96th Test Wing commander's vision statement

  • Published

Last week I introduced a vision for my tenure as commander. This week the leadership team refined that vision. We envision a team that is informed, connected, and empowered to serve the mission with integrity and excellence. Breaking down this vision into its four component parts, we will start with the why and the what.

To serve the mission with integrity and excellence. Together we serve a broad variety of missions across Team Eglin, all in support of the National Defense Strategy and the operational imperatives that enable us to deter and defeat our strategic threats. That is what we do: serve a mission greater than ourselves. Why? Because we believe that by adopting the values of our institution we protect freedom and security for others. Our institutional values demand that we serve with integrity and excellence, but how do we envision doing so any better than we already do?

Three specific ways:
Informed. We will keep each other informed, and seek out the information we need. Informed implies communication, which is a two-way imperative that demands action. Each of us will strive to ensure our messages or requests are received, understood, and acted upon—up, down, and across the chain of command. We will take personal ownership and work together to solve problems. We will admit what we don’t know, set a date to find out, and follow up to close the loop. We will make decisions transparently, fully informed by relevant stakeholders.

Connected. We will connect interpersonally, organizationally, and ensure our systems connect technologically. Interpersonally, we will make meaningful human connections with each other across different demographics, positions, and communities. We will gather to learn from each other, and take action to make every individual feel connected to the mission so that we each understand our contribution to the greater good. Informed and connected, we become empowered to accelerate change.

Empowered. We will empower each other with the knowledge, confidence, and ability to contribute to the mission with maximum effect. We will enable decisions at the lowest appropriate level. We will recognize and appreciate contributions and personal accomplishments. Just like staying informed, empowerment is a two-way street. We will seek feedback from each other to empower ourselves and our teams. Again, we will take personal ownership and work together to solve problems.

This is our shared vision. This is how we serve!