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Excellence is not an act, it's a habit

RAF MILDENHALL, England -- Excellence. It's one of our core values. We appreciate it when we see it in others. We pursue it in both our personal and professional lives. And, sometimes we achieve it in spectacular fashion. 

Three weeks ago, I wrote about four crew chiefs whose pursuit of excellence enabled the launch of an airplane with zero discrepancies. 

Last week, I witnessed yet another example of excellence in the wing when I attended the outbrief for the Air Traffic Standardization and Evaluation Program inspection. 

Our folks earned an "Outstanding" rating overall, with every area but one rated either "Outstanding" or "Excellent" by the inspection team. The team chief even commented that this inspection represented one of the top two he had seen in four years as an inspector. Needless to say, I was very proud of our team. 

The primary focus of an ATSEP inspection is the airfield environment. The inspectors look at tower and airfield operations, civil engineer support, and communications and navigation equipment maintenance. In other words, it's a true team effort that requires close cooperation and teamwork to succeed. And achieving an "Outstanding" rating requires a commitment to excellence from everyone involved. 

While we were preparing for this inspection, I saw that commitment everywhere I looked. Our folks were determined to close as many findings as possible from previous inspections, and to chart a course for future development that would make sure we remain a world-class airfield. Well, according to the inspectors, they succeeded. 

These inspection results are just another example of the excellence that permeates this wing. 

Next week, we'll be displaying our excellence to another set of inspectors as the operations group hosts the Aircrew Standardization and Evaluation Visit and inspectors evaluate the effectiveness of our aircrew operations. 

I'm confident we'll do well, not because I'm cocky, but because I know how hard our folks have worked - again - to ensure excellence is embedded in our operational culture. 

In October, we'll have a large team visiting our base for our Unit Compliance Inspection. Once again, we'll have the opportunity to put our excellence on display. But we can't wait until October. Now's the time to take a hard look at the way you're doing business. I encourage you to look beyond basic compliance, to not be satisfied with "good enough." 

Your goal should be to make your programs benchmarks for the rest of the command. Make sure you've got your self-inspection checklists covered, but go even deeper into your AFIs as well. More importantly, ask yourself what constitutes true excellence in your job, and then make that your goal. 

I'm not saying you should pursue excellence just so you look good to the inspectors.
Our crew chiefs, for example, didn't pursue the black letter initial to get ready for an inspection; they just wanted their aircraft to be in the best possible shape to accomplish its mission. 

Their pursuit of excellence is just the way they do business. 

Striving for excellence is more than a temporary endeavor. As Aristotle so wisely noted, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." 

I encourage you to form that habit if you haven't already done so. The wing will benefit, of course, but so will you. Just ask those proud Airmen who sat through the ATSEP outbrief.