Page 55 - Never Fly Solo

28 | NEVER FLY SOLO
don’t respond to a threat immediately, you’re dead. How
often does this hold true in business?
Today, your speed to market your product, meet customer
demands, adapt to changing technology, and correct a nega-
tive course are critical to survival, let alone success. If your
boss, the market, or your customer says, “Break right,” you’d
better listen. Respond too slowly, and your career, your sale,
or even your company is vulnerable to a fatal blow. The object
lessons are everywhere: the rapid and complete transforma-
tion of the photo industry by the digital transition, the shift-
ing sands of the computer industry owing to constant
technological innovations, and the floundering domestic auto
industry all demonstrate the critical importance of speed to
market.

THE THREE KEY COMPONENTS OF
CHECKING SIX

Capt. Chris Rose of the District of Columbia Air National
Guard was returning to Andrews Air Force Base from a train-
ing mission June 27, 1996, when his F-16C Fighting Falcon
had a flameout at thirteen thousand feet. He was forced to land
the fighter at Elizabeth City Air Station in North Carolina,
fifteen miles from the point of engine failure. His fellow fighter
pilots worked as a team to get him on the ground safely.
With no engine and gliding on backup power, he had his
team of wingmen with him the whole way—two F-16s above
and one, piloted by Lt. Col. Vince Shiban, flying in chase
formation behind him. Shiban alerted the tower about the
emergency. The only thing Rose had to do was glide the plane
in and hope its electrical backup system worked. Not as easy
as it sounds.