Several times in my life I’ve had the opportunity to take part in many educational, training and leadership development venues.  For the most part when given the opportunity I gave my best effort.  However, there were a few times when I adopted the attitude, “I’m just achieving the minimum requirements to get through.” I realize now that in life sometimes you must compromise excellence in some areas while you’re focusing on excellence in other areas of your life.  I will share the story of my journey and some choices along the way that led to my commitment to a lifetime of continuous learning.

I remember many times in my life when I could not wait to be “done with school.”  Like most every kid, I could not wait for school to be “out for summer.”  And of course, I, like many had “senioritis” as high school graduation approached.  I applied to the Air Force Academy, but my test scores were not sufficient.  I was given a slot at the USAF Academy Preparatory School and after a year improved my scores and gained an appointment.  As a graduate of the USAF Academy, after the “five-year program,” I REALLY could not wait to “start life” and put Colorado Springs in the rearview mirror on the way to pilot training after tossing my hat in the air at Falcon Stadium. Undergraduate pilot training followed, then Lead in Fighter Training, F-15C Flight Training, and Mission Qualification training at my first operational F-15C squadron…nearly two full years and I was finally an operational fighter pilot.  Surely, I thought, I was finally “done with school” and ready to “do life!”  Upon reflection, now some thirty years later, it was clear that up until that point, once I decided to accept an appointment to the USAF Academy, I did not have many choices…I was simply “in the training pipeline” and the “system” would send you to the next course.  This would change in the coming years.

A few years into my fighter pilot career, I realized that I really enjoyed teaching others as I gained experience and eventually became an F-15C Instructor Pilot.  I really enjoyed all the flying training as it did not seem like “school,” although as a developing fighter pilot, you are continuously going through programs to learn to lead at the next level: two ship flight lead, four ship flight lead, mission commander, instructor/evaluator.  I truly loved always learning as I went through each set of upgrade training.  Then, one day my commander told me that I’d been selected for Squadron Officer’s School or SOS.  SOS was something that you had to complete as a junior officer. 

SOS is a course in the USAF’s continuing education program called, Professional Military Education.  I had deferred attending several times so I could focus on honing my Instructor Pilot skills and go on several training and combat deployments.  My number had come up and I would have to leave my family for six weeks and attend SOS.  I was NOT happy.  I had just returned from a 4-month rotation to the Middle East and my son was just about 8 months old.  I departed on the deployment when he was four months old…when I returned, he had no idea who I was…so I really wanted to be home with him.  I begrudgingly sulked off to SOS.  The school was about a three-hour drive from where we lived, and I vowed to drive home every weekend to spend time with my family.  My attitude at SOS was very poor to say the least.  I did not want to be there, and I did just enough to get by…I did not take advantage of the opportunity to learn and was even counseled by my seminar leader.  I had always excelled in school and in my USAF training courses, but this time I was just not into it.  I made it to graduation and brain-dumped all the course material.  At the time, in my mind if it did not directly relate to making me a better Instructor Pilot, it was a waste of time.  Looking back now, I cannot believe the shortsightedness of my attitude.  Looking back, I would not change the decision to drive home to see the family every weekend. But I realize now that I did have a choice to have a positive attitude and apply myself during the week instead of just “getting by” and being bitter about the situation.

A couple of years went by, and some choices began to reveal themselves on my horizon.  Should I apply to the USAF’s version of “TOP GUN” the Fighter Weapons School?  Should I pursue a master’s degree to enhance my future opportunities?  These two decisions grew larger in my windscreen a few years later.

After my initial operational F-15C assignment, I was chosen to go to the F-15C schoolhouse and teach brand new pilots how to fly the F-15C.  I decided to compete for a slot at the Air Force Weapons School and began the competitive process to earn a slot.  I was eventually selected and made the decision to attend the very challenging six-month course.  My wife and two young kids would stay in Florida, and I would go to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas for the training. I completed the training and returned to my squadron as the Weapons Officer, responsible as the “lead instructor and tactics expert” on F-15C employment for my unit.

