Anticipate requirements, plan accordingly Published Nov. 28, 2006 By Col. Wade Johnson 71st Flying Training Wing Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- Team Vance, your leadership is running out of ways to say this ... you must take care of yourself, your co-workers, your wingman, your peers and your family! How many articles have you read in the Airscoop about taking care of each other or looking out for your wingman? There have been several commentaries on this topic in the past few months but the message is still not reaching deep enough into your squadrons or flights. If you're reading this, whether you're a supervisor, a student or a commander, you have a responsibility to not only learn from it but to pass along the message to other members of your unit, including peers and subordinates. It's time to begin a mentoring process in your work centers. Take advantage of every opportunity to instill core values and to describe appropriate roles and behaviors for those who work for and with you. I'm talking about responsibility and discipline, the type of characteristics our Air Force was built upon. Enforcing discipline and taking responsibility involves going beyond passive methods of supervision or merely observing your surroundings. Think critically, meaning you should confront situations and scrutinize plans more closely. Look at situations from different angles for a thorough examination of implications or possibilities. Disciplined and responsible individuals consistently anticipate requirements and plan accordingly. Passive people tend to remain in a perpetual state of reaction, this must stop but it will not do so without immediate attention from every member of Team Vance. Talk to your peers and subordinates about individual discipline and responsibility, hold them and yourselves accountable, and do not accept anything less than appropriate professional behavior both on and off duty, without exception. We must conduct ourselves according to Air Force core values and mentor our peers/subordinates to do the same. At the same time, we cannot tolerate those individuals unwilling to represent our Air Force appropriately. I trust you all to have a safe and responsible weekend.