Not a day goes by when I don’t look at my cycle and see how it might be meshed with my family. This tends to show up when I plan some down time. I try to find ways to do things with my mother and father. I try to find ways to do things with my friends. The meshing comes by putting together something that’s an integral part of my internal cycle with theirs. Good example: a fishing trip. I know it’s tremendous fun for my friends but it’s also a vital part of my own recreational cycle. Planning a weekend on my boat down in Florida meshes our two cycles.
When it comes to family, our Future Pictures have to be painted with our children and our spouses and our parents, etc. If we don’t, we’ll be personally frustrated when attempting to achieve our goals—and very likely an irritant to the ones we care about most.
IT’S IN ALL OF US
To stay ahead in the rapidly changing, fast-moving, intensely competitive world of business, you want your experiences to pay off faster than the experiences of your competition. You want to be sharper than the other guy, to be a better closer, to have a better feel for a customer, to make fewer mistakes—to operate on a higher plane than anyone else. As I said in the first chapter, it’s the process that counts. The process is your tool. The process helps you get ahead, and that process is called Flawless Execution. You set it up in yourself. You give yourself time to run through it in your head. You make quiet time to debrief yourself. You stay honest with yourself. You feed your lessons learned back into the process, and you go out and do it again tomorrow.
The truth is, people want to do better. It’s human nature. Millions of us are trying to lose weight. Millions of us bought a self-help book last month. Millions of us made New Year’s resolutions. Millions of us received a promotion or a pay increase or started a company—and millions more will do it tomorrow. It’s all about the basic drive to better ourselves.
But it doesn’t have to be hard, and that’s the message. So much of what makes us better is literally locked inside of us! Flawless Execution and all of the associated tools simply show you a path of least resistance to the person within that wants to get out and strut. Fighter pilots come from hundreds of different backgrounds and are born in countless cultures, but they all attain a level of execution most would think impossible. It’s simply because they follow a process that unlocks the skills they need to excel. That’s all there is to it. The skills are inside of us; the Flawless Execution process simply gives you a set of keys to work the locks.
That said, Flawless Execution is a demanding taskmaster. It’s an overarching way to live. When you decide to make something a pattern for life, you have to start from scratch and let the process, the pattern, guide you. Build your schedule—and your life—around Flawless Execution. Then expect great things. Millions before you have. The essential ingredients are in all of us.
INDEX
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ACARS, 164
ACM (Air Combat Maneuvering), 91
active human error, 150–51, 154, 155
Adelphia, 14
administrative standards, 105–6
advertising agencies, 95
aerobatic pilots, 42–44
Afghanistan, 12, 70
Afterburner, Inc., 9, 12, 82, 86, 89, 163, 165, 182, 202–3
checklists as useful at, 126–27
screening of employees at, 191
standards at, 169–70, 171–74, 183, 185