At that time, the USAF had a policy that if you wanted to be competitive for future promotions, you needed to complete a master’s degree.  The promotion board for Major was looming.  My commander counseled me and strongly advised me to commence with earning my master’s degree. Like several years earlier with SOS, I was NOT happy.  The thought of “wasting my time” going to night school to earn a “meaningless degree” did not appeal to me!  I just wanted to be the best Weapons Officer and fighter pilot I could be…not go attend night school!  (At that time, you had to attend class in person, usually at night and on weekends…NOT FUN!)

After some great advice from a great friend and mentor, I started to see a bigger picture.  If I wanted to keep my options open to pursue the goal of potentially becoming a fighter squadron commander and beyond in the USAF, I needed to enroll to keep my options open.  I chipped away at the courses. I was also asked to come back to the Weapons School a year later to be a Weapons School Instructor.  So, we moved to Las Vegas, I went through the Weapons Instructor course…again. (To teach at the weapons school, you had to go through the whole course again, but this time learning the “next level” of skills.)  About a year into that assignment, I was about two thirds complete with my master’s degree, was working long hours teaching and loving the job!  Our kids were 6 and 8 years old and thriving. Things were great!  Then one day in February, my life changed forever…I would have some even tougher choices coming up.

One day, out of the blue, my wife had a seizure and we found out she had brain cancer.  I’ll save all the details for another time…but to summarize, given the diagnosis, the outcome was uncertain. She began a battle with the tumor that started with an emergency surgery the next day.  She made it through the first surgery and began what would turn out to be a three-year battle including multiple surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy.  I was ready to quit my degree and ask for a less demanding position at work, but my wife, Mary, would not let me.  She insisted I continue completing my degree and that we’d get through this…”no time to quit,” she said.  Again, I found myself in a formal education course and loathing it.  But it was a means to an end, and I eventually got it done, kept flying as an instructor with lots of support from my leadership, the rest of my fellow instructors, family, and friends.

A couple years later I was selected to attend the Army’s Command and General Staff College (CGSC)…the next step in my Professional Military Education process.  But this time it was different, my attitude had changed.  My wife was now two years into her cancer treatment. She had two surgeries, multiple radiation and chemotherapy regimens and we seemed to be winning…the cancer had stopped growing and she was on some “maintenance” treatments.  We had adopted a “live in the moment and appreciate every day” attitude. This attitude made me realize that we could accomplish just about anything with this new outlook on life.

At CGSC, you could enroll in a master’s program that ran parallel with the rest of the year’s training.  I signed up.  Got a second degree.  Later, I would go to the next level PME, Air War College, volunteered for a Future Studies group and cranked out a third degree.  One of the most significant benefits I gleaned from the pursuit of these degrees is the realization that honing your written communication skills takes constant practice…and repetition to maintain proficiency.

After failing twice (SOS and the first Master’s) to see the “big picture” and make the most of every learning opportunity, my thinking had matured, and my mind opened to pursuing a lifetime campaign of learning with a positive mental attitude.

Today I am the strongest advocate choosing a lifetime learning journey.  As a once reluctant and bitter student, I now seek new opportunities to try new things and learn.  As I stated in the opening paragraph, sometimes you must compromise on excellence in one pursuit to focus on another priority.  That was the case for me, and I did compromise to focus on my family in a few cases.  I found that making the effort to keep a positive attitude and making the most of the learning experience leads to a much more productive experience!  If you decide you can only give 50% effort in one area for a specific period, accept it and make the most of it.  Sometimes “good enough” is good enough.

My Dad once told me, “You never really learn something until you can teach it.”  The study of leadership and helping others to develop their leadership skills is my passion.  I strive to teach, coach and mentor others by sharing my journey of both applied leadership in practice over my 32 years of USAF service.  Now as a lifetime student of leadership studies I am serving as an applied leadership studies adjunct professor for the USAF’s Air War College.

“Leadership is a journey, not a destination” is a common quote.  Many others have used this phrase to discuss various aspects of leader development. How will you chart your journey?  What choices are on your horizon?  My advice: if you have a choice, challenge yourself to continuously learn and choose a positive attitude.  Learn something new every day and make life happen!

By the way, Mary is now still in remission and in her 23rd year as a brain cancer survivor.  Every day is a challenge, but we do our best as a team to keep up the “live in the moment and appreciate every day” mindset.

 Authored By: Dirk Smith, Managing Director and Retired 2-Star USAF General