When nobody around you seems to measure up, it’s time to check your yardstick.
– Bill Lemley
It was October 30, 1935 the Army Air Corp was testing and evaluating the Boeing fighter Model 299 at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. John Schamel writes:
The aircraft made a normal taxi and takeoff. It began a smooth climb, but then suddenly stalled. The aircraft turned on one wing and fell, bursting into flames upon impact.Putt, Benton, and Igo – although seriously burned – were able to stagger out of the wreckage to the arriving safety crews. Hill and Tower were trapped in the wreckage but were rescued by First Lieutenant Robert Giovannoli, who made two trips into the burning aircraft to rescue both men.
The investigation found “Pilot Error” as the cause. Hill, unfamiliar with the aircraft, had neglected to release the elevator lock prior to take off. Once airborne, Tower evidently realized what was happening and tried to reach the lock handle, but it was too late.
It appeared that the Model 299 was dead. Some newspapers had dubbed it as ‘too much plane for one man to fly.’ Most of the aircraft contracts went to the runner-up, the Douglas DB-1. Some serious pleading and politicking by Air Corps officers gave Boeing a chance to keep the Model 299 project alive – 13 aircraft were ordered for ‘further testing’.
The 2nd Group’s operations were closely watched by Boeing, Congress, and the War Department. Any further accidents or incidents with the Model 299 would end its career. Commanders made this quite clear to all the crews.
The pilots sat down and put their heads together. What was needed was some way of making sure that everything was done; that nothing was overlooked. What resulted was a pilot’s checklist… These checklists for the pilot and co-pilot made sure that nothing was forgotten.
With the checklists, careful planning, and rigorous training, the twelve aircraft managed to fly 1.8 million miles without a serious accident. The U.S. Army accepted the Model 299, and eventually ordered 12,731 of the aircraft they numbered the B-17.
Why a pilot’s check-list? It provided some way of making sure that everything was done; that nothing was overlooked. It can be a matter of life and death … success or failure.
Prepare for Take-off
While a pilot’s check-list deals with matters of life and death … clearly setting expectations affects our leadership success or failure. I believe effectively setting expectations is a key to lowering relationship frustration and achieving high performance.
To accomplish your desired outcomes in business, career, or personal relationships expectations must be expressed and examined if they are to be executed.
What did you expect?
Expectations are a constant, whether we recognized them or not. We will do well to pay attention to this leadership ability.
One primary indicator of unfulfilled expectations is frustration. When frustrated, notice how often it starts with an unmet expectations … whether with oneself or others.
Answering the question: “What do you expect?” there is another question:
What did they hear?
When someone fails to meet your expectation what is your first response?
Sure, disappointment or exasperation is natural when plans are hindered or our desires go unmet. Instead of giving way to the frustration, aggravation, annoyance, disappointment, or even anger … what if we take these emotional prompts to examine our expectations?
Unnatural as it may feel in the moment, it is time to examine how well we communicated. As an alternative to blame consider looking for the truth in the story.
That Yellow Light!
When do you like “hitting a yellow light”? At the pace of life, most of us would say: “Never!”
You are a busy leader. Everyone is busy. Who isn’t being asked to do more with less? So, who has time to slow down in order to set expectations? Do you thik pilots are in a hurry to get there? Yet, they take the time to examine what he expects from his aircraft … it is a matter of life or death.
When coaching around expectations I provide my clients a “pilot’s check-list”; while rarely a matter of life or death, poorly set expectations often lead to failure.
When we recognize frustration as a yellow light, warning us to stop, think, and examine the story, we will enjoy higher performance and greater success. As you prepare for the conversation, consider asking such questions as:
- What do I expect? Dig deep for the details…
- What is critical information around this expectation?
- How reasonable is the expectation?
- What did they hear? Do I have their buy-in? Ask them to repeat, in their own words what you expect…
- What are the ramifications if this doesn’t happen? Rewards? Consequences?
- How will I coach them through to the finish?
John Schamel notes the success achieved after the “pilot check list” was put into play.
With the checklists, careful planning, and rigorous training, the twelve aircraft managed to fly 1.8 million miles without a serious accident. The U.S. Army accepted the Model 299, and eventually ordered 12,731 of the aircraft they numbered the B-17.
What’s your experience?
- How well are you setting expectations?
- Where are you experiencing frustration … how does it relate to unfulfilled expectations?
- Who are you frustrated with … yourself or others?
- How might you improve expressing and examining expectations?
Please share your comments below.
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