Daily Deliberation: 1 October 2020

I’ll start by saying there is a distinct difference between a mistake and a crime. Getting a DUI is a crime, forgetting to release the brake on a piece of AGE equipment and then towing it across the flightline and ruining the wheels is a mistake. How we react to that mistake could have a tremendous impact on the individual and the unit. Of course, there are many scenarios and questions to ask that affect your reaction but, in the end, the impact is the same. Do you fly off the handle, yell and scream, show your emotions in front of everybody? Do you methodically find out all of the facts and figure out how you can prevent that same event from occurring as often in the future (it will happen again…it’s inevitable)? The one mistake some folks make is that they make people afraid to admit they made the next mistake and that is when you are in trouble. Don’t encourage mistakes, but don’t create an environment where people try to hide them either; nobody benefits from that.