When CEOs are “In the Barrel”
I love listening to fighter pilots tell stories, especially Navy pilots. Years ago a former pilot and friend described a phenomenon common to almost every naval aviator at least once in his career. He called it being “in the barrel.” It goes something like this – it’s a stormy night, fifteen foot seas, visibility zero, and the pilot is trying land his craft on a bobbing postage stamp on a black ocean in the black of night. Conditions worsen; fuel drops below the red line. The plane quickly descends and the pilot becomes convinced he will not make it. In his mind and heart he’s dead or soon will be. In that moment something horribly wonderful happens – the pilot faces his own death. A few seconds later several tons of steel drops on the carrier deck, the cable catches and the engines shut down. He’s safe…. safe….but never again the same man.
Take a look at this amazing picture taken last week of a Canadian pilot who ejected 100 feet above the ground before his F18 obliterated. The pilot escaped with only minor injuries.
If this pilot had never previously entered the barrel in his experience behind the stick, he certainly rifled in at that moment. My guess is he had a least one previous barrel experience in his career. Calculated risk and “crash and burn” failure are occupational hazards for a fighter pilot; the same is true for CEOs in this economy. Listen to my friend Alex Howell, former TOP GUN winner and current successful CEO, provide insight on the cross pollination of naval aviation and business leadership:
CEO as Fighter Pilot from Brent Sapp on Vimeo.
Naval aviators, Special Forces and Navy Seals all use a “circular” battlefield decision process that enables them to use essential intel to make split-second decisions in order to remain maneuverable and win!
I’ll discuss the secrets of this battle-tested process in my next post. I call it the Six Secret Steps to Split Second Decisions. The fact that you’ve faced the “death” of your company at some point directly contributes to your ability not to scare easy. But as a CEO who wants to stay maneuverable and WIN, you’ll find the Six Steps practical and fascinating.
Brent Sapp
