Developing a mission statement can clarify goals and put staff on "the
same page." Last year, we published our mission statement &
philosophy in our SOP.
Mission: To provide a safe,
educational and fun environment
for skydivers and spectators to enjoy the sport and its related
activities.
The philosophy of our priorities are interlocked, one depending on the
other, but there is an order of importance…
Our number one priority is
SAFETY. This most important aspect takes
precedence over all other when making decisions. “Safety is no accident.”
That means you think about safety when you are not in the immediacy of a
decision that requires good judgment. As a first step, I encourage all
participants to give much thought to this aspect and set specific limits
for themselves. Write in the front of your logbook what exactly your wind
limit and conditions are for stepping down from a jump. Write what
altitude you would be willing to get out of the aircraft in an emergency,
when you would use your reserve, when you would use your main, and if it
were different if you were acting as an instructor or coach. Risk
management in a sport full of risks requires that we have layers of
protection, redundancy. I do not want to lose a friend, so I will always
focus on safety first. I also don’t want to get sued, and I want to
protect my staff from lawsuit. How do you keep from getting sued? Don’t
have any incidents! And that requires safety.
Our second priority is
EDUCATION. The skydiving
student is the
future of our sport, much like our children are our future. We must care
for students as if they are children, teaching them what they don’t know,
setting goals, living as a good example, caring about all aspects of their
life, not just their performance in the air. An instructor or coach is a
motivator as well as teacher. And just as I would teach my kids, the
Golden Rule is the most important one. Treat students as you would like to
be treated… remember what it was like, and add your personal touch! In the
next section is a publication by the Federal Aviation Administration,
modified by United States Parachute Association, entitled Fundamentals of
Instruction. It is the backbone of instructing; there is no other course
or publication that comes close to boiling down the essence of education.
But education doesn’t mean you are always the teacher… You must forever be
a student of skydiving yourself, no matter how many jumps or ratings you
have. Continual self improvement adds also to the safety and fun!
Our third priority is
FUN. “Why would anyone jump out of a
perfectly good airplane?” Despite our
top ten reasons, I can’t come up with a better answer than, “For fun!”
Skydiving is a sport where you can relieve the stress from your life while
still enjoying goal setting and challenges. Renew or add to your skills
and keep the sport fresh for yourself. It’s important not only to have fun
ourselves, but also to create an environment of acceptance and family, so
that fun can spill over to those spectating. Perhaps then they will
eventually join us in our inalienable right to pursuit of happiness! No,
the customer is not always right, but our first jumpers MUST walk away
with the feeling they had the time of their LIFE! In addition, this aspect
of service can help in our first priority of safety. Good customer
service, personal attention, a fun attitude will give our students a
feeling of belonging, and they will be more likely to continue in the
sport, more likely to take on our philosophy of safety, and less likely to
sue if injured.
