Category: Operating from a Position of Integrity (OPI)

As a work in progress, focusing on the components below have helped me stay “on glide slope” or get back “on course,” effectively helping to close the gap after a deviation. I hope this...

In “The process” (post #6), I shared the words I wrote to my team: “We need calm, present, and confident aviators making critical, onscene decisions.” Easier said than done.  I was fully committed to...

After two back-to-back difficult rescue cases that had mixed outcomes (in extreme rescue environments, often you can save some, but not all), our helicopter aircrews’ made challenging decisions onscene in a rapidly changing, dynamic...

In the last post, we discussed recognizing the appearance of potential selfish motives (“not whys”) and then averting any negative consequences they invoke by refocusing our efforts towards OPI. By acknowledging and subsequently changing...

Not whys In our last post, we discussed the importance of a clear “why” that harnesses your talents, gifts, and interests to serve a need. Our helicopter aircrews’ “why” was to “Operate our helicopters...

In the last post, we discussed that as the pilot in command (PIC) of your life, it is important to establish a set of principles (virtues and morals) by which to live. For those...

In the previous post, I wrote about the decision to deviate from policy in the spirit of “operating from a position of integrity.” In 2013, the Coast Guard’s Vice Commandant (second in command of...

Helicopter rescue crews do not get to choose the nature or timing of a rescue. In a very short period, crews can be thrust into a dynamic rescue, in which the lives of their...