STEALTH process taught at, 139, 158–59
training syllabus at, xiii–xiv
Air Force, U.S. (USAF), xi, 5–6, 9, 22, 104, 137, 143, 158, 161, 165, 180
history of, 11
screening of pilots in, 5–6, 190, 191, 192
structure of, 13
Thunderbirds flight team of, 10, 42
see also fighter pilots
air wings, 13
Al-Qaeda, 75
Amerada Hess, 31–33
AOL Time Warner, 99–100
apathy, 80
Apollo 13, 162
Apple Computers, 46, 53–55, 149
Armstrong, Neil, 137
Army, U.S., 194
artificial horizon, 129
attitude indicator, 129
AWACs (Airborne Warning and Control), 82–83
B-52s, 52
Baghdad, 52, 69, 94
BAMA Company, 60–61
Batesville Casket Company, 125
black-stripe pages, 124, 127
Blue Angels, 42
Bourke, Major, 164
Boyington, Pappy, 179
brands, product, 42
as key descriptor, 35, 38
bricklayer syndrome, 25
briefings, 19, 71, 93–111, 113, 153, 171, 172, 173, 182, 187, 194, 196, 197, 198
in combat, 93–94, 95, 96–97, 98, 99, 100–101, 102, 103–4, 105, 106–8, 109, 165
of contingencies, 109–11
execution and, 113–14, 134
of mission objectives, 98–99, 106
“motherhood” in, 105–6, 202
prepping for, 94–96
of scenario, 99–100, 107
of tactics and timeline, 106–8, 109
of threats and intelligence, 103–4, 106
timing of, 96–98
visualization in, 95–96, 134
of weather and environment, 100–102, 103, 106
wrap up of, 111
see also debriefings
Burlington International airport, 163
Bush, George H. W., 17, 30–31
business:
as combat, 9–14
training in, xiii–xiv, 5–6, 22, 125–27, 155, 156
see also corporate America; Flawless Execution Model
business areas, as key descriptor, 35, 38
Business Is Combat (Murphy), xiv, 22
California Air National Guard, 164
campaign rooms, 60–61
centers of gravity, 23, 25, 50–51, 53–54, 55, 58, 59, 64, 67–68, 70, 71, 113, 204–5
CEOs, xiii, 14, 18, 49, 61, 69, 78, 115, 123, 149, 156, 177
of Hess Express, 31–33
of Papa John’s, 166–69
chair-flying, 95–96
channelizing, 116, 117, 118–22, 123
checklists, 124–27, 131, 153, 156
mission planning, 90–91
in training, 125–27
Checkmate, 59, 60
CINC SETUP, 171–72
Coca-Cola, 63
Cockpit Resource Management (CRM), 152
Collins, Jim, 189
Combat Air Patrol, 5
combat communications, 131
communication errors, 152, 155
see also hand-offs
compartmentalizing, 116, 117–18, 123
complacency, 80
Congress, U.S., 13
contingency planning, 19, 82, 89–92, 104, 109–11, 152, 153, 179, 202
in combat, 89–90, 91–93, 97, 109
continuation training, 178–79, 186–87
coping mechanisms, for task saturation, 123–32
checklists as, 124–27, 131, 153
cross-checks as, 124, 128–30, 153
mutual support for, 124, 130–32, 153
corporate America, xiii, 1, 58
debriefings in, 133–34, 135–37
hiring practices for, 189–92
language of, 2
lessons learned in, 85–86
misuse of strategy in, 22
poor execution in, 13–14
rank in, 147
scandals in, 14, 80
task saturation in, 114–18
see also business; Flawless Execution Model
corporate citizenship, as key descriptor, 35, 39
corporate culture, as key descriptor, 35, 39
corporate scandals, 14, 80
corporations, xiv
courses of action see tac
tics
Courtyard, 169
Crew Resource Management (CRM), 11–12
cross-checks, 124, 128–30, 153
cruise lines, 64
data, 131, 203
capturing of, 154
debrief, 142
hand-offs of, 199–202
data input person, 142
debriefings, xiii, 3, 6, 24, 72, 110, 111, 133–37, 153, 171, 181, 194, 207
in combat, 19–20, 21, 133, 134–36, 137, 139, 141, 143–46, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151–54, 157, 158
