A while back, when I worked for the
Air Force Communications Agency, our leader was Colonel [later General]
Hawk. A very driven man, he understood
what it took to manage and project a highly efficient organization world-wide. One of his common statements in staff
meetings was “Why are we building [or maintaining] this self-licking ice cream
cone?”
Our extremely smart folks were
building systems that promised huge gains in the communications arena. We became known for them. Upgrading and
maintaining these became paramount so our reputation could continue to excel. Users wanted this technology although at
times it seemed the “want” of an Agency system outpaced the “need” in a new
environment. No one ever asked if we
were continuing these systems just for the sake of sustaining our
reputation. Along came Hawk, and with
him the frequent question of “If I was not already doing this would I start,
and if yes, would I do it this way?” He
scuttled a lot of long-standing programs because they no longer served a
purpose other than to make us look good to ourselves.
Many
of you have heard me talk about The SLICC in conjunction with processes and programs
in the VFW, but it applies to all aspects of our lives. Perhaps we need to take a hard look at what
we are doing on a daily basis. Can we do things better? Do we even need to do them at all?
Let’s
be honest and introspective: Maybe we
only need things because we have them.
