Kick Butt and Take Names!

This week is our annual client conference. The second day traditionally starts with an outside key-note. Today was that day and we were treated to AfterBurner Seminars.

Outstanding!

If you are in a position that hires team-building or other motivational events, I highly recommend them. If you have a chance to attend one of their sessions, DO!

The most interesting item, of many, that I brought away from the session was a unique aspect of the Pilot's Methodology, if you will.

The two air-men present for out session stressed the four steps used to maintain and improve the exceptional performance necessary to fly super-sonic aircraft into hostile situations and live to tell the tale:

Plan
Brief
Execute
De-Brief

Now, these are not unique, per-se. In fact they are just different terms used to describe what has become known in the business community as Quality Improvement processes. Sig-Sigma and Total Quality Management, two such systems that were the subject of a session I saw yesterday have similar steps, using different terminology.

No, what was unique to the military implementation was the De-Brief. And it was not a difference of what, but of how.

The Mission De-Brief is Name-less and Rank-less.

Take a moment to reflect on that.

Could, would your 'reviews' of projects go differently if everyone involved knew that anything said in that de-brief was based of facts that needed stating and legitimate faults brought to the surface, no matter what level the criticisms fall?

I thought so.

As our No. 1, GunDog, stated, the de-brief is not about WHO is wrong, it's about WHAT is wrong. And is starts at the top. The flight-leader will start the process, listing his/her own faults in both the planning and execution of the mission.

If you are involved with teams, try this on you next post-project review.

And watch that Task Saturation!

Now, go out there and EXECUTE!