Page 101 - Never Fly Solo

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relationship, an account, a project, or a job. The mutual trust
of a wingman relationship makes it possible to avoid this fate.
Accountability is the other primary ingredient of a wing-
man relationship. First, great wingmen “chair fly.” They are
highly trained and prepare relentlessly for every mission. They
take courageous action to do the right thing. They provide
emotional and intellectual support when you call for help.
They identify stressors and take personal responsibility to
intervene. They listen actively. And they know when to ask
for help from you. All these activities require a high level of
accountability that refuses to cater to the ego. It’s one thing
for an ill-prepared, unreliable coworker to call you out. How
does that feel? But it’s another feeling altogether when a reli-
able, well-prepared coworker calls you out on something that
is questionable or misdirected. Clearly, the latter is easier to
receive. When this standard is established up front in your
work partnerships, the instinctive behavior of every person
moves the mission forward, making progress—even immedi-
ate progress—possible every day.

SECURING YOUR BEST WINGMEN

The process of identifying the wingmen around you begins
with observation. Look around and identify the people in
your professional life who have rock-solid integrity and are
consistently on time and on target. Yes, they may be your
friends, and they may be people you interact with regularly.
They may also be people you have only watched from a dis-
tance. Don’t make the mistake of shrinking the pool of poten-
tial wingmen to people you already know. If the best wingmen
are outside your circle, then step outside. Think outside the