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TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. - Col. Christopher Azzano said he wants to leave the 72nd Air Base Wing and Tinker in even better shape than when he arrived. He has big plans to accomplish his goal.
During his tenure as air base wing and installation commander, he has his focus set on two goals: enabling success across Team Tinker on a day-to-day basis, and properly assessing the climate to shape organizations to support Tinker in the future.
To achieve his goals, the colonel said having a rigorous mindset and participating in continuous process improvement projects is key. It all hinges on teamwork and the phenomenal Tinker workforce.
“These are troubling times in many ways, but we will get through them and be a better organization because of our efforts to become more effective and efficient. The only way to sustain our vital mission with reduced resources is to continue to get better at what we do. It’s as simple as that,” said Azzano. “We’ve spent the last few years trying to do that already. We’ve picked all the low-hanging fruit. So now we have to take an even closer look at each of our processes. Our goal is not to celebrate one small victory, but to continue on to each new level of challenge and figure out how to achieve the next tier of cost-effective readiness.”
The air base wing is already striving for success and its teamwork skills are indisputable.
Azzano said he is impressed by the wing’s dedication, enthusiasm and positive energy.
Azzano has already set the proverbial wheels in motion. Each week he is briefed on the status of CPI efforts across the groups, directorates, squadrons and staff offices that make up the air base wing.
“We’re continually scanning the horizon for what might be broken, what could be operating more efficiently. And, if there’s a service that is needed by our Tinker teammates, one that is not being provided or could be done better, I want to know about it,” the colonel said. “We have an amazing team, and we’re continuing to develop a culture that is customer focused. With every challenge comes opportunity. It’s an opportunity to make our organization and people better.”
Azzano would also like Tinker airmen to understand the culture of the Air Force as it developed in the past and the direction senior leaders are taking it in the future.
“It’s a culture that demands an environment that is free of hostility, one based on respect and dignity,” he said. “It’s founded on mutual support — looking out for each other and providing a ‘wingman’ to help identify bad things before they happen. It’s about leveraging each individual effort for the greater cause.”
Azzano comes to Tinker from the 412th Operations Group at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where he served as commander. He is a career pilot with more than 2,700 flying hours, primarily in fighter aircraft, and has also served in several positions at the Pentagon.
The colonel said he was inspired to join the Air Force after listening to his father, an Army Air Corps B-25 Mitchell crew chief in World War II, tell war stories at the dinner table. Combined with an inherent love of aviation and the core values, which were instilled in him, a path was set. Following college, Azzano joined the Air Force.
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2013 12:19 |
| Story ID: | 112750 |
| Location: | TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Hometown: | TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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