Accept responsibility

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Franz Plescha
  • 35th Operations Support Squadron
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  One of the most important character traits we should strive to achieve is that of responsibility. It is not just important to accept responsibility for the things of our choosing, but instead for everything we have the opportunity to influence.

My father offered these words of wisdom to me the day I entered the Air Force: "if the freedom we seek is freedom of responsibility then at that point we cease to be free."
After nearly 20 years of service I am convinced of no stronger character trait for the success of any team.

I recently watched an episode of "The Apprentice" where multiple aspiring young businesspersons do their best on various tasks to impress and eventually win a job working for Donald Trump. I was perplexed to see how the attitude among most of the young adults was to not accept responsibility for the team results, but instead place blame on specific individuals. 

Inevitably, the person not assigned to lead seems content to allow the person in charge to fail and not accept any responsibility for the results. That same type of attitude exists on other reality shows like "Survival" for example. 

Whether or not the TV shows are entertaining is not my point. I find the acceptance of the "blame game" an upsetting trait that seems to be the norm. 

I propose we accept responsibility for the results in our office, flight or squadron, and not just our personal lives. Brand new Airmen with that mentality can have significant impact to where they work. I admire the unity we have in the military and am proud of the way we strive to apply the "wingman" concept both on and off duty. We do this by accepting responsibility not just for ourselves, but also for our buddy, those we work with, and our squadron or nation we represent. Accepting responsibility is exactly what President Kennedy requested of us when he said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

Don't seek to place blame, but rather ask what you can do to help. We should continue to assume personal responsibility for our daily attitude, results at work, squadron accomplishments, or the example we set as military professionals. This trait has endless applications that each makes for a greater sense of teamwork. Every one of us can make a difference. Don't seek freedom of responsibility...accept it, and become part of every solution.