Page 124 - Never Fly Solo

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS | 97
I was stunned. “Seriously, Psycho,” I said, “I’m doing
fine. I just messed up setting my alarm. Stupid mistake. Every-
thing at home is great. Just give me a doughnut and I’ll be on
my way.” I tried not to look uneasy.
“All right, Waldo. But just let me know if I can help you
with anything.” He smiled and walked away, never mention-
ing anything about it again.
His comments were totally unexpected, and I remember
actually feeling pretty good when he walked away. Instead of
reprimanding me, Psycho made me feel valued. He acknowl-
edged me as a person first, and as a pilot second. He taught
me a lesson in the value of the check-in for building situa-
tional awareness.
Psycho showed me he was a great communicator and car-
ing leader by the questions he asked. And then he sat back
patiently and listened.
Colin Powell had it right when he said, “Leadership is
solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their
problems is the day they have lost confidence that you can
help or concluded that you don’t care.”
Because Psycho cared, I felt an even deeper loyalty to him.
I volunteered for the tough jobs (without feeling resentful),
brought the problems I couldn’t solve to him, spent extra time
at work when needed, and got my head in the books. My
commitment to Psycho, and ultimately the mission, went up.
I became a better instructor pilot and officer. Mind you, Psy-
cho treated everyone with respect, and it made me realize that
was the reason he was chosen to be a flight commander.
Attitude is contagious and so is performance. Everyone
worked harder for Psycho, and this resulted in a superior squad-
ron of committed wingmen. Great communication improves