Alaska Air National Guard holds leadership conference for junior NCOs

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. N. Alicia Halla
  • 176 WG/PA
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The Kulis Chiefs Council of the Alaska Air National Guard's 176 Wing hosted the Enlisted Leadership Seminar 2014 here March 1 for the wing's staff and technical sergeants

Seventy-five participants spent the day at the JBER Professional Military Enlisted Center examining topics recommended by their peers in the Kulis Junior Enlisted Council.

The workshop, designed to augment required professional military training and taught by various chiefs of the wing, included:

-mentorship
-team building
-enlisted force structure
-writing performance reports
-a chief master sergeant question-and-answer panel
-a surprise peer-lead discussion on resiliency

Junior non-commissioned officers responded positively to the seminar, interacting with instructors and peers alike.

"[Airman Leadership School] teaches you what a leader is, and this teaches you how to be a leader," said Staff Sgt. Jessica Blignaut, an aerial port craftsman from the 176 Logistics Readiness Squadron.

The last wing leadership conference was in 2010. The course this year aimed to meet requests for leadership training from the junior NCOs themselves. The idea was well-supported by the wing's officer leadership, according to Chief Master Sgt. Paul Nelson, the command chief of the 176 Wing.

"You say that this is what you want, this is what you need to be successful," Nelson said, addressing the staff sergeants and technical sergeants of the wing. "We owe that to you guys as your senior leaders."

Because more junior NCOs signed up than the seminar could accept, the wing intends to hold more in the future.