JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
These days, we hear a lot about mission and vision, in both military and civilian organizations. With all of the talk, do you know your unit's mission and vision? If so, have you ever taken the time to think about how the mission and vision apply to you? It may be tempting to assume the mission and vision of your organization is just some vague statement which neither applies nor matters to you. However, for your personal success, the success of your organization, and most importantly, the security of our nation, nothing could be farther from the truth.
Think back to why you joined the military in the first place. Sure, there is always a case to be made about financial motivations such as a means to pay for college or the opportunity to get some valuable training and earn a wage. While material motivation is always there, most of us can agree it is not the true reason for service. Ultimately, you joined because, at one point in time, you came to the realization you are a patriot ... one who has a sense of duty and a willingness to sacrifice your personal desires for the cause of freedom. Even if it wasn't the original reason you joined the military, patriotism may be the reason you continued to serve after your initial enlistment or commitment was completed.
As many of you know, Simon Sinek's book "Start With Why" is part of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force 2012 Reading List. Sinek has been a frequent visitor to Air Mobility Command and has, in fact, accompanied an AMC crew on a mission to the area of responsibility and he has spent hours with AMC senior leaders talking about the "Why" of the Air Mobility mission.
In his book, Sinek points out how many corporations lose their way over time because they lose sight of Why they exist in the first place. When most companies are born, they are created with a vision to provide an innovative product or service. As they grow, however, they lose sight of the Why and over time, their mission and vision become less about the service they provide and more about the profits they make.
Sinek says, "A clear sense of why sets expectations. When we don't know an organization's why, we don't know what to expect so we expect the minimum ... but when we do have a sense for the why, we expect more (page, 147)."
In the military, we serve the nation's citizens, our customers. As a member of Team Charleston, whether you are engaged here at home, or forward deployed, whether you are airdropping supplies to sustain Forward Operating Bases, or whether you are providing ready and qualified personnel to fight the war, we know our ultimate customer is the warfighter.
According to Sinek, we serve in AMC so that others may prevail. He makes it clear that our mission is not about us, but about enabling the success of others. In other words, our Why is to keep our fellow servicemen and women supplied with the tools so they can seek out and neutralize those who have sworn to disrupt our way of life through terrorism, or so that they may prevail. On a grander scale, Team Charleston exists to defend our nation's interests at home and abroad.
Even though defending our nation is a Why that easily motivates and is easy to understand, it is still possible to lose sight of Why during the daily grind. When we do lose sight as an organization, bankruptcy is not an option and there can be no corporate takeover. If you show up at work to simply go through the motions and make it to the end of the day, you have lost sight of Why and the team suffers. As we work through the current and future fiscal challenges, Why is becoming ever more important. As our forces get leaner, the important role each member of the military plays in our nation's security increases. This means we must all find ways to innovate without sacrificing the excellence for which we've become known. In order to do this, we must understand and believe in the Why. This goes back to the quote from "Start With Why," when we clearly understand the "Why" behind what we are being asked to do, we can be expected to deliver at a higher level. How can we accept anything, but the best, when we are each charged with the defense of our nation and our way of life?
Finally, take a moment to reflect on Why you first joined the military and Why you continue to serve. Then learn the mission and vision of your organization and seek to understand your role in executing that mission and turning the vision into reality. But most importantly, internalize your unit's mission and vision and allow them to guide your actions. When you do, you will realize that your unit's mission and vision statements really do matter to you; they set the foundation of Why your organization exists and help clarify your role in your unit's success.