When an emergency occurs in a live aircraft cockpit, it is unlikely that it is the first time a pilot has seen it.  Because aircrew spend so much time thinking about and practicing emergency handling, when a danger occurs for real, they are equipped to understand what is going on and how they need to react.  In many cases, the first action might be to do something quite simple but in the critical moments after the calamity, as the pilot works out how to recover their aircraft safely, it is crucial that they don't make the situation worse.  Like aircrew, senior leaders must rely on their experience and curiosity to understand crises when they occur.  If they have invested in thinking through emergency situations before they are placed under duress, they should be able to draw from pre-considered contingency plans to mitigate their losses and leverage the assets that remain available to them.  As they rally their crew to chart a course to a safe place, they must be ready to make difficult decisions before it is too late.  Because time is such a key resource in crisis, both pilots and CEOs need to do everything they can to 'buy it' and never be in a rush to get to the scene of the crash.

- “When you are going through hell, keep going” – Winston Churchilll

In this episode, we cover:

• Contingency Planning - How to prevent self-inflicted damage and to mitigate unforeseen risks.
• The 4 Ps of Crisis Management - Planning, Pragmatism, Process and Practice.
• What can businesses learn from the aviation community about exposing people to crisis management?
• Knowing when to Eject.
• Why curiosity is so important when seemingly minor crises occur.
• How 'Hitting the Stopwatch' can be a great first action when an emergency occurs.
• The importance of checking everything and assuming nothing.
• Why there is no substitute for experience for leaders in crisis, and the key traits that they need to possess.
• The importance of the moral component in leading through danger and why the grassroots are so critical.
• The balance between being part of the team and remaining objective.

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Like any high-performance organisation, a fast jet squadron must push the boundaries of their people and their equipment.  However, if they push the limits too hard, they are likely to find themselves in a dangerous situation.  Perhaps the most important differentiator in exploring the limits of performance is culture.  For any organisation, the responsibility of establishing the right culture rests on the shoulders of the leader.  By establishing a unifying purpose, leading by example, asking the right questions and identifying passionate champions to galvanise the right environment, leaders can set the moral compass for their organisation.  If they get it right, they create a culture that provides the perfect conditions to allow their team to operate at the highest levels of performance, without risk of catastrophe.   

-       “Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast” – Peter Drucker.

In this episode, we cover:

·       The difference between Culture and Values.  Whilst both individuals and organisations can have a stated set of values – culture is always related to a team.

·       Why leadership is the critical factor for setting culture, and how the leader can set a positive (or negative) environment in their organisation.

·       The importance of setting the right example and asking the right questions.  

·       Whether it is possible to measure culture?

·       Why a leader should always strive to leave their organisation better than they found it, and how matching ‘passion to task’ can supercharge success.

·       How a unifying purpose (your ‘why’) can provide a focal point for setting a team’s culture.

·       The importance of identifying champions and supporting them in aligning the ‘moral compass’ and setting the right tone throughout a large team.

·       The balance between performance and culture.

·       How a healthy culture sets psychological safety that, in turn, encourages team members to raise challenges and concerns, without fear of risking their own reputation.

·       Why high performance teams are like high performance aeroplanes – to get the best out of them, the pilot or leader must know how push the envelope without stalling.

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For a combat aviator, when the rounds are flying, the pace and delivery of communication is very different to when they are safe on deck at home.  Whilst the fundamental nature of communication remains relatively consistent, great leaders know that communication style is always situational.  The ability to adjust and to convey authenticity, that respects the culture of your team, the way they absorb information, and the current context can be the difference between success and failure

-       “One of the essential elements of any leadership responsibility – what needs to be in your kit bag as basic – is the ability to communicate” – Peter Davies.

In this episode, we cover:

·       The power of storytelling. 

·       Using financial statements to explain the importance of ‘shop-floor’ tactics.

·       Situational communication – how military aviators consider honesty, time, rank and respect when modifying their communication style, to choose the right style for the right moment.

·       The limits of ‘accuracy, brevity and clarity’ in an isolated military cockpit environment, and how it can stifle communication in the same way that sending a corporate email can.

·       Why authenticity underpins how the CEO sells critical messages to the team.  

·       Using humour to demonstrate humility.

·       How consistency can help leaders to empower autonomy.

