Congratulations on ‘satisfactorily’ passing your CUI

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Erik Polta
  • 189th Airlift Wing Plans
As we approach our upcoming Combined Unit Inspection (CUI), many folks in the wing may be curious about the inspection scoring system. The baseline passing score for the CUI is Satisfactory, which means your wing is in compliance. If all we do is "comply" our final grade will be: Satisfactory. That's not to say a "SAT" is bad, quite the contrary, a "SAT" means we are doing business the way we should and at the end of the day a satisfactory means we passed!

So how do the outstanding professionals of the 189th Airlift Wing push past a Satisfactory and get an Excellent, or even an Outstanding?

First of all, attitude is everything. We all need to "spruce up" our work centers and take a little extra time to focus on the details. With a compliance inspection, the devil lives in the details, and therefore we've got to "cross our T's and dot our I's." Focus a little more attention on the details to show the inspectors just how great we are. Wings score Excellent for doing above and beyond the basics. A look at past scores shows that most Wings can achieve an Excellent. However, the Outstanding is very elusive. Have an Outstanding attitude & the grade will follow.

The Air Force Core Value, "Excellence in all we do." Should instill in us a drive to reach higher and aim for an excellent score. If we fall short of the excellent and only score a satisfactory we still will be "in compliance" and that's perfectly acceptable. The wing will not be any worse for the efforts put in place to achieve the excellent score.

Take a look around your work center and look for ways to do things better. Then take the chance and make the change. If you see ways to do things safer, faster, more efficiently, or more effectively, speak up and be heard. That's what distinguishes the men and women of the 189th-making a difference.

Our report card will be written during our final exam in December. However, the work we do now, every day, will play a significant part of that final grade. Take courage, gear up, and charge forth to grab the mighty prize, and strive for the "Excellent" or-the "Outstanding."

DUCIMUS!