Senior non-commissioned officers lead teams and shape the future force, exerting tremendous influence across all levels of the Air Force. Throughout my career I have been fortunate and privileged to serve with many phenomenal men and women in these top three enlisted grades who emanate these Little Brown Book characteristics.
During my two squadron commands I was partnered with highly capable wingmen as my senior enlisted leaders. One of Team Minot’s recent chief selects, CMSgt Nicholas Roberts, teamed with me in Fall 2021 to command the thunderous 91st Missile Security Forces Squadron.
He proved highly skilled as a teammate, advisor, mentor, coach, motivator, and all-around awesome Airman!
Though he and I have since moved on to different positions, I was offered the honor to interview him for the Northern Sentry in celebration of his promotion to chief master sergeant – the top 1% of the enlisted force. But he, like many who have earned those three top rockers, did not enlist originally thinking he would serve a full career. Roberts, who hails from San Diego, California, reminisced about his thought process at the time, saying: “I knew I wanted to do something but wasn’t really cut out for school. I wanted to do something with my life. I joined so I could get an education, an associate degree in criminal justice, and get out to become a police officer in one of the ‘big time’ law enforcement organizations like the NYPD or LAPD. I felt the Air Force and Security Forces were able to offer me what I wanted to accomplish that goal.”
However, over time Roberts heard his calling – developing those under his charge. “It’s about the Airmen. It’s about trying to take care of them however I can and do the best that I can for them in that moment.” In this, he found true purpose.
Enlisting in December 2000 as a Defender assigned to Beale AFB, he not only excelled as an apprentice – he would earn the Pitsenbarger Leadership Award in his Airman Leadership School class – but while deployed in 2003 he found that ‘something’ he was looking for. “I was the M-249 gunner on a fire team. We were crossing the parking apron [at Baghdad International Airport], and we were driving to the other side to do a security check on RAPCON. I was turning my gun in the pintle mount, and I saw this kid who had a push broom and a hose. He was sweeping off the parking ramp, cleaning the taxiway. He saw us driving up, when he saw me, he dropped what he was doing, he came to a modified position of attention, and he saluted me. I ended up saluting him back. That hit me differently. I feel like me being there in that time, to do that and be a part of that, it was bigger than me. That’s when I decided I would be fully bought-in, and I re-enlisted the following year in 2004.”
Since his buy-in moment on that airport tarmac, his career has encompassed a wide range of experiences. He has flown Phoenix Raven missions out of then-McChord AFB. He instructed ground combat skills and integrated static line airborne operations for contingency response out of Andersen AFB. He developed future officer generations as a USAFA and Preparatory School Academy Military Training NCO. As Operations Superintendent at the 822d Base Defense Squadron at Moody AFB he put his leadership skills to the test on several high visibility missions, all successful. He was vectored to be a senior enlisted leader within the 91st Security Forces Group at Minot in 2021, arguably one of the toughest challenges in the DOD due to its constant and conflicting harmonization of mission, team, people, environment, resources, and readiness. “It’s been a grind these past 5 years,” he admitted, “Being given the opportunity to be a Chief Master Sergeant gives me yet another opportunity to help Airmen and leave the Air Force better than where I found it, even it’s just a little slice or little impacts on people’s lives. If that’s my legacy that I can be proud of, then I’m happy. I’m going to be replaced.”
Across 23 years of service, Chief Roberts developed several key leadership lessons which he tries to put into practice daily:
- Listen with purpose. “It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day, so you never know when you run into someone in the hallway, and they give you the basic ‘living the dream’ response – which I despise. I want to know why. How can I help? What can I do to help them? I love when the troops ask for help, and I’m able to get them tied into the help they need. I get excited when we get those wins, not because of myself, but because they got what the need and we got bureaucracy out of the way, and through listening we were able to solve problems.”
- Give myself and others grace. “It’s not all the time we feel like we’re doing right, or we’re the best versions of ourselves. We’re often harder on ourselves than others are. If I feel this way, then I know others are. We are a team – the squadron, the wing, the Air Force – the mission takes a team to accomplish.”
- Ask more questions. “I won’t know everything, nor can I pretend to know everything. I have to ask questions, and sometimes I don’t know what questions to ask. You have to go ask additional questions to dig, not being afraid to dig deeper.”
- Believe in all my people. “Leverage experiences of all your team, those who excel and those who struggle. Everyone in the Air Force has something to give to make themselves, their team, and the mission better.”
Leadership is a team effort – always. The US Air Force will prevail, no matter the challenge of fight, because we develop and cultivate high caliber senior enlisted leaders like Chief Nick Roberts. Congratulations on your milestone, it is well-deserved! AATW!
“The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official guidance or position of the United States Government, the Department of Defense, the United States Air Force, or the United States Space Force.”
