OHNG Warfighter Culture Fundamentals 

CULTIVATE Innovation

Brigadier Geneneral Clarence K. Maynus / Ohio Air National Guard Chief of Staff  ~  WATCH VIDEO ON YouTube

• Continuously find ways to improve yourself and your team.
• Learn from and recover quickly from setbacks.
• Be creative in using all tools available to you to develop solutions.
• Encourage "outside the box" thinking.

In today's rapidly evolving landscape, traditional tools and strategies may no longer suffice. To reach new heights, we must step outside our comfort zones and abandon outdated practices. Embracing change should inspire us, as it presents opportunities to redefine our approaches, improve and enhance outcomes. Flexibility and curiosity are paramount. Just as in military operations, where tactics are continuously reassessed to outmaneuver the enemy, regularly reevaluating our methods allows us to identify areas for improvement. Holding on to "we've always done it that way" stifles progress. Innovation thrives in environments where questioning and challenging conventional wisdom are encouraged. We must actively seek more effective and efficient ways to accomplish tasks, recognizing that intelligent risks often lead to greater rewards.

As noted by the authors of You're It, innovation demands intentional mindset focused on creativity and problem solving, even in times of crisis. Encouraging "outside-the-box" thinking fosters unique solutions that break from tradition and lead to success. General CQ Brown, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, emphasized, "We need to be able to operate in a multi-domain environment, and innovation is key to maintaining our competitive edge." This reflects the military's ongoing commitment to adapting and evolving in response to new challenges.

Cultivating innovation requires a proactive and adaptable mindset. We must be quick to adapt in the face of change, challenging old standards and viewing failure not as a setback but as a stepping stone to success. By committing to think differently and pursuing innovative solutions, we can unlock new levels of achievement, outpace our adversaries, and save American lives.

We are intentionally cultivating a culture that reflects our military values in the Ohio National Guard. Print and post in your work center the OHNG Warfighter Culture Fundamental of the week.