Risk aversion a blueprint for disaster for Airmen

  • Published
  • By Maj. Scott Davis
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing acting chief of safety
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  To many, risk management is just another buzz phrase with no real effect.

Airmen see leaders who either blindly signs off on any level of risk or leaders who are so risk averse they attempt to avoid it at all cost.

However; in an era of diminishing resources and force reduction, effective risk management is the only way we can ensure we protect our Airmen and assets while accomplishing the mission. While the number of requirements continues to exceed the resources available, we face the difficult challenge of ensuring we do not push our Airmen to or beyond the breaking point. So what will it take to transition risk management from a meaningless buzz word to an effective leadership tool? Empowerment.

Effective leadership means managing risk at the appropriate level. It requires empowering front-line supervisors to assess the level of risk and make decisions. Those front-line supervisors know their Airmen and are best equipped to determine the acceptable level of risk based on their abilities.

When the level of risk exceeds capabilities and mission enhancement, leaders have a responsibility to stop and highlight the risk up the chain of command. Commanders then have a responsibility to weigh the assessment against the mission impact and either accept the elevated risk or reject the mission.

The difference between risk-management and risk aversion is key. Risk aversion is a lack of risk management. Instead of knowing their Airmen and capabilities, risk-averse leaders find it easier to avoid any level of risk. Instead of empowering their officers and NCOs, risk-averse commanders remove any decision-making abilities with the hope of removing all risk. Unfortunately, the results often have the opposite effect. With or without risk management, today's Airmen are motivated to complete the mission. By failing to properly assess their Airmen, risk-averse leaders force them to push the limits with no checks in place. This environment will actually endanger their Airmen and lead to a higher mishap rate.

Risk management requires knowing and empowering your Airmen. In an age of "do more with less," we cannot afford to accept unreasonable risk or avoid a proper assessment. Leaders at all levels must regularly make an honest assessment of their Airmen and know when to say no. They also must empower supervisors to determine appropriate levels of risk and support their decision to reject unacceptable risk. Only then will we be able to effectively manage the mission while protecting our most valuable asset - our Airmen.