Our own stone soup Published Oct. 27, 2009 By Senior Master Sgt. Jim Albini 714th Training Squadron, first sergeant LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- Sitting on my bookshelf is the children's book "Stone Soup," by Kit Schorsch. This short story centers on a Soldier returning from war when he happens upon a village. Hungry from his travels the Soldier knocks on several doors, asking the villagers if they may have some extra food. At each stop, the residents tell him, "no they barely have enough for their own families." Seeing a need, the Soldier calls the villagers to the square and announces that because everyone doesn't have enough food, he will make stone soup for them all. He asks for a large pot and the children find the "perfect stone." As he cooks the stone, he announces the soup would be better, if only he had some seasoning. A lady in the crowd says she has some and returns with salt and pepper. After a few minutes, the Soldier says stone soup always tastes better with some vegetables. Again, another resident runs to her home and returns with vegetables. This goes on with meats, more vegetable and potatoes. Eventually the Soldier has a fantastic pot of soup and the village has enough food for everyone to eat. This story speaks to what I believe we do best: teamwork and taking care of each other. It's often said no member of our Air Force is any more important than another. None of what we do as an Air Force can be done without the help and support of each other. From the cop securing the flight line and the airman preparing our box meals to the aircrew dropping resupplies to special operations forces in Afghanistan, a single point of failure could result in loss of life. Some may think this is an overstatement, but take a step back and try not to look at how what you do affects your flight or unit, but instead how it affects the mission of the base. If it's your responsibility to secure the flightline or properly prepare a meal, ask yourself "what would happen if I didn't." Resources would be lost or people could get sick. If that happens, how does that affect the mission? Everything we do has a strategic importance. You just need to look at it as part of the big picture. To complete a task, we need our Airmen. If we fail to take care of them, we fail to take care of our mission. We all have a responsibility to ensure Airmen have a safe work environment with the proper tools necessary to complete a mission. But like our Soldier in "Stone Soup," we must also take care of those around us. Getting to know your Airmen, asking them what they plan to do during their off time and knowing their families is all part of being a leader. Showing you care is critical to building the trust you need for successful leadership. When your people know you care for them, they will believe what they are doing is for the greater good and will have complete trust in you. Like our Soldier in the short story, seeing a need and taking care of our people is the cornerstone of being a leader. Making sure all members of your team see where they fit into the bigger picture helps them understand why they do what they do. However, educating your Airmen on the mission is only half the battle. Airmen must know you care about them and their families. You can start by doing something that comes natural: talking. Listen to what they are telling you and be interested in what they are saying. These two steps will help you get started on making a great pot of "Stone Soup."