data resulting from, 142
importance of, 19–21
inside/outside criticism in, 145, 146–47
lessons learned and, 20, 134, 137, 142, 149, 155–60, 172, 201, 203–4
open communication in, 135, 143–47
putting aside rank in, 135–37, 143, 144–45, 146–47
roles and participants in, 141–42
root cause analysis in, 19, 150–54, 155–57
use of third person in, 144, 146
see also briefings; STEALTH debriefings
decision matrix, 87, 94, 107
Defense Department, U.S., 11, 17, 52, 59
Dell Computer, 35
demo/do, 181–84
Denham, Charles, 201, 202
desired learning objectives (DLOs), 178, 180–81, 182
directive communication, 147
discipline:
errors in, 153–54
in training, 184–86
Disney, Walt, 49
dot-com bubble, 13
Dow Jones Industrial Average, 101, 102
DSL, 104
Eastern Airlines flight 401, 119–22
EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, deprecation, and amortization), 35, 37
emergency procedures, 124, 127
employees, hiring of, 189–92
Enron, 14
entrepreneurs, 29–30, 33–34, 35, 61, 69, 193
see also individual execution; small business
environment, briefing of, 100–102, 103, 106, 109
errors:
active human, 150–51, 154, 155
analyzing for, 153–54
hand-off, 199–202
in leadership, 151–52
organizational, 150, 152
teamwork, 152
execution, 16, 20, 71, 111, 113–22, 194
analysis of, 150–55
briefings and, 113–14, 134
in combat, 19, 20, 22, 113–14
examples of poor, 13–14
importance of, xii–xv
individual, xiv–xv, 4, 27, 193–208
objectives vs., 147–49
as process, 10, 16, 17–21, 141, 184, 203, 207
task saturation and see task saturation
see also Flawless Execution Model
exit strategies, 45, 61–65
external systems, 49–50, 53, 204, 205
external threats, 78–82, 92
F-4 Phantoms, 46
F-15s, xi–xii, xiii, 7–8, 9–12, 18–19, 69, 78, 82, 87–88, 90, 150, 151, 153, 161, 183, 187, 190, 196
F-15Es, 52
F-16 Wild Weasels, 18, 19, 20, 83, 85, 89
F-111Fs, 52
family systems, 205–7
fast food industry, 46, 60
see also Papa John’s International, Inc.
FCC, 34
fighter pilots, xii, 5, 7–8, 9–11, 14, 23, 77, 173, 184, 185, 196–97, 205, 207
briefings of, 93–94, 95, 96–97, 98, 99, 100–101, 102, 103–4, 105, 106–8, 109, 165
checklists of, 124–25, 127
cross-checks by, 128–29, 130
debriefings of, 19–20, 21, 133, 134–36, 137, 139, 141, 143–46, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151–54, 157, 158
execution by, 113–14
hand-off errors and, 199–200
mutual support among, 130, 131
Six Steps to Mission Planning and, 74, 76–77, 78, 82–83, 84, 87
standards of, 162–65, 169, 170
task saturation of, 114–16, 118–19, 124–25, 128–29, 130, 131
training of, 2, 5–6, 10, 11–13, 16, 134, 162–63, 165, 178–82, 184, 186, 187, 190, 191
finance department, 194
financial position, as key descriptor, 34–35, 37
finishing with finesse, 45, 61–65
“five 9s,” 4
Flawless Execution Engine, 67–72, 131, 193
briefings in see briefings
debriefings in see debriefings
execution in see execution
planning in see planning; Six Steps to Mission Planning
STEALTH debriefings in, 139–60, 186
winning in, 72
see also Plan-Brief-Execute-Debrief-Win cycle; task saturation
Flawless Execution Model, 2–6, 7–14, 21–25, 134
analyzing for errors in, 153–54
balancing multiple cycles of, 204–7
in combat, xii, 1–2, 7–8, 12, 14, 17–20, 22–23, 69
energizing systems with, 22
Engine of see Flawless Execution Engine
Future Picture in see Future Pictures
hand-off errors and, 199–202
for individuals, 204–8
introduction to, 15–25
language of, 1–6
latitude in, 4–5, 68–69
