Michelle Rogers: Is it really necessary to say whatever you are thinking in the moment?
Maj. Michelle E. Rogers is the Commander, 512th Force Support Squadron, 512th Airlift Wing, an associate Air Force Reserve Command unit located at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The Force Support Squadron is responsible for providing vital mission support through military and civilian personnel, force development, airmen and family readiness services, and communications operations.
Major Rogers enlisted in the Air Force Reserve in 1997 as a Personnelist serving in various capacities within the Human Resources field. She achieved the rank of master sergeant before commissioning through the Deserving Airman Program in 2009. As an Aircraft Maintenance Officer, she served as the group’s executive officer and managed maintenance teams, programs and processes in support of operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.
She previously served as the Recruiting Flight Commander, AF Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 128 at the University of Delaware. Major Rogers also served as UD’s Assistant Professor of Aerospace Science for freshmen and sophomores.
Session Name and Description:
Aug. 3 Keynote: Fireside Chat (with #MILLSUMMIT Executive Co-Chair Denée Crumrine): During this fireside chat, we will explore what is really means to connect; and its importance to leaders in diverse organizations.
What I Hope People Will Take Away From My Session:
How you can have it all but still be intentional about focusing on what matters most.
The importance of treating others the way that they want to be treated (the platinum rule versus the golden rule).
The importance of valuing the people who work for you and how this contributes to passion.
The importance of authenticity and approachability.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing millennials?
This was a really tough question for me, so I asked my sister, an actual millennial. She said: “The pressure put on the worth of a college degree is frustrating coupled with the lack of value in trade skills.” I’m Generation X, but I personally feel the abundance of the digitized age has hindered millennials in the value/importance of face-to-face interaction in the workplace when interacting with individuals from other generations (such as baby boomers).
What’s the question you wish more people would ask themselves? What would I do if I were in their situation? Is it really necessary to say whatever you are thinking of saying in the moment? Improving empathy within ourselves can help in being less judgmental towards others. It can also allow us to help in working through the issue to come up with a solution.
What’s the last book that blew you away (and why)? “Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others” by Stephen M.R. Covey. Many parts of this book validated to me the importance of paying it forward. Chapter 6 begins with a question: Who trusted you? You should think of someone who trusted you, believed in you, or made you believe in yourself. You should think of someone who showed confidence in you, took a chance on you, or extended trust to you. It doesn’t matter who or when – what matters is remembering this person and what they did and how that made you feel.
Covey explains that this belief and trust does something extraordinary for a person. It makes them want to work harder than ever and to deliver – they want to make you look good. Based on experiences of my own, I can attest to this, and I have focused on paying it forward as a leader. I do this by seeking out individuals on my team who I see something in and give them a chance, and I find ways to empower people on my team. Covey sums up the chapter by citing that we need more Trust and Inspire leaders, which is what I hope to emulate.
There is so much more in this book that I could speak on, but this is one of the actions that I am actively doing and can speak on with passion and excitement!
What’s your go-to mantra for difficult times?
My faith is very important to me, and I lean on my favorite Bible verse in times of adversity: Matthew 19:26: “With man, this is impossible but with God all things are possible.”