Who the F*ck is Michael?!: An Israeli Air Force Chief's Uncompromising Code for Achieving Greatness

by Elyezer Shkedy

Nothing has changed except one thing: we have our own country, the State of Israel… a free, Jewish, democratic, proud, amazing state. We are not dependent on anyone else’s tender mercies.

When I became commander of the Israeli Air Force, I was told that my German counterpart, Lieutenant General Klaus-Peter Stieglitz, expected me to invite him to visit Israel as my guest. My predecessor, Dan Halutz, had visited Germany, and it was customary to invite the host for a reciprocal visit. As the son of a Holocaust survivor whose entire family had been murdered, burned, and exterminated in Auschwitz, the last thing I wanted to do was meet and host the commander of the Luftwaffe.

As my assignment was nearing its end, and after much deliberation and consideration, I came to the conclusion that I ought to make the visit. I assembled my staff and set a date for the visit. Shortly before departing, I told myself that I couldn’t fly to Germany without talking to my father first. When I arrived at his home, I told him exactly what was going on. “Abba (Dad), I’ve decided to go on an official visit to Germany, at the invitation of the Luftwaffe commander. What do you say?” For a while, he just looked at me silently, deep in thought. Finally, he said, “Very good. “I want you to go there. “I want them to see the hat and insignia of our air force. “I want them to see you in an Israeli Air Force uniform. “I want them to see your ranks. “I want them to see your wings. “I want them to play HaTikvah,” (Israel’s national anthem) “And I want them to salute you.”

A person may appear pitiful and pathetic at first glance; their accent and vocabulary may not be impressive; their attire may not be striking—but that tells you nothing about their ability, their wit, their intelligence or their potential.

there’s a quote attributed to Albert Einstein: “Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive. Smart people ignore.” Danny is a smart man...

My forte was debriefing, and I was convinced that it could help in many areas such as interpersonal relations within the team, certain professional decisions, what to work on, what to change, how to properly prepare, and so on.

I thought about it and came to the conclusion that it was time to carry out a debriefing in three stages: 1. What happened? 2. Why did it happen? 3. What to do differently? The first stage: What happened? You put a “virtual mirror” in front of your face and tell yourself boldly, sharply, and clearly, without cutting corners and without bullshitting yourself, what really happened. You mustn’t sugarcoat the picture so it’s easier for you to digest. The second stage: Why did it happen? You analyze yourself to understand why those things happened. What did you observe? How did you respond? What did you do? How did you do it? In other words, what could have led to the results you see in the “virtual mirror.” The third stage: What should be done differently the next time and what should be retained? If you only go through the first and second stages, it’s as if you didn’t debrief at all. In such a situation, not only will you have not learned anything, but you may be left with a sense of frustration and self-flagellation. Only once you reach the third stage, in which you decide and define for yourself what you ought to do differently next time and what you should keep, have you completed the debriefing process.

When you do a real debriefing, with all the difficulty involved, you embark on a positive and optimistic path of improvement and learning, even if you are in a tough situation after experiencing failure.

That day I learned an important lesson, and it had nothing to do with tennis: talent, ability and knowledge do not depend on whether you’re a woman or man. My declaration that I could easily beat her was condescending, arrogant and stupid. I decided that I would never repeat such a mistake.

In 2007, as commander of the Israeli Air Force, I led the preparations and planning for the attack on the nuclear reactor in Syria, and we debated a great deal about the right course of action.

Think about what is being said and not who is saying it. The truth has nothing to do with the timing of the words. Is there more validity in things said in the distant past, which have since become an indisputable convention, or in innovative ideas instead? Think about what is being said and not when it was said. Listen carefully and with extreme openness to everything that is said. Use your discretion. And in the end, after you have listened and thought it over, you will decide. The decision is yours.

The mission will be carried out by excellent pilots and navigators. The operational plan that we have formulated is very good. I estimate that the reactor will be destroyed and that the Syrians will not understand what has happened. The plan addresses both aspects. In my estimation, they will not respond and will not start a war. The destruction of the reactor is of paramount importance and must be carried out as soon as possible. The Prime Minister looked deep into my eyes, listened very attentively, and when I finished he said: “I understood very well what you’ve said.” We parted with a strong handshake. I got the impression that he was determined to carry out the attack as soon as possible. Indeed, about a week later, on September 6th, 2007, the attack was carried out in the format I had proposed.

There is a stage at which a “change of command” is carried out between parents and children, from a situation in which the parents take care of their children to a situation in which the children take care of their parents. It is an integral part of the life cycle.

