Commentary: Commander reflects on time at Dover Published April 21, 2006 By Col. Don Sloan 512th Operations Group DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- On Aug. 11, 2001, I came to Dover Air Force Base as the 512th Operations Group commander. With over 25 years of strategic airlift experience, I arrived expecting a hard-working, professional team of operators who had the expertise, knowledge and attitude to do anything that was asked of them. Exactly one month later, our Nation called. The men and women of the 512th OG exceeded my expectations then and continue to do so today. Attitude is everything Operators expect to compete and to win. When you see operators appearing smug or arrogant, they’re most likely just being competitive. “I can fly that precision approach with more precision than you.” “I can produce a set of orders with no mistakes every time.” “The awards packages my unit produces will be tops in the wing.” “What? No operators on the BoA (Bank of America) late list again?” If you don’t believe you’re the best, you’re probably not. Attitude is self-confidence. The Rev. Martin Luther King said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” Every Air Force job is important. And, it’s important you do your job well. You’ll make some mistakes along the way. That’s normal. But learn from those mistakes. Mentoring is a continuous process Besides the formal Air Force mentoring program, other solid mentoring opportunities present themselves everyday – in the airplane, on the flightline, talking about today’s schedule, what’s working and what’s not. Mentoring shouldn’t be a one-way street; you need feedback, communication. It’s not limited to supervisors or commanders, and it doesn’t have to be verbal. Like 512th Airlift Wing Chaplain (Lt. Col.) John Groth says, “The best sermons are lived, not preached.” One of my biggest faults has been my inconsistency of providing praise for excellent performance. While I’m not offering this as an excuse, I do believe part of the reason is that in this group, excellence has become the norm. One of the best perks of my job (that I already know I’ll miss after I retire) is being able to walk throughout my group and say, “Thanks for handling that so well; nice job; great idea; best again, eh!” I’ve been spoiled. If it’s not right, fix it If you don’t at least make the effort to fix it, stop complaining about it. Professional hockey player Wayne Gretsky said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” You may have noticed that operators just don’t tend to be satisfied when they get “no” for an answer. They’d much rather hear, “Well now, I’m not sure, let’s see how we can do it.” And amazingly, you can almost always do it. Having a proposed solution is even more of an advantage. According to Babe Ruth, it’s really a simple strategy. “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up,” he said. The “let’s just do it and apologize later” myth really gets an inappropriate amount of press time. The more usual, and more successful, technique is to work your way through the regulations, functional experts, headquarters, and red tape until you get a resolution that, perhaps, should have been there all along. It’s a more “enduring” solution, although not always more “endearing.” Toes sometimes get stepped on. Stand firm on integrity issues. With everything else compromise is almost always the better answer. Go for the win-win. Teamwork Teamwork is paramount in this business – cooperation is born from trust. A reservist in associate units since 1979, I’ve seen a wide range of active-reserve relationships, ranging from just plain bad to pretty darn good. But I have never experienced an active-reserve relationship as great as the one we enjoy at Dover. From an operator’s point of view, 436th Current Operations has a tremendous working relationship with us; long-established bonds between active and reserve personnel has helped, including reservists working in the shop. Our aircrews often fly on the other group’s training sorties or missions, and even the “traditional” check-ride barrier has been broken. We try hard to pull our share of the load. While I personally think, “they’re all good trips, just some are better than others,” at various points in my career I’ve heard the “reservists get all of the good trips” mantra. Yes, I want my crews to get “good” trips, but I also expect us to be in line for the rest of them too. Senior leadership from both Ops groups meet for “no agenda” lunches to get to know each other a little better; anything else is gravy. And finally, the relationship that we share with the local community is absolutely incredible. Although especially prevalent downtown, this entire state seems remarkably intent on consistently showing Team Dover the honor and respect America’s fighting men and women deserve. What another great motivator as we continue to earn that honor and respect. Family and friends Remember to take some time to remind your friends and family how much you care about them. Let them know they’re an important part of your life. Far too often we only think about that after the loss of a family member or a close friend. Resolve to let them know now, today, while they’re around to hear and appreciate it. I’m constantly amazed at how my folks stay trained, current and proficient, hold a full-time job, and still have time for family. You’ve heard our guidance to our reservists: “Family first, civilian employment, then the Reserve.” We need, and get, exceptional support from that triad; it just doesn’t work without it. It’s extremely important for leadership to recognize and appreciate those difficult sacrifices. America’s future “The fighters are the tip of the spear,” but there is no spear unless airlift gives ‘em the shaft! The shaft is that vital flow of key personnel and essential equipment, a lifeline without which a fighter is just another pretty airplane. While Combat Air Forces are an incredibly important part of our nation’s Air Power, Mobility Air Forces must not take a back seat. It’s not a rivalry, it’s a team. Know that your consistent, outstanding performance here at Dover has been, and continues to be crucial to America’s future.