Run through the finish line! Published July 17, 2009 By Lt. Col. Trent Tate 43rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- The year was 1983, the sky was dark gray, temperature in the mid-60s and humid. The song "Titles" by New Age Classical composer, Vangelis, from the 1981 movie "Chariots of Fire" was screaming over the stadium's loudspeakers as I took the baton to run the 4 x 400 meter relay anchor leg for the sophomores in the St. Stanislaus High School Class Olympics. My body heated instantly from the adrenaline caused by fear. My fellow 10th-graders had given me a decent lead over the seniors and juniors, but they were anchored by the two fastest middle sprinters in the entire school. This energy allowed me to hold on to a vastly shrinking lead as pure speed and power gained on my 15-year-old, 140-pound body with each stride. In the middle of the final stretch, I was cheered on by my classmates on the nearby grass. From the nearby stands, I could hear our class president shout at me to run through the finish line. With 20 meters to go, my fear had been replaced with excitement and my body started to relax. To everyone's surprise, the 10th-graders finished first, barely by a half step over the fast-charging seniors. It was apparent to all of those in attendance that if I had not run through the finish line the seniors would have placed first. Shortly after arriving at my first Air Force base, there was a poor patient outcome in our hospital ward that harmed the patient but did not result in significant injury. The subsequent investigation revealed that the event resulted from the outgoing Officer in Charge & NCO in Charge's affliction with "short-timers" and being "Retired On Active Duty (ROAD)" respectively. These individuals had done their jobs extremely well, however they both failed to properly prepare their subordinates to function in their absence. The Officer in Charge's failure to trust other officers and the NCO in Charge's plan to brief only his incoming replacement on his job responsibilities directly resulted in the damage that occurred. These individuals did not run through the finish line. Currently at Pope we are faced with supporting our local mission and operations downrange in addition to the very unique challenges in preparation for base realignment. The complexity of these matters and the organization's stake in the outcome work to insulate us at the unit level from ending the race before it is over. This may or may not be true at the individual level; a place where the dangers of "short-timers", ROAD and the lack of appropriate follow-through still exists and is very real. So, how do we repel the impulse to relax when we are nearing the end of our current job or assignment? I will not attempt to insult your intelligence nor am I so bold to say that I have all the answers but will offer some suggestions that I have seen effective in running through the finish line, from a job completion standpoint. From the macro-level, preparation, validation, communication, execution and reassessment appear to be mission-essential. Another step, communication, should be offered to all, including your replacement after you have flown the coop. Preparation allows us to formulate our own personal plan of how we are going to hand something off. Validation with leadership enhances our plan by illuminating tasks we may have missed and cementing tasks mutually seen as being vital. Communication to our co-workers and subordinates on their role in completing those tasks will enlighten them on their role in planning your exit. Execution or completion of the work required appears to be carried out most effectively after the previous steps are taken and likely will be the longest in the process. Reassessment can and should occur continuously throughout the process but is absolutely mandatory at the end. Before you out-brief the boss, grab a trusted peer and run them through the entire process and see if it makes sense to them. I am certain the next time you are close to leaving your job, for whatever reason, if you run through the process outlined above those who must carry on will appreciate it. Small touches such as continuity binders go a long way in assisting incoming members. Furthermore, when the time to depart has arrived, all will know that you have run through the finish line!