Liberty Wing airman drives success through servant leadership

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jessi Monte
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

In the U.S. Air Force, good leadership is a key foundation to the success of the mission and to the development of great Airmen. While there are many types of good leaders, servant leaders focus on the needs of others, acknowledge their perspectives and provide team members with the support they need to meet their goals both personally and professionally.

Tech Sgt. Lorena Hodge, 48th Munitions Squadron armament support section chief, fully embraces those characteristics, applying them each and every day to influence the U.S. Air Force’s most important asset, its Airmen.

“For me, caring is putting my heart out there for my Airmen,” Hodge said. “It’s all about my team and making sure they are good.”

In an effort to build morale, comradery and motivation for her Airmen, Hodge instates regular outings and activities including bowling, paintball and barbecues.

“The really cool thing about Tech Sgt. Hodge, which I absolutely love, is she is able to take the stripes away,” Senior Airman Kevin Herrera Martinez, 48th Munitions Squadron armament member said. “I can call her anytime and she will talk to me as a person regardless of the difference in rank.”

Hodge said she wants her Airmen to trust they can come to her with anything and everything, and she works to build and maintain that trust every day.

“I try to stay engaged and really get to know everyone in the shop,” Hodge said. “It’s a good environment. We all communicate and help one another.”

She also hosts occasional office lunches which she affectionately refers to as “family dinners.” Hodge uses this time to connect with everyone and highlight the Airmen who have been outstanding or the most productive in the work center.

“It’s a good thing to know where you stand at all times,” Herrera Martinez said. “Whether it’s good or bad, you know what you need to work on. She puts the ball in your court. She gives you every tool to get where you need to be.”

When it comes to getting the mission done, Hodge ensures her team has the instruments they need to succeed. She does this by starting each day with a meeting where she lays out clear objectives and develops a plan of execution.

“Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and we try to identify those early,” Hodge said. “It’s through collaboration and communication amongst the team that we can decide how we are going to pull together to complete that objective.”

Hodge’s Airmen are not the only people who have taken notice of her dedication, her leadership praises her as well.

“The best way to describe Tech Sgt. Hodge is passionate,” said Master Sgt. Scott Christen, 48th MUNS armament flight chief. “Although the mission will go on, she is a big advocate of making sure everyone is taken care of and they are healthy and happy to be here.”

Alongside her main duties in armament support, Hodge volunteers with the wing annual awards committee, and she is a certified victim advocate with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office.

“It’s not just about turning wrenches, getting equipment fixed and getting the job done,” Christen said. “It’s about making sure every individual who works underneath her is taken care of both personally and professionally. She makes time for every single individual here.”

According to Hodge, she initially joined the Air Force to seek better opportunities, but over time her reason for continuing to serve grew from a need to take care of her family into her desire to take care of other people. She will continue to serve as long as she can fulfill that purpose.

“As we develop in our career we come across people we want to be like and people we don’t want to be like,” Hodge said. “I was very fortunate to have some very good people influence me. I want to do the next person the same favor.”