One leader's view: Making the tough decisions Published Dec. 8, 2006 By Maj. John Northon 90th Security Forces Squadron F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. -- Do you have the courage to make the tough, unpopular, legal, moral and ethical decisions that come about in our business? I would suggest that those of you in a leadership position must have the courage to support your personnel when they make a tough decision in your absence, as long as their actions meet your intent (even though it may be different than the decision you would have made in that situation). Every day I am faced with decisions. Most of them tend to be fairly easy; for example, it is a no-brainer to cancel my staff meeting in lieu of a distinguished visitor visit. However, I am also faced with difficult, life-altering decisions, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. No matter what the outcome, one thing has remained constant: The decision was mine, and I alone was responsible for the consequences, good and bad. In order to make the "right" decision, I have learned to keep my decision making parameters simple. Is my decision legal, moral, ethical and in the best interest of my squadron and the Air Force? I must answer "yes" to all of them for my decision to be considered right. Answering "no" on any of those questions is not an option. I also take emotion out of the equation because it clouds my judgment. I have never made a discipline decision while angry. Normally, I have time to sleep on those decisions, especially when dealing with non-judicial punishment. Another factor that negatively affects good decision making and solid leadership is risk aversion. The profession of arms is a risky business, and our training helps to manage and minimize that risk. Decision making is a part of our profession that always involves some level of risk. Anyone in a leadership position who is unwilling to make the right call, the tough call, because of the level of risk associated with the level of their responsibility, should seriously consider other employment. It is a privilege to wear the uniform and lead some of the bravest men and women our country has to offer. Leaders must possess the fortitude to stand up for what is right and question decisions and actions that are not consistent with our mission and our values. Unfortunately, I have seen "risk-adverse" decisions too often throughout my career. I have suffered the consequences of decisions that either made everyone happy or made "the boss" happy at the expense of everyone else. I have seen decisions indicative of a corrupt politician, not a military warrior. I have experienced first hand, supervisors too afraid to provide me with honest feedback when I needed it most. Fortunately, I have also worked for supervisors who have held me accountable for my actions, told me what I needed to hear and let me grow and learn from my decisions and mistakes. The result was a leader willing to do the right thing and not a manager afraid to do something wrong. It is incumbent upon current Air Force leaders to nurture future Air Force leaders at all levels who possess courage, conviction, discipline and loyalty to our service and its core values. We must teach them to make the legal, moral and ethical decisions that are in the best interest of our great service. It is a perpetual learning process, and mistakes are inevitable. To use a baseball analogy, we can't kill our people who strike out swinging. Otherwise, we'll create a generation of leaders who are afraid to step up to the plate. I refuse to be afraid to "swing away," and I am honored to serve with those who possess the courage to go to bat with me.