Take time to celebrate success Published Dec. 28, 2010 By Col. Nina Armagno 21st Operations Group commander PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- 'Tis the Season! The season for holiday spirit, festive gatherings, giving back to the community, and...ORI/UCI preparations! Yikes! We're combing AFIs, scrubbing programs, scouring records, training the Airman's Manual, studying technical orders, exercising processes, catching up on CBTs, running active shooter events, practicing self aid buddy care, evacuating, recalling, bag-dragging, and re-locating. Whew! On top of this preparation, we are doing our normal duties. For the 21st Operations Group, that means we are precisely conducting our business of missile warning, missile defense, space surveillance, and space control. We are focused on establishing a culture of excellence through compliance, we are sustaining scarce and valuable resources, and we are evolving our mission areas in ways never conceived. With this sheer volume of effort, where is the balance? At times, it feels like we're on an endless highway, with the pedal to the metal. Where is there room for anything but work, let alone holiday events, get-togethers, and family time? In the midst of all of it, the answer is to take time to celebrate success. Recognize short term wins, and celebrate them. Take the time to celebrate mission success, individual success, team success, personal success. From the first stripe to the first star, celebrate promotions. From Airman of the Quarter to 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year, celebrate individual accomplishments. From Wing Gold Knight to AFA Crew of the Year, celebrate teamwork. From your first educational degree to your first child, celebrate personal achievements. In the book "Leading Change," author John Kotter posits an eight-stage process for leading change. Stage six of this process is to generate short-term wins. These wins are visible, unambiguous results of hard work. They "provide evidence that sacrifices are worth it," says Kotter, and they build momentum. In the 21st OG, we've had some recent short-term wins that warrant celebrating. For months, the 21st Operations Support Squadron worked hard to prepare for Airfield and Precision Measurement Equipment Lab inspections, both ORI/UCI inspection equivalents. During the Air Traffic System Evaluation Program inspection, out of 209 inspected items, only seven items were noted to have minor errors with no major or critical errors noted. This garnered an outstanding, 97 percent score. During the Air Force Metrology and Calibration inspection, with a 5,946-item inventory, there was only one item overdue and zero items awaiting parts. The lab was easily certified, and scored a remarkable 97 percent availability rate, 3 percent higher than the national Air Force average. The 4th and 16th Space Control Squadrons just came home from supporting the mission employment phase of Weapons School at Nellis AFB. The school commandant praised our units, saying our support led to the most successful exercise scenario he'd ever seen. These wins are showing us tangible results of dedication and hard work, and that the sacrifices involved were worth it. We now have enthusiasm and momentum pushing us through the ORI/UCI and well beyond. So during "the season," remember to take time to celebrate the short term wins. If what we're really doing in the 21st OG comes to fruition, none of us will be around to see the long-term results. Because long-term, those results will be an enduring culture of sustained excellence...punctuated, of course, by many celebrations.