90th MW vice commander offers Airmen advice Published Feb. 4, 2010 By Col. Scott Fox? 90th Missile Wing vice commander F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- I was excited when Col. Greg Tims, 90th Missile Wing commander, asked if I would write the commentary for this week as it allows me the opportunity to do something I've wanted to do for awhile now. I'd like to pass on my thanks, and the thanks of my family, to all members of the Mighty Ninety for making us feel so very welcome. First impressions only happen once, and our first impression as new members of the 90th Missile Wing was formed on the evening of Dec. 12 at the wing holiday party. My wife Megan and I had the opportunity to meet and get to know literally hundreds of wing members, community partners and their spouses. Saying the first impression was a good one just doesn't quite cut it. Even though we've lived on F.E. Warren for more than a year, I felt like we walked in to the club that night as newcomers, and we walked out as part of a new family! It's truly an honor to be your new vice commander; thank you. The other thing I'd like to do with this opportunity is to briefly touch on a concept reminiscent of a successful athletic company's advertising slogan, "Just do it." I think that concept -- just do it -- really applies to almost everything we do. For example, when I was faced with the daunting task of learning my new job without overlap with my predecessor or time for preparation, I found that just do it really was a good answer! Does that mean I haven't, and won't ask a lot of questions? No. Does that mean I don't need guidance from my supervisors or the support and advice of my peers and subordinates? Not in the least. What it means is that action is the way we get things done. The old adage of "don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today" still applies. As you'll find out, I'm a huge basketball fan, and one of the books I have on my office shelf is "The Essential Wooden: A Lifetime of Lessons on Leaders and Leadership." Coach John Wooden led his UCLA Bruins to ten national championships in twelve years -- a feat unmatched by any other college coach! One of the keys to his team's many successes was a realization early in his career that improvement came in direct proportion to his willingness to ask questions, and in his mind the most important question was "How can I help our team improve?" Then, when he thought of something, he just did it. No matter what you are doing, there is always room for improvement, and an effective leader doesn't ever stop asking the question. This applies to the 90th Missile Wing's mission of providing preeminent combat capability across the spectrum of conflict just as it did on the UCLA basketball court. Coach Wooden also said, "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." What does that mean to you? I'm sure many of you have asked someone to do a task only to be confronted with a quick reply that covers all the reasons why what you want is not possible. Rather than focus on the negative, what we cannot do, we must focus on the positive and what we can do -- that is how the mission gets done right, every time. Over the past month, I've had the opportunity to see how the members of the Mighty Ninety do things, and I've got to say you are getting the job done right, every time! Our mission is challenging, there is no doubt about it, and you've proven over and over again you are the very best at that mission. The first-ever Air Force Global Strike Command no-notice Nuclear Surety and Operational Readiness Inspections are recent examples! As Coach Wooden reminds us, though, it is not time to rest on our laurels -- each one of us still needs to ask that ever important question, "How can I help our team improve?" Rather than leave all the thought on this topic to you, though I do hope you answer the question in your own mind too, I'd like to offer one possible answer to that question. Don't walk by; stop and take action. Walk by what, you might ask? It could be almost anything, literally or figuratively. If you are walking to your car after work and see trash in the parking lot, don't walk by, stop and pick it up. If you are driving home from the BX or commissary and see one of our young Airmen walking in the cold, don't drive by, stop and offer a ride. If you are reviewing a process at work and realize there is a much more detailed and time consuming effort required to really make things right, don't "walk by." Take the time to do the job right the first time. There is no limit to the application of this fundamental idea and to the amount of improvement we can realize! A few years back, I had the opportunity to meet Coach Phil Jackson of the Los Angeles Lakers. One of his lessons centers on taking a team to the next level of performance. In his mind, "Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the me for the we." We have an immense set of responsibilities here in the 90th Missile Wing. We provide the Nation's nuclear deterrence on a daily basis and, at the same time, deploy Airmen around the world in support of ongoing contingency operations. We are also a great team; that was clear from the day I joined the wing, and becomes clearer to me every single day. To be mission ready every day, though, we need to keep asking how we can help our team improve, surrendering the me for we, and just do it!