By Lt. Col. Jeffrey Collins
19th Services Squadron commander
President Obama recently thanked veterans of the D-Day landings in France saying “our history has always been the sum total of the choices made and the actions taken by each individual man and woman. It has always been up to us.”
Amen.
Our lives and our organizations are what we decide to make them.
I have talked to people attending the same event, eating the same food, experiencing the same entertainment. Some will love it. Some will hate it. I recognize there are differences in tastes. But differences in attitude also play a part: Tiggers see the positives. Eeyores focus on the negatives.
The world needs both, don’t get me wrong, but here’s the thing — Tiggers tend to lift up others, lead longer, happier lives and act to make their lives better. I have seen parents teaching their kids to be Tiggers by re-focusing attention on what they have, what they can do and building positive memories. I have also seen parents growing Eeyores: complaining, ignoring the good and accentuating the bad. I’ve seen the same characteristics in fellow Airmen. Leaders, I argue, have the responsibility to grow Tiggers.
A wonderful thing about our Air Force is we get to grow our own replacements.
Are you bringing up Tiggers or Eeyores?
Your choices and the choices of the leaders around you determine our history, as the President told the D-Day vets.
Never leave your Airmen behind—grow them into Tiggers.
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