NCO orders Air Force Information Manager to track their completed jobs, quickly abandoned when results stack in their favor: 'I had over [6 times] the jobs'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jul 17, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

There's something about stories of time in the military that just really tick all boxes. For one thing, you have archetypical authoritarian figures aplenty who have a very real and absolute authority over their subordinates, the kind of power that a overstepping assistant retail manager or wizened doctor's office receptionist would salivate buckets over. The thing is, in this type of environment, you're going to be ordered to do things that you don't agree with or that just plain old don't make any sense. Disobeying those orders would have serious consequences—but the brilliance at which subordinates get back at these high-ranking power-tripping commanding officers or NCOs by following their order to the letter will never cease to amaze you.

When this Information Manager (IM) was assigned to a maintenance squadron they found that they alone, of the seven IMs, were handling IT tasks—the others seemed to be allergic to it. Their duties began to expand and soon they were fielding a large amount of requests which earned them the respect of the squadron and the nickname "Bill Gates"—but not the respect of management. In a classic effort to improve effciency the first sergeant ordered the IMs, to track their jobs for the week, which netted results that would see the tracking swept under the rug and never mentioned again, in true managerial fashion. 

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  • 01
    "I had over [six times] the jobs in a week than the rest of the airmen in my career field. They stopped tracking jobs."
    via Sammyayot254
  • 02
    Think I don't do anything and want me to write down my jobs for the week? Ok... LOC TLDR: USAF Squadron leadership thought I was lazy and could bust me by making us track jobs for the week. I had over 6x the jobs in a week than the rest of the airmen in my career field. They stopped tracking jobs.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 03
    I was in the USAF at the time of this and was working IT and an Information Manager (IM) for a maintenance squadron. There were 6 other IMs who could have done IT, as it was a core task of our career field. None of them wanted to and I didn't want to do paperwork. So it was a good fit. I ended up and was soon in charge of doing all the AV stuff for the squadron. tasks
    via u/Geawiel
  • 04
    Christmas slides? Geawiel will make them. Fund raiser? Geawiel will handle it. I even ended up with a base job where I had to go to a specific location during crisis (tornadoes, if there was a base attack, etc) to do back room IM stuff for all the big wigs of the base. I hated it. I didn't see the point of IMs there. I did the job without complaint though. It was my job.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 05
    The squadron was the second largest account on the base. 650 pieces of equipment and over 200 personnel spread over multiple hangars. I was also the only IT person with a line badge, so I was allowed to freely go on the flight line without an .3 of our work section were on the flight line and required the badge or an to get to.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 06
    For some reason I rub leadership the wrong way. I generally don't take . If something is wrong I speak up. I don't don't do the politics kiss because I . It's a job. I do my job. Everyone should just care about their job. Politics be damned. Everyone in the squadron loved me and some places would call me Bill Gates. I was there when they called. If I couldn't fix the problem in 10 to 15 minutes I would swap the bad equipment out. I always brought some with me.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 07
    This leadership was Our 1st Sgt was someone we call Retired on Active Duty (ROAD Sgt). They don't give a ○. They're in a spot that they're comfortable in and don't care about getting the next rank or know they've kissed enough to skate by. For example, I'm fixing her laptop on a Friday morning, "I'm bored. I don't really have anything to do for the day."
    via u/Geawiel
  • 08
    I, you're a 1st Sgt. Your job is to gauge squadron morale. Know what the shops are up to. You always have something to do. Go talk to people, because I can tell you morale right now. At one point they decided it was time. to "catch me red handed" being lazy. The 1st Sgt came in and told all 7 of us that we're going to track the jobs we do for the week. We're going to do this from here on out and it was directed by the Group Commander (Flight Squadron>Group>Wing(the base)>Command(AF wide)).
    via u/Geawiel
  • 09
    Ok, we doubt that but we'll do it. I made an excel sheet for us all to share and write down our jobs. Each Information Manager had their own tab and columns to fill in the job. The date. The time they started it. The time the finished it. The sheet would automatically count the jobs, spit out how long it took to complete a job and give an average time it takes to complete them. It took me all of 5 minutes to throw together.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 10
    That week was a normal week for me. I'd get various calls. My account is locked out because I forgot my password. I can't access FEDLOG because the base IT moved the drives. So I had to remap the location so they could order parts again. My PC is messed up and won't do X. So I'd fix it or swap it out. If I swapped it, I had a bank set up with a keyboard bank so I could use 1 mouse and keyboard for up to 24 PCs. I'd wait to build up at least 5 and reinstall windows on all of them at once. I had t
