A Hotwash?

A somewhat rare occurrence happened this week in the form of what is called a "Hotwash." See in certain organizations there is supported opportunities where members, or in my case, cadets have the option to speak to each other about their strengths and weaknesses from an outside perspective. This week the cadets including myself went through with one of these following a Physical Training session. These are a total no-judgement situation where in which we all can find out where we can improve ourselves. It is fairly often people may make mistakes without even realizing it was a mistake until someone else points it out. That is the goal of Hotwash, which are relatively commonplace in the military. 

What was I told?

Well I was pleasantly surprised that even being a relative newcomer compared to the vast majority of my peers, I was told that they believed I had acclimated very quickly and that I should continue to put in the hard work and effort that has already done me much good. I was told one area that they felt I could improve however, and that was that sometimes the things I say can be misconstrued easily and people may take the motive of the message wrong. 

How does this apply?

Officers in the military are held in high regards of being good teammates and leaders, they must be open to feedback and open to learning from their mistakes. This applies to them everyday as they must be able to tell people how they can improve or be told how they themselves can improve. Always strive for success and be excellent in all you do. This even applies to being a good pilot, such as a pilot who doesn't listen to feedback will never learn to be a better pilot or a better leader. I personally feel that every organization should implement habits similar to that of a Hotwash.