What I Learned from the Blue Angels.

What it takes to be part of a high-performance team

If you've ever had the privilege to witness the Blue Angels performing one of their breathtaking aeronautic routines, you've witnessed world-class execution at its finest. They are the epitome of high-performance excellence on display. Truly Black Belt Masters at their chosen craft and trade.

I was privileged to not only watch one of their performances at an airshow a few years back, I was able to spend a few minutes visiting with some of the pilots after they finished their death-defying arial exploits and taxied their planes back to the tarmac. I asked them about how they prepared to perform at such a high level and what that looked like.

It's a lesson that every organization should learn, as it's a Black Belt Mastery key to success.

For any task, goal, or project you're going to take on, there are three phases you must go through in the process. For the Blue Angels, the first is planning. the second is preparation, and the third is execution and evaluation.

Phase one is planning. It's identifying the goal or objective to be achieved (or the problem to be solved) and formulating a plan to accomplish it. What do we want to do? Why do we want to do it? What does success look like? What are the obstacles I'm likely to encounter I need to plan for? What's the process to bring this to pass?

The second phase is the one that is most often overlooked, discounted, or simply ignored. It's the preparation phase. Once you've created a plan, before you move to the execution phase, you need to further refine the plan. Just because you have a plan doesn't mean it's the best plan, and simply because this is the way you've always done it in the past doesn't mean there isn't a better solution out there, waiting to be considered.

During the preparation phase, you take the time to evaluate the plan, refine the process, and fine-tune how you will execute and perform.

For the Blue Angels, they may be performing the same arial maneuvers, but the landscape is always different. Altitude, wind speed and direction, humidity, temperature, and other variables will impact how their planes will perform, and when you're flying within a few feet of each other at hundreds of miles an hour, one minor miscalculation can be deadly.

It's during this critical phase of planning that you also consider the people who will need to be involved, the skillset needed, and how they will work together as a collaborative, cohesive unit to execute as one. Everyone who will be involved has to have buy-in, and that comes through clear and concise communication so everyone knows what is expected, by whom, and when.

The planning stage is also when you consider the resources that will be needed (or required) so the task, goal, or objective can be successfully completed. What supplies, equipment, tools, machinery, permits, licenses, hardware, technology, and materials will need to be acquired, ordered, or delivered so the task or project has what is needed?

For the Blue Angels, it's not just the pilots but the ground crew, the maintenance crew, and support staff who will prep the planes and the pilots who will fly them. It is calculating fuel loads and bringing the appropriate diagnostic and support equipment, tools, and supplies to keep the planes in top condition so they can endure the stresses and strains placed upon them. It's checking and rechecking not only the planes, but the flight suits, radio transmission equipment, and more.

This is where a lot of teams and organizations miss it. They want to move from planning immediately into execution without first taking time to re-examine and refine the plan, consider all the contingencies, and identify all the resources that will be needed (and formulate a plan to get them there at the right time).

It's why so many great ideas never get to the finish line, or only do so after a series of starts, stops, and restarts. This is how projects fall behind, deadlines are missed, and companies lose not only money but their reputation in the marketplace.

The final phase is execution. If proper planning and preparation are completed, execution is a natural next step. You've identified what needs to be done, refined the plan and effectively communicated it to those who will be involved, so everyone has buy-in and is ready, willing, and able to commit their best efforts to the task at hand.

You've also identified all of the resources that are necessary for the project to be completed without needless delays, and your people will have what they need, when they need it, and you're not wasting time and money having to expedite the laste-minute delivery of items to a jobsite or office that should have been there already.

With all of the planning and preparation done, you've got everything you need to execute, and to do so with Black Belt Excellence. This makes the accomplishment of any goal, task, objective, or project less stressful, more engaging, and it gets things done early, under budget, or at least on time and on budget.

One of the often ignored elements of the execution phase I learned from my conversation with the Blue Angel pilots is the evaluation component. After every airshow the pilots gather to review their performance. What they executed well, what they executed OK, and where they could have executed better.

One of the pilots shared with me that each member of his Team openly shares where they "missed it" and makes a pledge to the Team they will improve in this area. No matter how good we are at what we do, there will always be some element of any project, goal, or objective that we "miss it" ever so slightly.

Black Belt Excellence demands that we recognize and acknowledge this, as this is how we continue to improve, grow, and execute at a higher level every time it's our turn to perform at our chosen craft, profession, or trade.

So, what's your takeaway this week?

You're leading your own Blue Angel team, whether it's your family, your coworkers, your employees, or volunteers in your nonprofit. If you want to get more done, in less time, and get it done right the first time, you've got to Plan, Prepare, and then Execute/Evaluate.

This is how High-Performance Teams, individuals, and organizations stand out from the rest. They are seen as "the best of the best", and people seek them out for that reason.

If you're willing to settle for less than Black Belt Excellence, you and those you're leading will never rise to the ranks of becoming Black Belt Masters at your chosen craft, profession, or trade. Remember, anybody can do mediocre or average...but it takes something more to be exceptional.

No one flocks to the airshow to see mediocre, average, or lackluster.

Neither will they seek you out if you're settling for less.

Lesson learned, Blue Angels. Thank you.