Ready, Aim, Fire
I wrote to my team because I hoped that the guidance and discussion offered them something useful. That said, I also wrote because I needed the reflection for my own development. One of the coaches who had a large impact on me (Brian Johnson) talks about “day one.” “It’s a constant never-ending process in which we strive to show up, get to work, and see what we’re capable of as we make our prior best our new baseline.”
My team had been around me long enough to know… some moments I am firing on all cylinders in service to others and the next moment, I need work. The goal is to compound and aggregate the former, while recognizing and minimizing the latter. I hope this is occurring! In that spirit, on this “day one,” I offer some of my experience as an operator on managing excessively good and bad case outcomes by a “ready, aim, fire…” approach and the mantra, “God willing, thy will be done.”
In “Fear or Faith” (post #7), I wrote – “Know that if you are operating from a position of integrity your leadership WILL support you. More importantly, as you actualize as an operator, you know that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about you. It only matters what you think about you. Only you know if you are truly operating from a position of integrity and chasing the best that you can be.”
This needs a little more unpacking… first, it is easier said than done. It is difficult to avoid influence by others’ perceptions and opinions. Second, we can be our own worst critics and struggle with what “we think about ourselves” due to a negative outcome of a case.
To consistently spiral up, we need to remember to focus and evaluate the process not the outcome or result. I really like the archer example for our operators’ mindset – ready, aim, fire.
I wrote to the team:
Elite archers or marksmen prepare by readying their body. Slowing their heart rate and breath, calming their mind. They follow their process to aim, accounting for the distance and a myriad of other factors (e.g., the wind), then they fire. Once the projectile has left their instrument, if a new external factor sends their arrow or bullet away from the intended target, the elite archers would not change their process, nor should they be discouraged. Similarly, if the unplanned external factor results in a better outcome, they should not be satisfied. If, through hours of training, they collect good data that the result is consistently low and right, they will certainly adjust. However, the elite archer or marksman is not influenced by factors beyond their control. They are committed to their preparation, aim, and release (the process), not the immediate result or outcome. If shooters aren’t your jam, pick another endeavor that requires action and has a result impacted by factors outside one’s control – a pro’s golf drive, an experienced gambler’s blackjack hand, a military assignment, etc.
International awards banquets, medal presentations, “views” on social media, public praise and admiration regarding rescues can fog future judgement by inserting “not whys” (post #3) into the decision-making process (pride/status, convenience/comfort, entertainment/thrill, other personal gain at the cost of the collective good). If these “encouraging results” come from sound processes, that is great. I am proud of our team. I am passionate about our lifesaving mission. We will take positive publicity for doing our job. However, it cannot be the goal and should not be your measuring stick.
Likewise, if you work in harsh environments (e.g., winter in Alaska, the North Atlantic, or the Pacific Northwest), over time there will be more lives lost than lives saved. Sometimes there can be public out-lash regarding well managed and executed cases that result in negative outcomes due to circumstances beyond your control. This should not influence your self-evaluation either.
Ready, aim, fire. It is the process not the outcome. Commit and hone you and your crew’s skill, airmanship, and risk management. Do not let outside influences or public perception unduly affect your decision-making. Let the crew’s OPI drive operations. Evaluate and review you and your crew’s considerations, but do not be married to the outcome or the result.
It helps me to use the phrase – “God willing (deo volente).” We control our response to save lives, not the outcome. We do our job and “God willing” lives are saved. Commit to our readiness and response. Do the best we can in the circumstances present BUT remember that, ultimately, the result of a case is largely out of our hands.
Prepare and execute. “God willing” we save lives. Whatever the result, end with “Thy will be done” as a reminder to not put too much value in a positive outcome and to not allow a negative outcome to have undue effect on “what you think about you.” Work the process. – Spiral up
