Checklist for Success
Lessons from the Cockpit
© 2009 by John Tillison
1. Train to gain. Get comfortable with the push. In other words, stretch yourself to reach higher plateaus of achievement. This may be outside your comfort zone but the process will lead to an amazing realization…that you’re capable of much more than you had thought. You will feel better about yourself and others will respect your new ability to actually train yourself to hit the targets you set! Therefore ditch the familiar, step outside your comfort zone and prepare to experience real freedom!
2. Follow a flight plan. To assure the quickest most effective route to your objective, know how, when and why you’ll reach your destination. Write your plan, goal or priority down on paper for better clarity and for daily reference. Maintain a “big picture” perspective. Step back and do a reality check. Ask yourself, “am I going in the right direction? Dose this course make sense?” Is this the very best way to get there…or is there a more effective route? Once the correct route is decided, stick to the plan.
3. Refrain from panic. Panic is the pilot’s (and your) worse enemy. If you’re having a bad day and your mind begins to spin into a negative graveyard spiral of defeat, holler out “stop!” if you must. Talk yourself up, confer with your crew (a friend, family member, co-worker or coach), or refer to your written goal plan. Anything to pull out of the spiral. Regardless of how hopeless your circumstances may appear, you’ll have 500% better results affirming “I can handle this” rather than thinking “I’m toast”.
4. Manage task saturation Sometime during this next week, you will mostly be exposed to The Silent Killer, code name: “task saturation”. This is where you will simply have too many things to do with too little time to do them. The result will be a subtle, perhaps even unconscious shutting down of your problem solving ability. In aviation, this is absolutely unacceptable. For your success, it is also unacceptable! One way to manage TS (as well as a number of other skills) is through “armchair flying” (see below).
5. Practice “armchair flying”. Simulation and visualization are an important part of flight training. Emergencies, malfunctions or distractions are all rehearsed before the event ever takes place. You can benefit from this as well. How is this done? Let’s say the people and the pressure at work are getting to you. Too much to do in too little time. (remember task saturation?) Find a quiet place to sit and clearly simulate a calm, cool response. When others are uptight, see yourself relaxing, remaining serene when customers, coworkers or the boss go ballistic. Visualize yourself in total control in the mists of chaos. See every detail. The more you practice, the more real (and effective) the process becomes.
6. Expect turbulence. Pilots by their very nature are mentally prepared to deal with unexpected surprises. They “expect turbulence”. This is not negative thinking but a higher form of positive thinking. By anticipating tough times you are in a sense affirming, “I can handle it”. Instead of simply hoping nothing goes wrong, when you attack the problem from the angle of prepared anticipation, you will perform better in the throes of trouble.
7. Have an Alternate. By law when a pilot flies in bad weather, he or she must have an alternate destination on file. Make contingency planning part of your game plan. Should your primary plan fizzle and fail, you want to have a clear and unambiguous alternate in mind. You do not want to wallow in pity or wishful thinking about how it “could have been”. Scrap the failed destination quickly and move on to your alternate preplanned course of action.
8. Stay on Target. A pilot doesn’t have the luxury of meandering aimlessly lest he or she runs out of fuel and fails to arrive at all! Your ability to single-mindedly focus on your goal and stay with it until completion is the one thing that will guarantee you’re your successful outcome. Like the pilot battling a tough storm, you must ruthlessly maintain your heading so as to progress through the rough spots. Therefore take bold steps to maintain your focus. If necessary, turn off the cell phone, unplug the TV, or pack up your lap top and head to the local Motel 6! Whatever it takes to concentrate and keep your goal upper most in your mind.
9. Pre and post brief. With every flight, a good pilot will review the objective. What is the plan of attack? Then once completed, review how it could have been better. This simple process will make you life more in sync with each and every personal endeavor you pursue. Seek excellence in everything you do. Ask yourself, how could I do better next time. Do this and you will see your workplace (and life) change for the better, by virtue of a simple pre and post-brief analysis.
10. Never Give Up! You are going to face situations beyond your “perceived” capabilities. Where everything will appear hopeless, out of control, and so screwed up you’ll want to throw in the towel. But that is precisely the time you must hunker down, hold on, and fight. Life has an odd way of taking us right up the edge of the cliff, and just as we are pushed off…we get wings. Of all the people we’ve interviewed, the one common denominator that helped extract them from an “impossible” circumstance was their mindset: Giving up was not an option. Work on building the same indomitable spirit. By law of nature, blue skies follow every storm. Don’t give up. Instead, prepare not to just survive, but thrive. Do this and you will become free…and unstoppable.
Final Note: If this checklist resonates with you, we have a whole series of high performance audio tapes designed to help you succeed in the shortest time possible. Coach yourself while you drive to work or simply listen and relax at home. If you order our new book, Hell Trains, Planes & Parachutes – Creating Crashproof Excellence in Your Life, we will include the Aim High audio coaching program as a thank you gift. Both book and CD’s are jam-packed with information you will use again and again. When you order, be sure to tell us if you want the book autographed with a personal note of encouragement by the author.
Here’s to your higher success!
John Tillison
www.tillison.com
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