The Air Force lives on acronyms. A good policy is to always know the definitions of acronyms before you use them. When you write, you must always define the acronym the first time it is used (You must also include a list of acronyms). When speaking, well sometimes it can be confusing.
While enlisted, I used to work on jets - a communication/navigation specialist. I learned lots of acronyms. FTIT, ICCP, IDG and ILS to name just a few. During training, I was almost put on bedcheck because I kept screwing up FTIT. Then I got a commission and became an officer and worked on space systems. Rockets, Satellites, and SDI, oh my! More acronyms. I was lost in my first meeting as a 2nd Lieutenant engineer working on SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative AKA Star Wars), the acronyms were flying like A-10 bullets - some I recognized - like ILS. But it didn't fit. What were they thinking? Putting an Instrument Landing System (ILS) on a rocket that goes boom at the other end!
A co-worker of mine - friend, mentor, peer - One of the things he has mentored me on is employee relations and my role as a supervisor.
(BTW, he was mad this afternoon. He nearly went postal. It's a good thing I'll be out of the office next week. It will give him time to calm down. I wasn' just merely in his view, I was the target of his anger. Me! Mild mannered, little 'ole me! He threatened to shoot me. As in Dead!
This co-worker is normally a reasonable, rationale human being. I depend on him as a mentor, for excellent advice in and out of the office environment. Surely there had to be a reason for this 180 degree change. I just don't understand what happened!)I'm fairly new to this management stuff with government civilian employees. I've been a supervisor on multiple occasions and have hired, counseled, motivated, disciplined and even fired workers in the past. A number of years ago, I fired a young man that needed to be fired. A few years later I met him again. He told me that being fired was the best thing that ever happened to him. (It helped him grow up. He now has a wife, child, and is working on his PHD.)
As a supervisor while active duty, discipline issues were minimal, we had a big hammer called the First Sergeant, AKA the First Shirt or just the Shirt. As a general rule, no one ever wanted to see the shirt over a discipline issue.
A fellow airman at Luke AFB decided to test the First Shirt. He was a senior airman and decided he didn't want to fulfill his contract with the Air Force. He bucked the system. Grew his hair out so long that I didn't recognize him when we passed on a college campus. While in uniform, he always kept it tucked up under his hat. When ordered to take off the hat for a 35-10 inspection, he refused. He was sent to the First Shirt and ended up paying $150 for a haircut and spent a considerable amount of time saluting the Commander's sign while standing in the Arizona sun. A short time later - dishonorable discharge!
YCFS! YCMTSU!
Government employees - now that's a different story. Most of them rank amoung the hardest workers I have ever met. Some however, have a work ethic that leaves much to be desired. A few never take responsibility for their actions, while others believe that filing a grievance seems to be their solution for everything. I usually have code names for these individuals. The codenames are terms like "Bubbles", "Magfo", and "STP". When STP, Magfo or Bubbles were out of the office, it's a "Snowday" and snowdays are always good - just ask your kids.
Bubbles for example, came around the office soliciting funds from the staff because she couldn't pay her $600 rent payment. Bubbles had a cat that somehow got stuck in the toilet. The cat was wet and cold. It got sick. Bubbles got it out and took it to the vet. Ah, $600 for a vet bill. The next month, Bubbles came around asking for more money. Needed it to pay the rent - again! What happened this time? Despite the best efforts from the vet, the cat died. The funeral cost? $600!
YCFS! YCMTSU!
STP had the self appointed responsibility to "Stir the Pot."
- Not happy today! Management is responsible for your unhappiness, STP will help them file a grievance.
- Security incident with a CAC card? STP filed a hostile work environment complaint.
- Counseled for spending too much time chit chatting in some-one else's cubicle, STP will file a Unfair Labor Practice.
- Not happy with the appraisal? Count on STP to file a "failure to meet expectations" grievance.
- Not getting your own way? Count on STP to file a disparate treatment grievance.
- Get questioned about leaving work early, STP can change the date stamp on an old e-mail to prove attendance at work until after quitting time.
My pile of documentation grew daily. Finally, after an 18 inch file and a modified email - Suspension! It snowed for a whole week.
- Lied to your supervisor and received a Suspension! STP filed a grievance, the penalty was to harsh!
YCFS! YCMTSU!
What does this have to do with my co-worker. The one that nearly went postal! Upper management transferred STP to his organization. My problems are over, but his--
List of Acronyms
AKA: Also Known As
BTW: By the way
CAC: Computer Access Card or Controlled Access Card
FTIT: Fan Turbine Inlet Temperture or Fan Turbine Intake Temperature (I still can't keep it straight)
IDG: Internal Drive Generator
ILS: Instrument Landing System or Integrated Logistics Support
ICCP: Integrated Communications Control Panel
SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative
STP: Stir the Pot
YCFS: You Can't Fix Stupid!
YCMTSU: You Can't Make This Stuff Up!
No comments:
Post a Comment