"Throttles – Idle"
"Rudder and Ailerons – Neutral"
"Stick – Abruptly full aft and hold"
"Rudder – Abruptly apply full rudder opposite spin direction (opposite turn needle) and hold"
"Stick – Abruptly full forward one turn after applying rudder"
"Controls – Neutral after spinning stops and recover from dive"
EVERY officer who went through USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training will recognize these words.
30 years later I can still repeat them from memory (that's me on the left (top pic)).
They are the emergency procedure steps you implement if you find yourself in a spin when flying the T-37 jet trainer.
What the USAF learned in years of training pilots is in the chaos of an in-flight emergency (or even the everyday act of flying) there is a certain calm and confidence that occurs when a pilot knows he/she can revert to memory and training to get through any crisis or unusual circumstance.Every aircraft has their own emergency procedures manual. To be pilot-in-command (CEO) of an aircraft you are required to memorize these procedures, undergo specific 'type' training and be tested regularly. If you want to know why seasoned airline pilots sound so calm during emergencies on those infamous 'black box' recordings - this is the reason. They have experience to rely on and a certain familiarity - with even that specific emergency - that comes from memory and training (simulated). As a result they are able to make consistently good decisions despite all hell breaking loose around them.Listen how calm and in control Sully (Miracle on the Hudson) is despite losing power on all engines due to a bird strike on takeoff (an emergency procedure we memorize).
I had the opportunity to meet Judith L. Glick-Smith, Ph.D. who wrote the book, "Flow-based Leadership: What the Best Firefighters can Teach You about Leadership and Making Hard Decisions". In the book she describes "flow state" and how we make better decisions if we have the experience and are in an experience-state familiar to us.
We've all heard of "being in the zone", right? Well this is what she is referring to.
She reached these conclusions while observing students of the physically and mentally challenging GA Smoke Divers course when completing her doctoral studies in Transformation, focused on flow-based critical decision-making processes. Like USAF pilots in training, the GA Smoke Diver's course replicates the extreme demands that may be placed on firefighters at any incident and provides them tools to develop critical decision making skills under these conditions.
So what can business owners (CEO's) learn about decision making from these professionals and the specialized training they undergo?
Making consistently good decisions requires:
Experience and
a decision making environment familiar to the person making the decision (i.e., they've been there before - even if simulated).
Let's first talk about experience. I know I am stating the obvious here but my time working with established private businesses and startups alike tells me this has to be said.
You are not born with CEO skills!
It is remarkable when I meet a developer who started an app company or a lawyer who broke away from a big law firm to start his own law practice who felt that the simple fact their business card said CEO, President or Founder that the hands of the business gods touched them and passed on all-knowing CEO expertise. Shocking truth - it doesn't work this way!
So other than the passage of time how does a business owner acquire 'experience' - especially a start-up founder? If you are in school, case study reenactments and analysis are very effective - learn from other people's mistakes (What A Jet Crash Can Teach A Business Owner - Piloting Your Company). Out of school, the use of mentors, advisors and business consultants are a good source for short-cutting on-the-job learning.
It is with certainty there are folks who have dealt with the issues you face and successfully overcome challenges you are struggling with. They are out there - just a brief search and a mouse click away. But this means setting aside your ego, admitting you are not all-knowing, and take the actions to find and engage the help you need. Just be sure you do your due diligence on those you are seeking advice from. (See "What should I look for when selecting a business consultant or coach?")
Ms. Glick-Smith says the second condition for good decision making comes from creating a familiar environment in which decisions are made. As you can see in the examples above, pilots and firefighters simulate scenarios likely to be encountered and exercise decision making under those conditions.
What is the equivalent 'simulator' for your business?
The annual strategy development process.
After-all, it is here, if properly done, where you remind yourself why you are in business and how you grew to your current state. It is here that you candidly discuss what your customers like about your product or service - why you are different. It is here where you discuss how you are going to leverage strengths and address weaknesses; how you will exploit emerging trends that favor your business and counter those and competitive forces that may pose a threat (SWOT).
The sheer act of discussing all the elements of strategy creation equips you with a familiar foundation, a core upon which consistently good, every-day, decisions can be made. Discussing where you are vulnerable and how those vulnerabilities can affect the business offers you an opportunity to talk through what you will do in the unlikely (but possible) event they occur.
Judith says all of this preparation allows you to "be in the moment" when making decisions - even every-day decisions. She says we make the best decision when in this zone. When what you encounter is not really 'new'. You are simply reacting and making decisions from a place of knowing. You've been there before - simulated (in discussion) during the strategy development process.