An aggressive pursuit of opportunity: “Get after it!” Published May 3, 2019 By Lt. Col. Brent Curtis 41st Flying Training Squadron COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Executing inherently dangerous missions in the Air Force requires Airmen to possess a strong understanding of the acceptable level of risk, the known risk factors in the mission, and what means are available to mitigate the risk factors down to an acceptable level. During combat or contingency operations, placing people or resources in harm’s way is common, and generally accepted as a risk necessary for mission accomplishment. So how does this translate into a command where education and training are the mission? When I returned to Air Education and Training Command for my second tour, I was reminded that a cultural norm existed within the command that “there is no mission scheduled today, that we cannot execute tomorrow.” This norm is an operator’s translation that the acceptable level of risk in this command’s mission set is set low. It is not worth losing a life or aircraft by taking unnecessary risks. Operating at optimum effectiveness in a command where the acceptable level of risk is low requires an aggressive pursuit of opportunity, or a “get after it” mentality to remain prepared until external risk factors no longer exceed what is acceptable in the training mission. While there may be no mission today that can’t be done tomorrow, with the ever-increasing need for pilots in the Air Force, there is no extra opportunity tomorrow to make up for what was lost today. In flying, when the winds are calm, temperatures are mild and skies are blue, the risk is generally low and the production machine operates at optimum capacity to create the next pilot. But how is the mission optimized when the cloud heights, winds or icing exceed training limits? Success in these conditions is celebrated by those who seek out opportunities, remain prepared, adjust quickly, and can forecast these flying barriers and work around them. For example, is Thursday’s weather going to prevent us from launching at Columbus? It is far too easy to see a reason to cancel, quit and try again the next day; rather than adjust the plan, or remain go-oriented with a plan for when conditions improve. The aggressive mental behavior that drives success is that which adjusts the schedule, organizes the mission to move to desirable weather, and/or remains briefed-up and ready to go How can this apply to an aggressive pursuit of opportunity in your own lives? Think about the kid who might not be in the starting lineup of his or her sports team but sits alert on the bench, aware of the game’s progress, listening to the coach. Meanwhile, the other kids are goofing off, or perhaps even dancing the floss on the sidelines, when a player in the game fouls out or is injured. When the coach turns around, he or she is certain to notice the kid who is attentive and ready to go. Who do you think stands the best chance of getting playing time? The kid who is aggressively pursuing that playing time, of course. What about those opportunities in your career specialties to attend advanced training? Are you monitoring the class start dates and communicating to your supervisors that you are interested and available to jump on a fall-out opportunity if one is available? I have personally benefitted as the recipient of hard-to-get F-15 Eagle or F-16 Fighting Falcon sorties because I arrived at work earlier than required, and was available at the step-desk when the pilot on the schedule arrived late or arrived unable to fly. Additionally, I attended multiple professional development courses simply by being willing to have a bag packed, my life in order, and able to depart on a moment’s notice to training. Think about those opportunities you wish you had, but were assigned to others. If you maintain the “get after it” mentality, you just might benefit from the conditions changing around you, and find yourself celebrating the success of remaining go-oriented with a plan.
