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Personal after action reports

  • Published
  • By Maj. Christopher Bromen
  • 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron commander
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Effective organizations use after action reports to improve performance and processes and to achieve peak efficiency. As another air and space expeditionary force rotation and the summer moving season is upon us, now is the perfect time for people to write their own personal lessons learned from their deployment.

Taking some time to reflect on what you learned and capturing it might help you become a more effective professional and a better person.

Here are some ideas on where to start:

-- Assess your leadership or followership style. How did you react to challenges that are inherent to an expeditionary environment? Compared to in-garrison, I observed in the expeditionary environment organizational communications are streamlined, time is far more sensitive, and small ripples have greater potential to cause larger effects. With a smaller margin of error, the devil really does lie in the details. These conditions forced me to change how I communicate, assign workload and focus my attention. Understanding the environment and how I reacted will undoubtedly help me perform better during the next deployment.

-- Are you healthier now than when you arrived? Most people took advantage of the various resources we have to improve their fitness, lose weight, or establish a healthier diet. If that applies to you, then remember how you did it and make a plan to maintain the same healthy routines when you go home. Take advantage of resources offered at home station, such as the first-rate fitness centers on every Air Force base.

-- What did you learn about yourself during this deployment? Did separation from the daily rituals you became accustomed to at home change what you value? How did separation from your loved ones change your perspective? When my tour is complete, I'll leave knowing that some material goods just don't matter as much as they once did. I realized that it is, in fact, possible to live a year without HDTV. On the other hand, my belief that good friends are priceless has been reinforced, so I'll do a better job of keeping in touch with them. Use something you've learned about yourself to make an improvement in your life or personal relationships.

Just as effective organizations use after action reports to improve performance, people should too. Deployments and expeditionary operations expose people to significantly different environments and a wide array of circumstances.

Before leaving the area of responsibility, take some time for introspection, to organize and understand what you've learned about yourself. Investing a little time and effort to create your personal after action report will help you become a more professional Airman.