·       Why understanding an organisation’s culture is so crucial for communication.

·       Whether it is possible to be a great leader if you are not an effective communicator?

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Fast jet aviators must spend as much time as possible flying ‘heads out’ of the cockpit.  As they execute their missions, they cannot afford to spend too much time focussing on one thing.  Just like pilots, leaders must make accurate decisions at high pace.  Also, they must keep their organisations balanced at all times.  By maintaining a strong sense of ‘peripheral vision’, like pilots, leaders can build their capacity to ensure that their speed of execution never falls behind the dreaded ‘drag curve’.

-       “When it comes to decision making at a critical time… it is crucial that you stay ahead of the drag curve” – Andy Wright

In this episode, we cover:

·       Airpower characteristics (Height, Speed & Reach) and how they affect how aviators think.

·       The dangers of strategic leaders being too distant from their operational team.

·       What leaders can learn from the principles of flight as they try to balance risk, finance and strategy.

·       The importance of ethos and empathy in bonding teams.

·       Why the CEO must surround themselves with people better than themselves.

·       The art of delegation and how a pilot’s ‘peripheral vision’ builds capacity for leaders, provided they establish the right structure, team and level of trust.

·       Why autocracy isn’t always wrong but how it can erode trust.

·       Why leading in times of crisis requires leaders to stay ahead of the ‘drag curve’.

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As pilots or organisations strive to hit known/fixed (deliberate) targets, or fleeting (dynamic) targets of opportunity, they must employ different processes and decision-making styles.  As the pressures of time and risk shift between the target types, if leaders understand the principles of ‘OODA’ and ‘Red Thinking’ they can make decisions faster than their competitors to exploit their weaknesses, and win the fight.

 “It is better to be approximately right than exactly wrong” - John Maynard Keynes

 In this episode, we cover:

·       Where does the decision-making process start? 

·       Deliberate Versus Dynamic decision making.

·       Understanding the OODA loop – Observe, Orientate, Decide, Act

·       Decision making as a continual process where each decision is impacted by the previous.

·       Using Red Thinking to understand and beat your competition?

·       Decision making to ensure we remain pro-active not reactive 

·       How to prioritise decisions?

·       Why decision making always involves an element of risk – including when we make no decision? 

·       Is the safest decision ever the best decision?
 
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High performers do not fear failure.  They know they will make mistakes, and understand how they can share lessons learned to improve their team for the future.  To build strong and confident organisations, great leaders require optimism, pragmatism and moral courage to ensure their teams are physically and mentally ‘fit to fly’ to the highest levels of operations.

 “Optimism is true moral courage”  -  Ernest Shackleton

In this episode, we cover:

·       Is resilience a superpower or can it be learned?

·       Do not fear of failure – learn from it and understand that it builds resilience.

·       Should the leader be the most resilient team member?

·       Why optimism is so important for leadership.

·       How building mental and physical resilience can help you to become a high performer.

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Great teams combine creativity (art) and rigourous process (science) to build plans to achieve their mission.  Great leaders know how to employ the separate elements of that plan, to make it as easy as possible for their team to approach and hit their targets, through the challenges of mission execution.

 “Planning is everything. The plan is nothing”  Dwight D Eisenhower

In this episode, we cover:

·       The art and science of leadership. 

·       The impact of Right versus left brain thinking in the planning process.

·       How a clear understanding of the target and ‘mission command’ empowers a team.

·       The importance of making the final approach to target as simple as possible.

·       The leader’s role in incorporating the team in the planning process.

·       Why contingency planning is the difference between good and great.

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Discovering the right leadership style, at the right time, requires every leader to have the courage to apply their knowledge, experience, values and passion to flex their approach to any context they encounter.  Because leadership is a human endeavour, it is complex and impossible to script – so believe in yourself and adapt to the situation.
 
In this episode, we cover:

·       Are we natural born leaders or can leadership be taught? 

·       How important is executive education in creating an effective leader?

·       Why leaders should become professional masters.

·       Is there a prescriptive process to becoming a great leader?

·       How to remain confident whilst avoiding becoming complacent.

 
If you enjoyed the episode and the series, please share this with someone in your network that you feel will benefit from listening.

Connect with Andy here

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Email the show at info@fighterpilotandceo.com