    via u/Geawiel
  • 11
    At the end of the week the 1st Sgt checked the sheet during the weekly squadron commander's briefing. Which was another job for me. Putting together the slides for the briefing. Which involved embedding an excel document for performance reports in it. Another document I managed since no one else wanted to. I was waiting with giddy excitement. I knew what it was going to show!
    via u/Geawiel
  • 12
    The other IMs had around 100 jobs each. Processed X decoration/award. Process X number of performance reports. Just paperwork stuff like that. Then comes my slide. I had over 650 jobs that week. I was all over every work site. There are lots of issues with the PCs. They take some big abuse from the maintenance guys. A lot of it is because most of them with computers and screw stuff up. One guy had 3 of those maleware "search bar" things installed somehow and couldn't understand why it was an iss
    via u/Geawiel
  • 13
    The 1st Sgt announced Monday morning that we were ditching the job tracking and no longer had to do it. I guess the "maintenance group commander" must have changed his mind in 1 week....
    via u/Geawiel
  • 14
    Background-Spray1575 8 hr. ago To many "leaders" are nothing more than bullies in stuffed shirts. They can't stand when "underlings" stand up for themselves. Many consider it "having their leadership challenged" and react like children. Sorry you were not recognized for your exemplary service. A true leader loves staff like you.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 15
    Geawiel OP 7 hr. ago I had one when I first got there. He was there for about 6 months before he got orders. Absolutely great guy! Recognized good workers. His door was actually always open, instead of just saying it. He always had time to sit and talk. Even if it was to just shoot the . I had some great conversations with the guy and learned a lot from him in those 6 months.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 16
    • Responsible-Hat8387 · 7 hr. ago "For some reason I rub leadership the wrong way." D That is effin golden! That is me!!! Take my upvote!
    via u/Geawiel
  • 17
    Geawiel OP 7 hr. ago I have a knack to tell you off without giving you enough to call me out or do anything about it. We had all CRTS when I got there. A few months later LCDs started to slowly roll in. Fuel Cell shop was super small, in a small hangar. They had for desk space. One of the higher ups ordered some LCDs outside of the base system. Something I showed him how to do. They were specifically for fuel cell and there were just enough for them. He didn't even get one for himself.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 18
    They show up and news spreads across the squadron. Everyone wants to ditch the CRTS. Only one person came up to me and asked for one. As I'm unpacking them, one flight Sgt comes up and asks me for one. "I'm sorry. They're for fuel cell and fuel cell only. I only have enough for them" : "Can't you spare just one for me?"
    via u/Geawiel
  • 19
    "Nope. You have plenty of desk space and your monitor is only on year 3. They're good for 5. before I'm even allowed to replace them, as per base policy." : "But I need one. My monitor takes up a lot of room." "I've seen your desk. You have at least 3 times the space they do. You have more desk space than even I do, and I'm not getting one. Besides, they were ordered by the chief master sergeant for fuel cell only."
    via u/Geawiel
  • 20
    In a huff he stormed out. A friend next to me asked if we're giving him one after he left. "Nope, we're only doing fuel cell." 2 years later when I was leaving to go to a different assignment, half the squadron had LCDs. That still had a CRT. I even swapped it for a newer one at one point because his stopped working right. Didn't have enough LCDs and I had 2 store rooms with at least 10 CRTs in each one that were under the 5 year mark.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 21
    fatspartan209 5 hr. ago. Heyyyyy as a former crew chief. (Maintenance guy on flight line) I do not take offense to that sly remark that the PCs get abused. I don't know if you know CAMS but think travel website but worse. Hence, they get abused because a lot of guys give it 2 ugga duggas and then hit the PC. At least while I was in 03 to 07.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 22
    Geawiel OP 4 hr. ago Started out as a CC on 135s and was force OJT to the one AFSC I didn't want...IM. I knew the they put stuff through and why keeping it up was important. Any other IT may see like 5 PCs, "they got plenty!" No, you got 4 guys on G081, 1 on FEDLOG and 2 more waiting to do their bird's write ups.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 23
    wavking 6 hr. ago You can only manage that which you can measure. Turns out you don't need much managing after all.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 24
    Head_Razzmatazz7174 · 5 hr. ago When I saw this was MC of a military nature, I knew it was going to be a good story. I was not disappointed.
    via u/Geawiel
  • 25
    algy888 2 hr. ago It's funny I am similar, I'm not great, but I do my job and just want things better when I'm done. If I wanted drama I'd audition for a play. This morning I had to deal with a guy who started getting off topic with "you know how it goes with them..." he got as far as "how" and I cut him off with "I don't need to know about that. I need this information from you before I can proceed."
    via u/Geawiel

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recruit sergeant tech support talesfromtechsupport commander malicious compliance navy technology military it commanding officer IT guy army military malicious compliance grunt
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