Page 63 - Never Fly Solo

36 | NEVER FLY SOLO
warehouse with his workers. Measures such as these promote
team culture and effectiveness like nothing else.

USE YOUR CHASE SHIP FOR BATTLE
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

After every training and combat mission, fighter pilots line up
as “two-ships” and methodically maneuver under and behind
each other’s aircraft to observe any structural damage, leaks,
bird strikes, and so on that may have gone unnoticed during
the mission. We call this a “battle damage check” and put our
trust in our wingmen to look over every detail to make sure the
jet is perfect before we head back home. If there is a problem,
an emergency is declared, and a chase ship is assigned to the
problem aircraft. No wingman is ever left to handle a problem
on his own. Just as Lieutenant Colonel Shiban helped Captain
Rose land safely, we, too, need to be wingmen to each other
and be ready to perform chase-ship duties on short notice.
Imagine how such a practice could affect your work life.
In today’s challenging economy, with the “missiles” of
layoffs, budget cuts, high unemployment, diminishing invest-
ments, foreclosures, and high-pressure work environments,
sooner or later we’re all going to get shot at, take some hits,
and receive some battle damage. The key is, let’s not get shot
down. And that also means not letting our wingmen get shot
down.
We can do this by checking our wingmen’s six and being
a chase ship when we see one of them struggling. We can lend
our wings to our partners and peers at home and at work. We
can provide as much mutual support, encouragement, and
feedback as possible and call out “Break right!” when neces-
sary. We can make sure they have “three green” and are cleared
to land.