Roles
and responsibilities are clearly delineated within my organization. Seldom do
we have anyone who oversteps there bounds, at least not more than once. As a
senior leader I have certain expectations of my guys and when we plan a mission
there are basic tasks I expect them to be able to perform. As a team member I
would consider myself to be generally light-hearted and carefree for the most
part until its “game day.” When we depart for a mission it’s all business and I
expect my fellow team members to perform at 110% until we complete the mission.
The
relationships we have are separated by rank and seniority however there is also
a symbiotic level of equality. As a pilot I can only react to what I’m able to
see and hear which at times can be extremely limited by dust clouds, low
illuminations or field of view. In this time frame their observations and
decisions are crucial to the success of the mission. I count on my team members to provide
situational awareness for me and to make the right decisions as there is not
always time to discuss every instance. Because of this we have a high degree of
trust in each other.
Throughout
the mission, acting as the pilot in command, I am responsible to maintain my
crew in a healthy and active state. Long enroute times to a location can breed complacency
and I have to monitor each team member’s involvement within the aircraft. I
usually provide each team member with a task that is required for the flight
but will also keep them employed. An overarching term for this is crew
coordination and it rests in the hands of the pilot in command to manage.
Failure to do so can have catastrophic consequences.
As a
team or sometimes a team of teams we always strive to work at the highest level
of efficiency and effectiveness. I cannot recall a time we’ve set out to check
the block, we’re always striving to knock the ball out of the park. For each
mission we execute there is a follow up meeting where we conduct the after
action review. This meeting is generally informal but we focus on the good,
bad, and the ugly of the mission. This is primarily to isolate those actions
that need to be sustained or improved for the team and individual. The goal of
this process is to make improvements that will allow the individual and team to
perform at a high level for future missions.
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