Take time out for what drives you

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Safety Office
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Last week, members of Congress and the national media criticized President Obama for participating in "March Madness." 

How could the President of the United States, in the middle of two wars and an economic crisis take time out to complete a basketball tournament bracket? With folks losing their jobs or their houses, or even sending their loved ones overseas to war, is that really how he should be spending his time? 

Even Mike Krzyzewski, the Hall of Fame-destined coach of Duke, was quoted as saying "...the economy is something that he should focus on, probably, more than the brackets." So was this a bad decision or a waste of time? Although, I don't agree with his picks, I definitely think this was an appropriate use of his time. And by making those picks I think the president provides all of us a great lesson. 

Like President Obama, all members of Team Travis have responsibilities that require us to be ready to accomplish our mission 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Everyone contributes and plays a vital role -and they do an incredible job. But that role is physically and mentally demanding, especially with the high operations tempo and reduced manpower and resources. 

In wing safety, we spend a lot of time emphasizing physical preparation through conditioning, nutrition and rest, to get the job done while minimizing mishaps. But staying mentally sharp is equally, if not more important in that pursuit. So how do we maintain the mental strength and balance required in our demanding profession? 

I had a squadron commander once who emphasized the principle of the four F's; family, friends, flying and faith, to maintain that balance. The first two are obvious and you can replace "Flying" with whatever your mission happens to be; this happened to be a flying squadron (although your word has to start with "F" or it ruins my memory aid.) He was always very careful with the fourth F though. Faith to him wasn't necessarily religion--it was whatever kept you motivated and refreshed and ready to face another day. It was whatever you looked forward to on the evenings or weekends. 

For some it was their church, but for many others it was a long run, or a day of skiing, or monitoring the new football recruiting class for the mighty University of Texas Longhorns. Regardless of what that faith is everyone needs something to help recharge their batteries, maintain their balance and focus their minds. 

One of the Air Force and Air Mobility Command focus areas is the development of, and care for our Airmen. That care extends beyond physical well-being to all aspects of the individual. We had a recent mishap in safety where inattentiveness and mental fatigue were the causal factors. 

The individual was so driven and focused on the mission they couldn't bring themselves to break away, even for a short period of time. They were doing an absolutely fantastic job but ended up working so hard they ran themselves into the ground. Not taking the opportunity to get away from the constant stress led to a questionable decision and could have resulted in an incomplete mission. 

This is an area where the Voluntary Protection Program can help. VPP is a means of encouraging Airmen at all levels to not only analyze the risks around them, but to do something to fix the hazard. Those risks aren't always facility, equipment or process-driven; they can just as easily be associated with the individual. 

Take the time to engage with your coworkers and subordinates to get a sense of their state of mind. If you see people tired, distracted or otherwise pre-occupied, encourage them to take a mental break. Obviously, there are times when we have to be focused and engaged with the mission, but it's equally important to recognize the opportunities to regain our mental strength and agility. 

To properly care for our Airmen and our wingmen, we need to make sure they are also taking advantage of appropriate opportunities to take mental breaks. This is why we get 30 days of leave each year, and it's why our senior leaders make sure we use it. 

So yes, President Obama was setting a good example by filling out that bracket. Last summer and fall he recharged his batteries by playing basketball before every primary and last fall's national election. Basketball is what he uses as an outlet for the stress and demands of his job. Even if it was only a 15-minute break to think about the 65 teams in the tournament it was probably still enough to let him re-engage the economic crisis with clear eyes and a cool head. As for me, a beach in Mexico and a margarita sound pretty good.