Leader’s Intent in see Leader’s Intent
in medical community, 198–201
people in, 189–92
Six Steps to Mission Planning in, 73–92, 113, 153
for small businesses, 193–203
standards in see standards
strategy in see strategy
systematic approach in, 23–25; see also systems
training in see training
variables and, 8–9, 110
see also briefings; debriefings; execution; planning
Fortune 500, xiv, 174
Future Pictures, 3–4, 16, 21, 25, 27–39, 51, 67–68, 92, 94, 166, 169, 175, 193, 194, 204, 205
in combat, 22–23, 30–31, 33, 34, 36, 51, 52, 53, 76–77
examples of, 30–33
focus on the future with, 33–34
high-resolution details in, 4, 28–30, 65, 73
key descriptors in, 34–36, 37–39, 58, 60, 64, 68, 70
latitude in achieving, 68, 69
mapping systems to fit, 48–50, 57
measures of merit in, 37–39, 60, 63, 64
mission objectives and, 74, 76–77, 98, 148
open planning in achieving, 58–61, 64–65, 71
strategy alignment with, 16, 41–44, 47, 53–55, 71, 99, 113
threats to, 77–82, 103–4
gold-collar employees, 184–85
group execution, 4, 27
errors in, 152
Grove, Andy, 78
Gulf War, 17–20, 22–23
execution in, 19, 20, 22
Future Pictures in, 22–23, 30–31, 33, 36, 51, 52, 53
open planning in, 59, 60
targeting in, 51
see also Operation Desert Storm
hand-offs, 199–202
HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles), 18
Harvard Business Review, 185
Hess Express, 32–33
Hewlett-Packard, 55
hiring, of employees, 189–92
Hollywood studios, 62–63
Horner, Chuck, 22
hotel industry, xiv–xv, 63–64
see also Marriott; Resident Inns
human error, active, 150–51, 154, 155
“human factors,” 11
human resources, 24, 130
Hussein, Saddam, 17, 22, 30, 33, 36, 51
Hysteresis Effect, 48
IBM, 169
ImClone, 14
Inc. 500, xiii
incentive philosophy, as key descriptor, 35, 39
indifference, 80
individual execution, xiv–xv, 4, 27, 193–208
&n
bsp; family systems and, 205–7
hand-off errors and, 199–202
situational awareness in, 197, 200, 202, 203
innovation:
as key descriptor, 35, 38
training and, 179–80
INS/GPS (Internal Navigation System/Global Positioning System), 91–92
inside/outside criticism, 145, 146–47
insider perception, as key descriptor, 35, 38
Intel, 78
intelligence, briefing of, 103–4
internal rate of return (IRR), 35
internal systems, 49–50, 53, 204, 205
internal threats, 78–82, 92
International Council of Air Shows (ICAS), 42–44
Internet, 33–34, 53–54, 80, 99–100, 104
Internet Service Providers (ISPs), 99–100
iPod, 53–55, 80, 149
Iraq, 17–18, 30, 51, 52, 69, 94
iTunes, 54, 55
J. D. Power, 37
KC-10 tankers, 19
Kelleher, Herb, 34
key descriptors, in Future Pictures, 34–36, 37–39, 58, 60, 64, 68, 70
Kroger, 31
Kuwait, 17–18, 22, 30, 33, 36, 51
latitude, 4–5, 68–69, 131
in combat, 69
leader, of debriefings, 141
leadership, xv, 171
errors in, 151–52
Leader’s Intent, 21, 57–65, 68, 70, 193
campaign rooms and, 60–61
execution of, 69–72
exit strategies and, 61–65
latitude and, 68, 69
open planning and, 58–61, 64–65
Leaning-Forward, xiii, 12, 77, 84, 95, 110, 201
lessons learned, 2, 6, 85–86, 92, 183, 207
debriefings and, 134, 137, 142, 149, 155–60, 172, 201, 203–4
recurring root causes and, 155–57
transferring of, 19, 157–59
life cycles, of products, 61–65
line extensions, 63
Los Angeles Convention Center, 182
LOTCD, 151–54
Luke Air Force Base, 190
Luncheon of the Boating Party, 28
Mach One, xii, 90
Major League Baseball, 42
Malcolm Baldrige Award, 61
manufacturing department, 25, 58, 61, 83