The only entry in the Ten Commandments which gives you reward in this world — longevity — is the following: Honor your father and mother, so that your days will be prolonged (Exodus 20:11). I believe and maintain that there is an unwritten continuation of the Commandment: “and so that their days will be prolonged too.” At some point in their lives, your parents live through you. Your success is their success. The respect you give your parents can literally extend their lives.

There are not many things that make parents happier than seeing their children succeed, advance and fulfill themselves. Involve your parents in the process; do not deprive them of these moments of happiness and pride. There are things you come to understand only as you get older.

The first part: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” The second part: “And when I am only for myself, what am I?” And the third part: “And if not now, when?”

The greatest catastrophe in the history of the Jewish people throughout the ages, and in the history of mankind in general, was caused by insane racists who set themselves the goal of annihilating the Jewish people to the last of their sons and daughters, who formulated a systematic plan to achieve this goal, and who actually destroyed a very large part of our people. What did my father used to say? On the way to the crematoriums in Auschwitz, no one cared about where people came from and whether they had a large kippah (yarmulke), a small kippah, half a kippah, a quarter of a kippah, or whether they were without any kippah. We should understand this about ourselves and about people in general.

Today, I again want to say to God, “God, open the heavens. I want my mother and my father and my sisters to see what we have here in the State of Israel. To know that we have chosen life. Let them know that the State of Israel exists. That it has a good economy. That it has a strong army. Don’t dare start with us, because it won’t end well. “And especially, I want my mother and my father and sisters to know that they have a family. Hitler was unable to destroy them. They have a son. They have a wonderful grandson, Air Force Commander Elyezer Shkedy. They have a wonderful grand daughter (Yael), and we have six wonderful grand children. May they know, God, that we have chosen life. That we will never let what happened before, happen again.” As my son wrote there: “Remember. Never forget. Rely only on ourselves.” And I want to finish with two things. One, the people of Israel live. That’s the biggest thing. When we were in the Holocaust, we didn’t know if there would be anyone left. One Jew. There were people who thought that there were no more Jews. But the people of Israel live, grow, and flourish.

As the fly-over passed Auschwitz, Eshel said the following over the radio: We, the pilots of the Israeli Air Force, flying in the skies above the camp of horrors, have arisen from the ashes of the millions of victims. We shoulder their silent cries, salute their courage, and promise to be the shield of the Jewish nation and its country, Israel. Members of the IDF’s “Witnesses in Uniform” delegation, led by the then-Head of the Air Division, Ido Nehushtan, stood on the soil of Auschwitz at the time, saw the Israeli jets that passed over their heads, heard Eshel’s chilling words over the public-address system, understood the deep meaning of the fly-over and the meaning of standing there in the uniform of the Israel Defense Forces. They could not hold back the tears. The planes that passed over that damned, abominable place, which symbolizes evil incarnate, represented the IAF, the IDF, the State of Israel, and the entire Jewish people, all over the world. The message they conveyed was crystal clear.

The Israeli Air Force over Auschwitz, On behalf of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. Remember. Never forget. Rely only on ourselves. Have you heard anything from the Poles since then? I haven’t. But they can still call...

Those who do not believe in themselves have no chance. Those who believe in themselves are not guaranteed success, but they are at least on the way. When someone tells you that you are capable, they are right. Charge forward. When someone tells you that you can’t, you can believe them or you can believe me. I’m telling you that you can. • • • Don’t let anyone, ever, tell you that you can’t and make you believe it. Believe in yourself and people will believe in you.

When you deeply believe in something and feel that the truth is being distorted, do not give up: investigate, learn, charge and fight – even when you are at a disadvantage.

Good advice from smart and experienced people, who want the best for you, is worth its weight in gold.

It would not be simple, the price would be heavy, but it would be possible. But we could never — not even once — dismantle the democratic institutions of our country, built with our sweat and blood over many decades. If that happened, there would be no turning back. We would lose it all.

Despite the mental and emotional difficulty, I believed and maintained that it was a critical mission for our continued existence as a free and democratic Jewish state. Our people did not like the task, but they carried it out with wisdom, determination, tremendous sensitivity and compassion — sometimes with tears in their eyes. They performed admirably. I was there with them and saw it with my own eyes. I am a great believer in our people, and I will do everything to preserve the greatest miracle in the history of the Jewish people throughout its generations – a Jewish, free, and democratic State of Israel.

I replied, “The terrorists can’t beat us through acts of terror. They can hurt us, and sometimes wound us very seriously and painfully, but they cannot beat us. “The terrorists murder women, children, and innocent people and think it’s legitimate. “They will defeat us only if they manage to make us think like them, like the terrorists, that killing women, children, and innocent people is legitimate. And I will do everything so as not to let them beat us.”