A wing man is someone that will always stand by your side and who will have your back.

In this photo, even though the main airplane seems to be totally self-sufficient, with a huge radar component embedded in the fuselage, this pilot still needs his wing men.

A few years ago my husband and I had a date night. We went to see the remake of Midway. 

We are WWII Pacific fleet movie buffs (yes there is such a thing). There was one scene where Dick Best, a fearless pilot turned Executive Officer (XO) on the ship was approached by one of the pilots who didn't feel like he could fly in the upcoming battle. He gave him the requisite pep talk and then in a surprising move, asked him to fly as his wing man. The young man fully understood the importance of the role and stepped up.

I am so blessed to have a number of people in my life who play this role.

You know who you are.

Who is your wing man?

Having one or more key people in your life that you know will always be there is critical. These people may or may not be a part of your direct team. 

It is good mischief to have a wing man [or woman]. I call them the board of directors of my life.

They are the first people that I call when something good happens or when there is a crisis.

Write down those names right now. And write them a handwritten note telling them how much you appreciate having them in your life.

Oh, and the corollary to that is that there is generally someone trying to shoot you down. While this isn't literal for most of us, most of us have experienced digital harassment (aka we called it bullying when it was happening to our kids).

Don't get sucked in to a dogfight. Nobody wins.