Diamond View Published July 7, 2009 By Master Sgt. John Deegan 75 CEG First Sergeant HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- The day-to-day grind of life can dull our edges and give us a false sense of security. Complacency can slip into our lives, putting our missions and our people at risk. Complacency has many causes and reveals itself in many forms, but at its core, complacency can be defined as a feeling of confidence or security that is unwarranted because it overlooks actual shortcomings or threats. No one is immune from the subtle attacks of complacency. Even individuals with high standards and morale can be susceptible, for an employee in a "well-oiled machine" may perceive little reason to change what is working, thereby ceding the initiative to danger. Battling complacency may not be written on our to-do list, but it is a mission-essential task for all of us in daily life. Complacency is a lax attitude about a task that entices people like you and I to put our guards down. It leads people into unsafe acts which could cause damage, injure, or even kill. So: perhaps you've done something a million times. Perhaps you've driven on a particular stretch of road more times than you can count. Perhaps you are part of a crew on an aircraft, and you know your job so well that you have the checklist and everything about the aircraft absolutely memorized. All of these conditions may lull you into a false sense of security about what is going on--you may not know that the road is icy up ahead, yet you drive at your normal speed. Or you may skip parts of your preflight since it's really cold outside and you've never found anything out of order before. How does one fight complacency? Forming and adhering to good habits, doing the same thing the same way each and every time will help. Do you look both ways before crossing the street? That is an example of a good habit that will help you fight complacency. Checklist discipline is another valuable technique to fight complacency. Humans are by definition imperfect; they sometimes forget, they get into a hurry, or they may become distracted by a radio or phone call. This is where focusing on the task at hand and good checklist discipline can save...by listing out all of the steps of a task, a checklist helps forgetful or rushed people ensure that they completed all of the tasks they were supposed to accomplish when it was to be done. It's when things are going well that you are most vulnerable to disaster striking and need to be on your highest guard against hazardous attitudes or breaking habit patterns. A skeptical attitude about what is happening is helpful at fighting complacency. Don't trust that just because everything seems to be going fine, that it actually is. Remember that Murphy is always out there, trying to trip you up. Stay on guard and keep Murphy off your door step.