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The Standard Is the Standard
So one of the elements of creating a really high functioning — and let’s even call it elite — organization is the ability and willingness to hold each other to a very high standard. And so we found that at TOPGUN that was incredibly important. I mean, we had the saying that, “The standard is the standard.” A lot of what we did was based on life and death circumstances, you know, you had to meet that standard of performance. And if you didn’t, not only would you potentially lose your own life, but more importantly, I think, the men and women around you might lose their life because of your shortcoming. While a lot of us not wearing a uniform are not faced with that daily life and death decision, I think that that same principle can still equally apply to everything you’re doing. Because what I have found — especially in my walk in civilian life — is a lot of times organizations will almost bend over backwards to prevent giving information to people that they don’t necessarily want to hear. You know, to avoid those hard truths.
It’s very easy for us to take it personally, as the saying goes, you don’t want to call the baby ugly, right? You want to be able to say, “Oh, everything’s great all the time.” And the reality is I think most people in organizations realize there’s always something I, as an individual, can be doing better. And that becomes really important. I grew up in an environment where like, I think like most of us do, where you want to succeed, you want to do well. And not only that, but I think you want to be recognized and given that positive affirmation as you move forward. And it was an incredible challenge for me the first couple years of my experience as a fighter pilot, where you would conduct a mission or you would give a briefing and then you would get debriefed on your performance and more senior individuals would tell you all of these things you had done improperly, here were the things you could do better. But of course, I think a lot of times, all we hear is “You did this wrong.” That’s not the case at all. It’s because you owe an obligation to each other, as professionals to help each other, learn and grow and achieve your best and fullest potential.
Getting the Most Out of Constructive Criticism
Anytime you receive unsolicited feedback, it can be a challenge. But I’d say, there’s really two components here. The first is be willing and receptive to receive it. Come to that with the realization that an individual’s not offering it to you to hurt you. On the contrary, they’re offering it to you to make you stronger, to make you better. It could feel uncomfortable, but like anything in life, the more you do it, the more you’ve become comfortable with being uncomfortable. They’re highlighting something that you could have done better. And it’s your choice to open that door and walk through it, that you want to be better. And that’s the very nature of being a professional. I think the other element is that you can kind of flip this whole concept on its head. And instead of being passive and simply receiving feedback, you can actively cultivate it. You can actively seek it. And that’s where I thought I really learned and grew immensely from was just this culture within the US military, and specifically at TOPGUN, where you not only were willing to accept constructive criticism, you found a way to actively pursue it, to seek it from others.
You can find very appropriate times throughout your career, and we all know it — sometimes you feel like things are just a little bit off. You’re not kind of firing on all cylinders. That’s the perfect time to seek out someone you trust, could be a peer, could be a subordinate, could be someone who’s higher in the food chain. It doesn’t matter. Frankly, I’d recommend all three. But you find these individuals that you trust and you simply ask them, “Hey, I’d love some constructive feedback right now. Here’s what I’m perceiving. Are you seeing the same thing I am? And if you are, what would you recommend as a positive way forward?” Right? So you’re not putting yourself in a passive situation where you’re going to receive feedback or information maybe at a time where you’re not anticipating it. You’re creating those moments in time, you’re creating the opportunities for someone to help you become the best professional you can possibly be. And in doing so, it’s not just about you or the individual you’re talking to it’s about taking that whole organization and taking it to the next level, taking it to a level where everyone feels comfortable with that type of environment. And that will create an organization that’s even more elite than it is today.