The hard way Published Oct. 2, 2009 By Capt. David Voitier 60th Air Mobility Wing flight safety TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- What the Air Force does is dangerous business, but we manage the risk. You've heard this process called operational risk management, but it's more than common sense, it's a mindset and a culture all Airmen must develop and promote. There are two ways to develop a safety mindset; experience and leadership. Experience is the hard way and something everyone is familiar with. An effective way to learn, experience can be unforgiving and often, nothing remains of the careless but the example they leave for others. The Air Force cannot afford for Airmen to learn about safety this way. The other way is leadership. This falls on the shoulders of commanders, supervisors, friends, family and anyone who truly believes that tomorrow is not guaranteed. It is our job to convince our fellow Airmen that, yes, it can happen to them. Commanders and supervisors, please take the time to look your Airmen in the eye and ask them about their plan to safely enjoy those high-risk activities. If they want to ride bulls or skydive please make sure they've considered all of the ramifications. Airmen, don't stand by and watch a buddy do something you know is stupid because he or she thinks it might be funny. If you ever hear the words, "watch this" or "here, hold my beer," I recommend you step in and stop your wingman from what might be a trip to the emergency room or morgue. Some of life's lessons will be learned the hard way, but make the effort to use ORM and the direction of leaders to foster a safety mindset. Safety shouldn't be first or last, but always so we can all lead the right way, not the hard way.