March Madness Published April 9, 2013 By Al Strait 21st Space Wing Staff Agencies director PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Heard of "March Madness"? It is a time when dreams are shattered or dreams come true in NCAA basketball. It is also a time when months and months of practice and preparation come together. As one looks back at the events leading up to the conclusion of March Madness, there are several comparisons we can learn for our day-to-day mission success. To start the season, every team has to lace up their shoes and take the court. They know they have to learn the plays, execute the plays and work hard every practice to be the best team on the court. The same is true for each of our team members, whether you are military, civilian or contractor. We come to work to be successful, we come to work to make a difference and we come to work because we are part of a winning team. In our business failure is not an option; we want and must succeed. One interesting concept to March Madness are the "bracket busters." The bracket busters are those teams who made the tournament but are not expected to make it far. One may say they are unpredictable. For our day-to-day operations, we do not have to be unpredictable. We have program directives, Air Force Instructions and other guidelines to guide our actions - these actions are predictable. As these actions are predictable, there is no need to scramble or panic when we are faced with a crisis. We have the plan and there is no need to start throwing up three pointers in hopes of a frantic win. All teams in the NCAA tournament are faced with some type of challenge. For the Louisville Cardinals, they had to rally together when one of their teammates went down with a horrifying injury. The Cardinals came together and won the 2013 NCAA Basketball National Championship. For the past four months, the wing has faced serious budget cuts and other challenges. To come up with a solid plan, units such as the 21st Comptroller Squadron, 21st Communications Squadron, the program management division and many other wing units rallied together to ensure we can still accomplish the mission. Louisville made changes; they looked for other options; other players on the team stepped up. The combined wing budget team (AKA the Budget Response and Analysis Team or "BRAT") also made changes; they looked at other options; they have presented a game plan to maintain the wing's goal of dominating the high ground. Another key element of a winning team in the tournament is development of teamwork and using the respective skills of each player. Every organization has the same challenges. Some Airmen have superb skills while other Airmen need time to further develop their skills. In developing these skills, they learn from other Airmen, their supervisors and must learn their playbook, the AFIs. As units develop the skills, they come together as a team with the single goal to win. That is also our purpose: to come together as a team to be ready for the next unexpected emergency situation. For the teams who do not come together or who fail to support each other, they go home early. In the business of defending our nation, we cannot go home early. As I stated before, failure is not an option. Another comparison is never giving up. The Orangemen of Syracuse lost to Georgetown University late in the season 61-39. Sports broadcasters wrote Syracuse off that their season was done. The Orangemen basketball team, however, re-evaluated their game plan, reassessed their talent, regrouped and found themselves in the Final Four. One might say we find ourselves in a different kind of March Madness with budget cuts, manning cuts, sequestration and other issues. Just as Syracuse never gave up, I challenge everyone impacted by the madness we face today to never give up. Look to help those in need, look to be a wingman and help those who are having that rough day. Yes, we may be facing our own version of March Madness, but by working as a team we can all be winners and continue to make a difference in the defense of this great country.