***image1***Superior leadership, job performance, community involvement and personal achievements – these qualities describe 2004’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year.
Senior Master Sgt. Valise Godley, superintendent of the 735th Communications Squadron network control center here, is one such Airman.
Sergeant Godley was recently notified of her selection while vacationing with her family in Florida.
“My family and I were on a much needed vacation at Disney World,” Sergeant Godley explained.
As a superintendent, Sergeant Godley leads the 140 Airmen in her element by holding high expectations.
“Some people may say that I am tough, but my motivation behind being tough is to show the amazing Airmen that work with me they are capable of things far greater than they may realize,” she said. “I will not ask them to do anything I would not or have not done myself. Showing respect for who they are and what they do is always uppermost in my mind.”
The Air Force core values are also a constant guide for Sergeant Godley in her leadership style.
“One core value comes to mind when talking about leading – Excellence in All We Do,” Sergeant Godley continued. “I tell them all the time, ‘Why be the standard, when you can set the standard!’”
Sergeant Godley was mentored to excel from the beginning from her mother.
“My father died when I was 10 months old and my mom raised seven children by herself,” Sergeant Godley said. “She is the one who taught me that it is not okay to be mediocre. Long before I ever heard of ‘Excellence in All We Do,’ my mother was living it.”
Noting the importance of education – with an associate degree in criminal justice, a Community College of the Air Force degree in electronic systems technology and a bachelor’s degree in computer and information science – Sergeant Godley’s reasons for continuing her education are two-fold.
“I learned some of my best leadership techniques from just sitting around a classroom with other NCOs talking about situations they found themselves in and how they dealt with them,” she continued. “My off-duty education inspiration was my son. I am always on his case to do his absolute best in school. I wanted him to see me as an example, not just a mouthpiece.”
In addition to bettering herself through education, Sergeant Godley also believes volunteering offers individuals the opportunity to excel.
“I believe that if you are able, you should always give back,” she said. “First and foremost, if you have a skill and someone needs it and you don’t help them you are wasting it.”
The Air Force Association honors the 12 OAY each year at a convention in Washington, D.C.
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