Flying in the Face of Fear

Chapter 7THE FIGHTER PILOT DEBRIEF

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

—Booker T. Washington

Figure 7.1 Debriefing our April 7, 2003 sortie with our maintenance team. I wish I could remember what I wrote in the maintenance log book … Code 3 Battle Damage—hydraulic systems inoperative, approximately 600 holes, needs sheet metal work?

OWNING ACCOUNTABILITY

Perfection is a goal, never a reality, in a fighter pilot's mind. We're always striving to improve, and a fighter pilot debrief allows us to do just that. In a debrief, we talk about our mission objectives. Did we meet them? Where did we succeed and where did we fail? We check our rank at the door so the more junior members can input freely and can provide feedback to the more senior members in the flight. We hold each other accountable. We don't take it personally because it's important that we all learn from each other's mistakes. By shifting our focus to identify suboptimal outcomes (not just talking about what we did well), to identify their causes, and to act on lessons learned, we drive cultural change within our organization. Cultural change ensures we evolve as a team, meet ever‐evolving requirements, and can excel in a competitive environment.

THE COMBAT DEBRIEF

After we ...