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Desert Wings                                                    Commentary                                                                          February 5, 2016
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Analyzing failure, realizing success

by Col. Ryan Samuelson                                             LVWUDLQLQJDQGLWLVDQLPSRUWDQWVWHSEXWLWLVQRWHGXFDWLRQ  ¿[LWLILW¶VOHDGLQJWRUHSHDWHGIDLOXUH
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DSSURSULDWHDQGUREXVWIHHGEDFN"                                   In more than 22 years of service, I                                 WDNHQLQWRFRQWH[WZLWKWKHELOOLRQVRIDFWLRQVDQGGHFLVLRQV
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  ,WLVWKHIRXQGDWLRQIRUHYHU\WKLQJ:KHUHWKRVHRQ\RXU        have come to firmly believe nearly                                  RUWHDPIDLOV¿UVWDVN\RXUVHOI³'R,RZQLW"+DYH,ORRNHG
WHDP¿QLVKLVURRWHGLQZKHUH\RXDVNWKHPWRVWDUW,I\RX                                                                           DWWKHELJWKUHH²H[SHFWDWLRQVHGXFDWLRQDQGSURFHVV"´
KDYHQRWVHWRXWFOHDUSULRULWLHVH[SHFWDWLRQVOLPLWDWLRQVDQG  97 percent of all events we deem as                                 $QDO\]HIDLOXUHWKHQZDWFK\RXUWHDPUHDOL]HVXFFHVV,I\RX
JRDOVWDNHFDXWLRQFULWLFL]LQJWKHSDWKVWKH\WDNH&RXUVHFRU-                                                                       VWDUWWKHUH\RXPD\¿QGWKHJUHDWSHRSOHZKRKDYHFKRVHQ
UHFWLRQVLQJUDLQHGZLWKRSHQDQGFRQVLVWHQWFRPPXQLFDWLRQ         failures by a person or a team are                                  WRMRLQWKHZRUOG¶VPRVWHIIHFWLYHDLUVSDFHDQGF\EHUIRUFH
DUHSDUDPRXQWWRVHWWLQJXSSURIHVVLRQDOVDQGWKHLUWHDPVIRU                                                                         ZLOOEULQJIRUZDUGPRUHLVVXHVWRVROYHDQGLGHDVIRUVXFFHVV
VXFFHVV,I\RXDUHLQFKDUJHOLVWHQLQWHQWO\SRQGHUPRUHDQG   attributed to one of three reasons; and                             WKDQ\RXFDQKDQGOH%XWWKDWLVDULVNZRUWKWDNLQJ
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tions concise.                                                      supervisors and leaders own them.                                    %\WKHZD\WKHIDLOXUH,¿UVWPHQWLRQHGDERYHZDVPLQH
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FDWHWKHSURIHVVLRQDOVZLWKZKRP\RXVHUYH"                                                                                             Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are those
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  7KHGHPDQGVRIWUDLQLQJIRUWKHPXOWLWXGHRIPLVVLRQV$LU-                                                                           or position of the Air Force, Defense Department or the U.S.
PHQDUHDVNHGWRDFFRPSOLVKRIWHQGULYHXVWRRQHRQRQH                                                                              government.
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