CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
"Perfection" ... it's a simple word often used, always expected, but very difficult to gain. Webster defines it as "the quality, state, or condition of being perfect, and an instance of excellence."
During the in-processing briefing I give to new Airmen, I explain to them what my expectations are, and they are very simple: perfection. In return, I strive to serve them in the same perfect manner.
Why is perfection so important? With the constant changes in our operations due to deployments, budget cuts, manning draw downs and reorganization, the need for perfection is more prevalent than ever. We are constantly asked to do more with less and to achieve greater goals.
I deal with many different organizations on Charleston AFB and I see so many individuals doing great things every day. Airmen of all ranks are performing at higher levels. In many cases, Airmen are performing functions that were historically accomplished by NCOs, and NCOs are asked to perform as senior NCOs. This is where perfection needs to be strived for as a routine and not just saved for special occasions.
Perfection starts with training. We can't ask someone to do something they are not trained to do. You wouldn't ask a welder to bake you a cake, so why would we ask a senior airman to do tasks normally done by a technical sergeant without training? This is where supervisors must be perfect. We must identify individuals who have displayed the characteristics required to accept the additional responsibilities. Then we must mentor these people to prepare them for the tasks at hand. We should never allow the individual to feel like they are on an island; always give them the support and resources they need to succeed. Challenge individuals on a constant basis -- this allows them to grow and learn valuable lessons when they succeed or fail. And if failure occurs, the supervisor must be prepared to share in that failure.
Failure is a very tough term, and usually very difficult to digest. We have all failed sometime in our lives and careers. The key is how we deal with failure and what we do with that experience.
The first thing we must do is determine the factors that caused the failure, be honest and find the root causes. Once we find the causes we must learn from them, and put safe guards in place to ensure the same mistakes don't happen again. Share this information with peers -- although it may be embarrassing -- because this can be a valuable training tool as we all strive to be perfect.
For perfection to be achieved, it takes everyone striving for the same goal and commitment from the entire force without fear of failure. We do this through training, setting expectations for ourselves and our Airman, identifying potential and mentorship. When we do all of these things, chances of failure are minimized and Team Charleston will be one step closer to its final goal: perfection.