Striking a mighty blow, together

  • Published
  • By Kimberly Gaither, Strategic Plan Program Analyst
  • 88th Air Base Wing Plans and Programming

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – It’s not uncommon for each of us to wake up every morning and get straight to our daily routine. We get dressed, drive to work, perform our job, and return home; only to execute the same routine the next day.

As we continue to perform our daily routines at work, overtime some of us may fail to recognize what’s going on around us anymore; tunnel vision sets in, and we only focus on what “we” do. For others, they may have tunnel vision because they have never known the far-reaching impact and value our jobs have on the base, as well as the Air Force mission overall.

A few years ago, I too fell into that mundane routine and forgot just how much my job supported others. The only thing I thought about was getting my work done and making sure it was as good as it could be. I had a case of tunnel vison. I failed to recognize the impact my work had on others it supported. I simply wanted to get it right, get it done, and move on to the next task.

Then during a two-year period while I was completing a professional development course, my eyes were suddenly opened again and I began to recognize just how much my job impacted the wing, and ultimately the Air Force. That’s when I began to clearly see the larger picture and where my piece of the puzzle contributed to it all. And one of the most helpful instruments for me to put it all in perspective was the 88th Air Base Wing Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan acts as a roadmap so-to-speak. It collectively guides and keeps the 88 ABW informed, while working and growing on the same course. The plan is an overview of the direction the 88th Air Base Wing and Installation Commander directs the wing to advance. Published every two years, this plan equips the wing with a strong, unifying process that serves as a guidepost in all we do on our jobs every day. It connects us through the wings Motto, Mission and Vision statements, Expectations, and Lines of Effort.

The 88 ABW Strategic Plan also demonstrates how we, the “Dirty Work Wing,” align with our mission partners, and ultimately, the larger Air Force community. It conveys how our wing contributes and supports both Air Force Materiel Command and Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Strategic Plans, in addition to our Secretary of the Air Forces’ seven Operational Imperatives and our call to action by our Air Force Chief of Staff to Accelerate Change or Lose.

Every job in the wing and every Airman is a vital piece of the 88 ABW Strategic Plan puzzle. With more than 115 tenants on site, the “Dirty Work Wing” proudly provides Strength Through Support in all we do. It’s not only my job or only your job that we should recognize, but the sheer fact that all of our jobs support one another, and in turn, we support the rest of the base and the Air Force. That’s how we all fit together to make this unmatched, undefeated Strategic Plan work. It’s together.

The bottom line is that we need to recognize what we do in our jobs, how our job fits in to our organizations mission, how our organizations mission fits in to the wing mission, and finally how the wings mission supports its tenants. You see, we all support one another, held together by the fabric of our Installation Commanders’ 88 ABW Strategic Plan.

Mama Joe from the movie Soul Food (1997) [Film], stated it best, “One finger won’t make an impact, but you ball all those fingers into a fist, and you can strike a mighty blow.”