and attention to detail. We wear the same uniform, we are both equally responsible for maintaining it.