CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
On a recent temporary duty to Scott AFB, Ill., I managed to get tickets to one of the most renowned rivalries in Major League Baseball, a game between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals.
It was Sept. 18 and the stage was set for a perfect evening of baseball. After the Army's Golden Knights skydived into the stadium, the Air Force celebrated its birthday with the famed "Heritage Formation" of a P-51 Mustang, an F-15 Eagle and an F-16 Fighting Falcon for the pregame flyby.
Unfortunately, even though the game started on a high, it did not end well for my beloved Cubs. The Cardinals hit a walk-off homerun to give the Cubs a loss for the first game of the three game series. Boo.
After the game, the long walk out of the stadium began. My "friends" made sure to remind me how high the homerun ball was as it cleared the right field fence on the famed field in Busch Stadium. The hazing was well deserved, but one question was asked in a serious tone, "Why in the world would you be a Cubs fan?"
Regardless of my reason, the answer makes perfect sense ... at least to me. But to someone who does not know my background, priorities or my reasoning, the answer is not obvious. My friend did not have the vision to understand that what I value, even though important to me, may not make sense to him.
In a way, having the perspective or vision to understand our different values and priorities plays into our Air Force work environment. Have you ever interacted with someone who had a special project or task that, to them, was the most important activity of the day? We get frustrated when we don't understand another's priorities and more so if they don't recognize ours. If we have the vision to understand that someone has different work priorities, even though not understood to us at the time, the synergy we can build towards a common goal is increased.
At Charleston AFB, we have a common objective: delivering passengers and cargo to any location throughout the world, anywhere at any time ... global mobility. This objective is not accomplished in a simple matter. It requires teamwork and a vision to know that no matter how close you are to a C-17 cockpit, every Charleston Airman and civilian has a role with our global mobility goal.
Everyone has their own special projects or tasks that they value. In order to work together as a team when our roles interact, each of us should have the vision to know everyone is doing their best to complete our individual roles in an excellent manner.
As you go through your duty day, have the patience to understand that another shop's priorities and tasks may be completely different from yours, but they are just as important to our global mobility mission.
Just like a maintenance officer and an aircraft commander may not be familiar with each other's tasks on a given day, they still understand they both have a role to play when it comes to launching a C-17 towards a tasked mission.
A little understanding can go a long way in our day-to-day operations, especially when you are trying to relate to a disgruntled Cubs fan.