Creating the Culture of Excellence
- John Foley
- Nov 15, 2016
- 2 min read
How would you act and what would you do differently if even the smallest mistake could mean a loss of life? When I was flying with the Blue Angels, that was our daily reality. When flying in formation at 500mph, as close as 18 inches, preparation takes on a whole new meaning. Trust becomes essential. Small things matter because everything matters. And maintaining a positive mindset—”Glad To Be Here”—became the key to sustaining excellence.
When we were on tour a newscaster once asked me, “Isn’t what you do dangerous?” I said the first thing that popped into my head, “What we do is not actually dangerous, just inherently unforgiving.” That statement gets to the core of Blue Angel culture.
From the outsiders perspective, what we do is dangerous, but we know something the audience does not. There is a system in place that is so effective that it turns the dangerous into the inherently unforgiving. I used to joke with my wingman, Thumper, that the most dangerous part of the air show was the drive to the airfield.
The process that keeps the Blues safe has many elements. It’s the culture of excellence. It’s the way we debrief and lay everything on the table, no matter how small, so that even the near mistake becomes a source of learning for everyone. Every show and every debrief contribute to the cycle of continuous improvement, which brings us to the most easily applicable piece of the Blue Angel process: the debrief.
Take Action
Any type of debrief will help teams increase the flow of information and move forward more prepared. But at John Foley CenterPoint Companies Inc., we have created a training product that is easy to unroll, and is infinitely sustainable. We call it the Glad To Be Here® Debrief. It significantly goes beyond the scope of a traditional after-action review, shifting the focus to building dynamics like chemistry, camaraderie and leadership. These are the elements that define the practice and the benefits extend well beyond the immediate results of the debrief.
If you would like to learn more about this product, or are interested in being one of the first teams to receive it, please contact our Client Relationship Manager Caron Slater at caron.slater@johnfoleyinc.com, or give us a call, 208-726-2121. We would love the opportunity to support our past clients or open the door to a new organization with this powerful program.
Glad To Be Here!
~Gucci
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