22 Jan 2020

Mess Up, Screw Up, or Fudge Up

Something that I have heard often since I’ve been in the Air Force – and realize I repeat every time I meet a new Defender in the squadron – is that mistakes aren’t punished but crimes are. Failures are the best way to learn the right way to do things, but speaking from a career field that has been accused of “eating its own,” sometimes the distinction is lost (especially if you’re receiving paperwork). How can an individual fail in a “no fail” mission while still learning and moving forward? Rather than try to figure this out on my own, I did what I’ve been raised to do – ask a SNCO. Thankfully, there was an answer from one of my SMSgts who summed it up as, “You succeed, mess up, screw up, or fudge up,” (to paraphrase A Christmas Story, he didn’t say “fudge”). I propose that we change the way we look at failures, and use this framework – “Mess Up, Screw Up, and Fudge Up” – to judge how bad a failure really is.

15 Jan 2020

Other Hand Awareness: A simple approach to modern problems

As with many of our duties, asking the important questions and noting simple changes could spark the flame of an entirely new way to complete a process or give valuable time back for other tasks that need to be completed. Footprints weren’t left on the moon by people who walked to work staring at the ground. Each of us has the opportunity to make an impact just as those pioneers did.

15 Jan 2020

Other Hand Awareness: A simple approach to modern problems

As with many of our duties, asking the important questions and noting simple changes could spark the flame of an entirely new way to complete a process or give valuable time back for other tasks that need to be completed. Footprints weren’t left on the moon by people who walked to work staring at the ground. Each of us has the opportunity to make an impact just as those pioneers did.

17 Dec 2019

Airman’s Council president shares leadership perspective

The word “leader” never meant much to me until I joined the military. I used to think a leader was someone who held a certain position or rank. Now as much as we like to believe those go hand in hand, that is not always the case. I have gone through a fair share of good and bad leadership, but what I learned is the negative ones teach you

10 Dec 2019

Col. Fischer explains importance of using right tool

Most of my childhood, I was covered in a healthy layer of dirt and grease. The son of a contractor, I was pretty much always on a job site, working and learning from the greatest leader I ever had – my Dad. He died 26 years ago, but based on a bedrock of integrity and legendary work ethic he taught me countless lessons that I use to this day. I

2 Dec 2019

Maj. Hodgson: How does negativity affect beliefs, leadership?

Greetings to the 50th Space Wing family from Guam, “Where America’s space ops day begins.” Though I may not get to see you all as often as I’d like, it is an honor to be a part of such an impressive and winning team.Some aspects I enjoy most about being in the Air Force are the tremendous people you meet and the wide variety of duties and

25 Nov 2019

Ditson: Encouraging positive culture helps others ‘show up’

“If we want people to fully show up, to bring their whole selves including their unarmored, whole hearts — so that we can innovate, solve problems, and serve people — we have to be vigilant about creating a culture in which people feel safe, seen, heard, and respected.”  -- Brene Brown, research professor and author How do we create a space for

19 Nov 2019

Maj. Adamson: We usually have time to make things right

Do-over. You’ve heard the phrase. Perhaps you’ve uttered it too, something along the lines of, “I wish I had a do-over.” It’s easy if one is playing golf, assuming fellow players are gracious and not too competitive. You just take a mulligan. It’s pretty easy in video games too. How often can one revive, resuscitate, reconstitute, retry? However,

12 Nov 2019

Lt. Col. Hall: We help Team Schriever stay mission-ready

I want to ensure our Airmen know what the 50th Space Wing legal office can do to help them. Our goal is to make sure they are focused on the mission and not worried about legal or personal matters. Kellie Lindemann, 50th SW legal assistant, offers some sound advice on legal documents. Last will and testaments, living wills, advance medical

21 Oct 2019

Lt. Col. Highlander: Encourage your team to think for themselves

Since an early age I’ve always had an inherent curiosity about how things worked. How was this designed? How do these parts work together? I wanted to understand the how of everything. I quickly discovered I am one of those people who has “the knack” and understands how things work. Whether structural, mechanical or electrical, if something was broken or not working right (or in some cases, working just fine), I took it apart and figured out how to fix it. Naturally, a career in the engineering field became an extension of that curiosity and remains a key component of the person I am today. After all, engineering is the art of solving problems.