CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."
These words spoken by President John Kennedy more than 45 years ago still capture the essence of today's uncertain domestic and international environment. Perhaps no one understands the nature of uncertainty more than an Airman; the enemy continuously alters his tactics, poor weather affects ground and flight operations and natural disasters requiring immediate humanitarian relief efforts occur with little or no warning. The fog and friction associated with our operating environment are ever present.
As members of our nation's leading air, space and cyberspace force, an Airman's failure to adapt to changing circumstances may have devastating consequences: the loss of the very freedoms we enjoy. If uncertainty is a normal part of an Airman's life, then we must ask ourselves the following: How can we better prepare ourselves to handle uncertainty? How do we lead in this turbulent environment? And how do we continue to take the fight to the enemy under these conditions? Since we can never completely eliminate uncertainty or its effects, we must prepare ourselves mentally and physically not only to predict, recognize and respond to changing circumstances in our operating environment, but also to lead our organizations and prepare them for the future.
The ability to predict and recognize a changing environment is best acquired through deliberate efforts to improve our critical thinking skills. These skills enable us to look at problems in different ways; they allow us to alter our tactics faster than our adversaries can respond and provide us with the edge required to win. Education, both in the workplace and in the classroom, is one of the most effective means available to improve your critical thinking skills. Our Air Force provides extensive opportunities to enhance your education -- if you haven't taken advantage of your educational benefits, you're missing a great opportunity to improve yourself, your organization, and the Air Force! Dedicate yourself now to a lifetime of continuous learning, and you'll be better prepared to lead your organization despite the uncertainties of the future.
The second most important thing we can do to prepare and respond to future uncertainty is to adjust our attitudes. View new challenges as opportunities to improve rather than impediments to success. Maintaining a positive attitude is also one of the most important aspects of leadership -- no one wants to follow a person who isn't enthusiastic and fully committed to the cause. Actively seek new ideas, and don't regard every setback as a failure. Remember ... you can't use yesterday's tools to deal with today's problems and still expect to be in business tomorrow.
Third, take personal ownership of your organization's problems and challenges. Dedicate time to analyzing each process in your shop thoroughly and objectively -- there's a strong probability you'll discover several processes could be improved. Once you've identified areas for improvement, avoid the impulse to tackle everything at once. Instead, pick the top one or two items from your list, and fix them. Once those items have been addressed, move on to the next one or two issues, and so on. The continued success of an organization is often less about overhauling every issue simultaneously and more about making small, meaningful changes to ensure we are always moving in the right direction.
Finally, make time to improve your physical fitness and diet. It's easy to justify neglecting ourselves as we focus on the daily demands of the mission. However, our brains are the best asset we have to tackle the opportunities and challenges ahead and, like any other organ, work best when our bodies are in shape and well-nourished.
Even in today's turbulent environment, though, there are some things we can always trust to remain the same. As Airmen, we remain committed to the highest personal and professional standards, recognize the importance of safety in everything we do, provide world-class support to our fellow Airmen and their families, and make achieving mission success our primary goal. Leverage these organizational strengths to your advantage, and commit yourself to ensuring our Air Force remains the greatest air, space and cyberspace force the world has ever known!