Most aircraft squadrons have an allowance for an AK1. When assigned to the squadron material control, the first class is the senior supply representative on board with a variety of duties and responsibilities. On the other hand, material control in the aircraft intermediate maintenance department (AIMD) involves _{complex operations.} Because the duties are

complicated, most AIMDs have an AKC assigned as the material control supervisor. This is a challenging billet, and the manner in which the functions of this billet are performed directly affects the aviation mission of a ship or station.

Instructor Billets

The Aviation Storekeeper class A school, located at Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC) Meridian, Mississippi, has instructor billets normally filled by AK2s, AK1s, and AKCS. The Naval Aviation Maintenance Training Group (NAMTG) has several billets for AKCs in its detachments who teach Naval Aviation Maintenance Program (NAMP) supply procedures. There are additional billets at advanced AK and Shipboard Uniform Automated Data Processing System (SUADPS) courses located at Fleet Training Center, Norfolk, Virginia, and Service School Command, San Diego, California.

Staff Billets

The term staff is used here to cover several similar duty assignments, not all of which would be strictly classified as duty with a staff. It includes the following activities that usually have billets for the AK1 or AKC:

l Flag administrative units of the air type commanders and the air training commanders

l Flag administrative units of fleet air commanders

l Staff of fleet air wings and carrier air groups

l Defense Accounting Office, Norfolk and San Diego

l Headquarters, Naval Supply Systems Command

l Naval missions, naval attaches, and military assistance advisory groups (MAAGs)

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

A major concern of personnel management is the assignment of personnel to jobs they are capable of doing and are interested in performing. This involves recognizing that individuals use a basic knowledge, skill, or ability in performing each task and that each person's capabilities should be fully used. In dealing with these dynamic aspects of an organization, you are not expected to be a management engineer. However, as a senior petty officer, you should be able to exercise your leadership responsibilities in dealing capably with human relations. In this sense, leadership can be defined as the capacity to direct or influence the behavior of others toward specific goals. In carrying out this mission, you are not only responsible for the assignment of duties and the delegation of authority, you must also see that the work is done. This requires certain _{knowledge and skills.} The following paragraphs contain information about the knowledge and skills required of you as a supervisor and manager.

Knowledge

Successful supervision demands a vast amount of knowledge. The wide variety and complexity of assignments require the supervisor to have considerable technical knowledge. Most senior AKs have acquired knowledge through experience, on-the-job training, or by reading instructions and procedures. It is inevitable, however, that supervisors will be given some tasks for which their training and experience are inadequate. In these situations supervisors must be dependent upon the knowledge and abilities of others, and upon their own leadership.

You as the supervisor must know the mission of the organization of which you are a part. With this knowledge, you can set objectives to fully support the mission. You also need to have a clear understanding of the specific role your group must play in attaining the basic goals. Planning, organization, directing, and problem solving should be done with both the general and specific aims of the organization clearly in mind.

Few traits are of more importance in a successful supervisor than a thorough knowledge of the subordinates as individuals. The supervisor needs to be aware constantly of the fact that individuals are different and that this fact cannot be overlooked. It is particularly dangerous for a supervisor to fall into the habit of stereotyping people.