Have you ever heard the phrase, “You can’t predict the future?” We use it all the time when talking about the stock market or where the next conflict or crisis will crop up in the world. But what do we really mean by it? In my opinion, we mean there is no certainty in the future. For if there were, we would always bet on the winning team, posture our forces for action prior to an event, or call the ambulance before an accident.
I’m here to tell you that you can predict the future by “driving the future.” You can predict the future because you are in charge of the actions you are doing today and the actions you will do in the future. What you can’t do is change the past. You can’t stop yourself from doing that risky act that hurt or killed your best friend months or years ago. But you can drive your future actions — and you should.
What is “driving the future?” To me, “driving the future” is taking in all your perceptions of the environment and then putting into motion the events you want to happen. This requires two things: one, that you can accurately perceive your environment, and two, that you can influence the actions of the future. I will tell you that in actuality, the first one is the hardest.
Your perception of the environment and the consequences is affected by an incredible amount of forces, like your availability to study what is going on, your predisposition to be influenced by past experiences, and your physical attributes of perception and how much they are being hindered by events in your life that are placing demands on your attention. This includes issues such as alcohol, sleep deprivation and family problems.
To maximize your ability to perceive our environment, you must take time to study the environment, keep yourself in peak condition to react and perceive the environment, and continually strive to see the environment through the lenses of others. Examples of this include studying world (or local) events to know where the hot spots might pop up and making sure you are rested and sober enough to react. We are on duty all the time! I am not going to tell you not to drink, but you should always be sober enough to render aid or get yourself out of a bad situation. Just imagine the outcome if someone close to you becomes inadvertently placed in a position that they need immediate emergency care and you are not able to give it.
I also ask you to try to look through the lenses of others. We each perceive our environment a little differently, based on our powers of perception and our past events that have built a mosaic of how our brains align sensory inputs in order to create an image of what is happening. If you can try to look through others’ eyes, you have a better chance of seeing an event that is inconsistent with the mosaic you need to build the right image.
Now that you’ve got your perception of the environment at its peak, you need the ability to influence future actions. You can do this a number of ways. First, you need to be the Airman who breaks the chain in a spiraling downward sequence of events. You need to be the one who says, “Time for me to go home,” when people are suggesting things that just don’t make sense. A wise man once told me, “If the drunk guy is questioning the riskiness of your next action, it probably is a really bad idea.” This also works on the positive side. When you see an opportunity for your section, unit or Air Force to do something that you believe is the right path, you need to be the Airman that speaks out. Too many of us keep quiet because we are afraid of negative feedback from speaking up or making a difficult decision, but it is those voices and decisions that drive our Air Force to higher levels of excellence. You might hit a lot of foul balls, but you should still be swinging for the fence sometimes!
Second, I believe you need to use the concept of 360-degree leadership. This idea is that there are leaders throughout your organizations, and that leadership can be top-down, as well as bottom-up. In my career, the really great things that I have been able to bring to bear in the Air Force have almost never been my idea. They were ideas of Airmen around me who thought of a great way to resolve some issue, and I was smart enough to agree with them and push it forward. You need to be driving your boss and driving your unit in order to drive the Air Force.
Don’t be the Airman who complains about things. Be the Airman who sees a problem and brings your boss three possible ways to overcome that problem, along with your recommended solution. Be the Airman who speaks up and takes action to bring about a positive result or stop a negative event from happening. Push your great ideas up the chain. Be the Airman who drives the future of our great Air Force.
For our leaders out there, be the leader that takes your Airman’s great ideas and drives them home. Be the leader who is consistently evaluating the environment with your Airmen and helping them to see through your lens. Be the leader who hears their Airmen’s story and is willing to take a great idea and implement it. Give your vision to your Airmen and let them lead your organizations to greatness. Leadership comes in various forms: top-down and bottom-up, through 360 degrees. Find success throughout your organization!
You can predict the future because you can create the future. Be a leader in controlling the future.
Drive yourself, your unit and our great Air Force to success!
