My Over Achievement Story

My Over Achievement Story

Merriam Webster online defines Overachiever as "one who achieves success over and above the standard or expected level especially at an early age"

When I graduated High School in Auburn, Washington I had no specific intention of doing more with less. I was simply looking to survive long enough to figure out what I was going to do with my life. Almost a year later in the Spring of 1994 the first major wrench was thrown into my “no plan” plan of surviving. I was fired from my job and thrown out of my apartment by my roommate when two days later it was apparent that my name, at least for the time being, was being blackballed in the new car sales industry in North Houston. What happened over those few critical days in the Spring of 1994 are not important to this story. What is important, what had the greatest and most lasting impact on my life, was my decision to join the United States Air Force (USAF).

Upon completion of Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB), and my two Technical Schools in F-16 Avionics Maintenance, I was assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron at Hill AFB. So began my professional journey following a passion for airplanes I had held since my earliest memories as a child building countless model airplanes. The USAF and my 4-year career taught me a number of valuable lessons not the least of which was, what not to say to your Chief Master Sargent if you want to live. Again, another funny anecdote for another time. I did learn some advanced electronic theories, aircraft avionics systems and how they come together to fly aircraft safely, and much much more. I learned what it really meant to be a part of a team, and how critical each of us is to mission success, as well as contributing to our collective safety on the flight line.

When I got out of the service in late 1998, I knew that my skills were perishable, but marketable if I moved quickly. If I allowed myself to go home, visit my parents and rest on my active duty accomplishments, I would quickly find myself in the same place I was before I joined the USAF; broke, unemployed, and homeless. In the weeks after leaving the service I worked diligently on finding a new job. The internet was just starting to boom and websites were popping up that would provide job opportunities across the United States. I found one in Wichita, Kansas and little did I know that this move would setup a series of dominoes that would carry me thru to the present.

My first civilian job was working on installing new, modern avionics equipment in the KC-135 Refueling Tanker at McConnell AFB. Given my background in avionics and systems troubleshooting, I quickly rose toward the top of the talent pool. The systems being installed in the aircraft were state-of-the-art for the time and highly complicated. A person had to have a solid understanding of the myriad of systems being installed, and what each individual system needed to work and function correctly. As time went on, it became apparent that once this contract was complete we would be left again to find meaningful employment. Myself, along with a few others started applying for and finding jobs with other companies on a more permanent basis. I found my next step and went to work for the new company in September 1999. That company was Rockwell Collins.

In that first role, as an Avionics Repair Technician, I was now working to troubleshoot and repair the equipment I used to install and maintain. Mind you, I talked my way into this job having had nearly ZERO experience troubleshooting electrical circuits inside the highly complicated equipment that allows the aircraft to fly from point A to point B safely and efficiently. I quickly found myself drinking from a firehose, and working to justify my existence in such a highly skilled role. As with any job there are opportunities to set yourself apart from your peers, or at a minimum catch the attention of your bosses. My opportunity came in April 2001. Easter Sunday of that year, Bombardier was working to certify one of its Regional Jets or CRJ's. Part of that certification process included me getting a call from my boss on Easter Sunday; could I go into the office and assist the Transport Canada and Bombardier folks study a flight control component? Yes, I had a family, and yes, we had plans, but I recognized the gravity of what they were doing, and I was proud to have been the person leadership called to handle this task so I said "I'll be right there."

I remember being so nervous as the Transport Canada and Bombardier people literally looked over my shoulder for close to two hours while I took this component apart, inspected it, put it back together and tested the unit for serviceability. I swore to myself at the time that there is no way that they don't see my hands shaking like a leaf. I just knew they could see right thru me, and read me like a book! On the one hand, if I mucked this up for Bombardier they could come back to the company and complain about the poor support they got on such a critical task. On the other, because we were a certified FAA and Transport Canada repair shop, any mistake by me in this process could see the entire facility shut down and our qualifications to repair equipment of this type revoked if I screwed up. I can just imagine my grey hairs were multiplying at a phenomenal rate at this point!

