Posted for Mark Sletten [marknlisa@hometel.com]

I hate starting messages with this tired old refrain (makes me sound like my old Gaffer lecturing me about… whatever), but when I was in the Air Force as a KC-135 crewmember, sigh, we conducted post-flight discussions with the entire crew. These “critiques,” as we referred to them, were intended to provide a forum to analyze the crew’s activity and identify where action or inaction added or detracted from mission safety and effectiveness. This was a leave-your-ego-at-the-door affair – we didn’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings. Because it was (still is as far as I know) an excellent program that proved very effective in promoting flight safety, all the participants understood the larger goal was worth the few minutes of discomfort when one found oneself on the hot seat. Then again, participation wasn’t optional…

While I agree that publicly humiliating someone is worth it if it can save their life, I also understand that I (and everyone else on the list) will have likely learned my last lesson from that person. I believe we can discuss someone’s BEHAVIOR without making value judgments about the PERSON. In this forum, where participation is optional, we must consider other’s feelings if we wish to continue to reap the benefits of public discussion.

Mark Sletten
Legacy FG N828LM
http://www.legacyfgbuilder.com