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News for the Ramstein, Kaiserslautern, Landstuhl & Baumholder military communities in Germany 
Have you ever heard the phrase, “You can’t predict the future?” We use it all the time when talking about the stock market or where the next conflict or crisis will crop up in the world. But what do we really mean by it? In my opinion, we mean there is no certainty in the future. For if there were, we would always bet on the winning team, posture our forces for action prior to an event, or call the ambulance before an accident.
I’m here to tell you that you can predict the future by “driving the future.” You can predict the future because you are in charge of the actions you are doing today and the actions you will do in the future. What you can’t do is change the past. You can’t stop yourself from doing that risky act that hurt or killed your best friend months or years ago. But you can drive your future actions — and you should.
What is “driving the future?” To me, “driving the future” is taking in all your perceptions of the environment and then putting into motion the events you want to happen. This requires two things: one, that you can accurately perceive your environment, and two, that you can influence the actions of the future. I will tell you that in actuality, the first one is the hardest.
Your perception of the environment and the consequences is affected by an incredible amount of forces, like your availability to study what is going on, your predisposition to be influenced by past experiences, and your physical attributes of perception and how much they are being hindered by events in your life that are placing demands on your attention. This includes issues such as alcohol, sleep deprivation and family problems.
To maximize your ability to perceive our environment, you must take time to study the environment, keep yourself in peak condition to react and perceive the environment, and continually strive to see the environment through the lenses of others. Examples of this include studying world (or local) events to know where the hot spots might pop up and making sure you are rested and sober enough to react. We are on duty all the time! I am not going to tell you not to drink, but you should always be sober enough to render aid or get yourself out of a bad situation. Just imagine the outcome if someone close to you becomes inadvertently placed in a position that they need immediate emergency care and you are not able to give it.
I also ask you to try to look through the lenses of others. We each perceive our environment a little differently, based on our powers of perception and our past events that have built a mosaic of how our brains align sensory inputs in order to create an image of what is happening. If you can try to look through others’ eyes, you have a better chance of seeing an event that is inconsistent with the mosaic you need to build the right image.
Now that you’ve got your perception of the environment at its peak, you need the ability to influence future actions. You can do this a number of ways. First, you need to be the Airman who breaks the chain in a spiraling downward sequence of events. You need to be the one who says, “Time for me to go home,” when people are suggesting things that just don’t make sense. A wise man once told me, “If the drunk guy is questioning the riskiness of your next action, it probably is a really bad idea.” This also works on the positive side. When you see an opportunity for your section, unit or Air Force to do something that you believe is the right path, you need to be the Airman that speaks out. Too many of us keep quiet because we are afraid of negative feedback from speaking up or making a difficult decision, but it is those voices and decisions that drive our Air Force to higher levels of excellence. You might hit a lot of foul balls, but you should still be swinging for the fence sometimes!
Second, I believe you need to use the concept of 360-degree leadership. This idea is that there are leaders throughout your organizations, and that leadership can be top-down, as well as bottom-up. In my career, the really great things that I have been able to bring to bear in the Air Force have almost never been my idea. They were ideas of Airmen around me who thought of a great way to resolve some issue, and I was smart enough to agree with them and push it forward. You need to be driving your boss and driving your unit in order to drive the Air Force.
Don’t be the Airman who complains about things. Be the Airman who sees a problem and brings your boss three possible ways to overcome that problem, along with your recommended solution. Be the Airman who speaks up and takes action to bring about a positive result or stop a negative event from happening. Push your great ideas up the chain. Be the Airman who drives the future of our great Air Force.
For our leaders out there, be the leader that takes your Airman’s great ideas and drives them home. Be the leader who is consistently evaluating the environment with your Airmen and helping them to see through your lens. Be the leader who hears their Airmen’s story and is willing to take a great idea and implement it. Give your vision to your Airmen and let them lead your organizations to greatness. Leadership comes in various forms: top-down and bottom-up, through 360 degrees. Find success throughout your organization!
You can predict the future because you can create the future. Be a leader in controlling the future.
Drive yourself, your unit and our great Air Force to success!