Underpinning all of this activity, and professional progress, was my insatiable desire to learn about new things, and my desire to excel. During my first combat deployment in 1995, instead of spending my nights when I was not working parked in front of a TV watching movies, I spent my time studying my Professional Military Education (PME) courses, and my Journeyman distance learning classes for my Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC). When that deployment was complete late in 1995, I had completed all of the educational requirements required for me to move up into the Non-Commissioned Officer ranks; e.g. E-5 Staff Sargent. Again, all of this was completed within my first twelve months of my Air Force career. I was able to carry this work ethic and career focus into my civilian life when I left the USAF. Understanding that to help support myself and my family, I needed to push myself, and take ownership of my career and professional growth.

With the successful support to the CRJ certification efforts I was eventually asked to become an Acting Auto-Pilot section lead when the manager of that section went out on extended leave for back surgery. At that time, I was in my mid-to late twenties; nearly a decade younger than my peers in the group. I learned a number of valuable lessons from this upside down managerial experience. I say upside down because prior to this all of my experience revolved around the idea that everyone older than me knew more than me. Everyone older than me was my elder, superior, etc. That was just part of my upbringing. I learned a lot about myself, I learned a lot about leadership. I learned that I cannot just “order” people around. This was not the military, and while there is a “chain of command” so to speak in the civilian realm, managing and leading others as a civilian is done very differently than it was on active duty.

As my experience grew in both technical knowledge of Avionics Systems, as well as what it takes to support our customers “in the field,” I was also learning how to be a civilian and how to lead civilians. In 2003-2004 I started to realize that I wanted more from my work, that I had more to contribute to the company and our customers. I started searching for roles that would leverage my on aircraft, flightline, and “in the box,” electronics/troubleshooting experience. Eventually I found a role in Field Service Engineering that allowed me to; work directly with our customers, help solve their technical problems, and become a resource internally to the company to program managers and sales teams.

In 2008, based on some past experience with the F-5/T-38, I was asked by Sales and Program Management to conduct what is called a “site survey” on a particular company’s F-5 fighter aircraft that they needed to upgrade to meet changing aerospace/airworthiness requirements for flight in the continental United States. Unknown to me at the time, was where I would find myself immediately after I had finished my “site survey” of the aircraft that morning. That is, in the board room of the prospective customer, in front of their Program Leadership, as well as mine, sketching out a block diagram for the avionics solution they needed. A solution that would physically fit on the aircraft, and allow them to be successful in the long run with their newly purchased aircraft. The customer asked me, “What do you think this solution would look like?” While the question may sound simple enough, the systems already on the aircraft, and the systems needed to make the aircraft airworthy are very complicated, particularly from a systems integration perspective, merging old with new. What I was able to white board on the fly, standing in front of the customer, ended up being what we provided in a formal firm fixed price quote a few months later. The rate of gray hair growth was wildly out of control at this point.

It was thru these experiences, the CRJ certification, and the F-5/T-38 Avionics upgrade meeting, as well as numerous others programs, that I began to understand a few new things about myself. One, I secretly enjoy the pressure; relish it even, the gray hair notwithstanding. Two, the intense pressure provided me to the opportunity to reach new levels of focus and cognitive ability I never knew I had. Both of these attributes would become critical to my long term productivity and success at Rockwell Collins.

To provide the intended perspective, I managed to do all of this with no undergraduate degrees, and no advanced training or schooling at this point. I relied upon my experience and education in the USAF. As one would expect, every engineering job in the aerospace and defense business had requirements for a Bachelor’s of Science in one engineering discipline or another depending on the job and application. I stumbled into, and managed to exploit the opportunities that came my way. Had I not recognized the situations I found myself in and their relative importance, or been able to meet the challenge, I would not be where I am today. I would not have the opportunities that I have today. History is replete with stories like mine. However each story is vitally important in that each story reaches and resonates with different audiences, from different backgrounds and different experiences. Each story has a place, and each has a part in our collective professional growth, this happens to be part of mine.