Adapting to change

  • Published
  • By Capt. Steven Attaway
  • 386th Expeditionary Operations Group
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --  Along with death and taxes, one of the absolute guarantees in life is change. Sometimes change is so subtle we don't even notice that it is happening. Other times it is so drastic that it hits us like a ton of bricks.

One of the most essential life skills a person can have is the ability to adapt to change. However, adapting to change is difficult for most people due to the fact that we are inherently creatures of habit; having to change our patterns and behaviors is frustrating and annoying and takes most of us outside of our comfort zone.

There are also other reasons people are resistant to change and they center around one common theme: fear. We are afraid of the unknown, afraid of failure, afraid of commitment, afraid of disapproval and sometimes even afraid of success.

I would like to focus on the fear of success. You may ask yourself, "Why would I be afraid of success?"

Isn't that what we all are striving for, to be successful? The simple answer would be yes. But if we peel the onion back a bit, we can see why people might be afraid of success. Success breeds greater responsibilities, and with increased responsibility comes increased workloads and greater expectations from our peers and supervisors.

You may be asking yourself the following questions. If I change, what other demands will be made of me? Can I sustain this success? The key is to look past these questions and ask the following questions. Can I afford not to change? What will happen if I don't change?

Adapting to change is sometimes easy, and we can do it with little thought. Other times, it involves us being willing to step outside of our comfort zone, and this is usually very uncomfortable for most of us. But I say take that step. It may prove to be a great experience.

Adapting to change is what we as military members do every day, whether it is refragging missions in operations, quick turning an aircraft for maintenance, or dealing with an unexpected power outage for civil engineers. We do and must adapt, and I would offer that we do it better than anyone else.

As a student at Squadron Officer School, I had the honor of meeting retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and reporter Joseph Galloway and hearing them speak of their time together during the Battle of la Drang in November 1965. Most of you know it as the battle portrayed in the movie "We Were Soldiers," starring Mel Gibson.

It was during their talk that General Moore offered the following advice, and it fits many situations, adapting to change being one of them.

He said he asked himself two questions every day: 1. "What am I doing that I should not be doing?" and 2. "What should I be doing that I am not doing?"

I feel that if you can successfully answer these two questions, you will have no problem adapting to change. Not only will you be able to adapt to it, but you will embrace it and make it your own.

So my challenge to my fellow Airmen is to not be afraid to be successful. Look for the opportunity to not only adapt to change, but to affect change in both your personal and professional lives.