Becoming a Top Gun

by Ron White

( The film Top Gun is one remarkable movie I watched growing up. That film made Tom Cruise one of my Hollywood's Screen Idols. I think it is a breakthrough film for him. The lesson on that film and on this post is exactly the same and that is Fail to Make Excuses. See you at the Top! )

I want you to get this image in your head...

In international waters an aircraft carrier is busy with movement. Flight deck crews are safely directing aircraft. The air traffic controller is giving commands. Pilots are throttling their engines and sailors are swiftly and precisely preparing for a mission at 07:30. The mission is for a squadron of F-18 Hornets to take flight, but there is one problem: one of the cockpits is empty.

At 07:28 a young pilot, scarfing down a donut and chugging a cup of coffee, is smiling and laughing as he scampers toward his aircraft still zipping his flight suit. He grins and says, "Sorry guys, it was one of those Murphy's Law mornings [or traffic was bad or something else]. Sorry I am late."

Was that hard for you to picture? It was for me, because we all know that military pilots are some of the most trained and disciplined people on the planet. And in this scenario that lack of attention to detail would affect an entire mission and very possibly cost lives.

In life and business an often overlooked component to success is attention to detail and precision. If you want to be the best of the best, if you want to be the “Top Gun” of your organization, the only way to achieve that mark is to fail to make excuses, and more important, to fail to put yourself in a position where you have to make excuses. 

A true “Top Gun” will pay attention to the smallest detail and this means:

1. Realizing when you fail to meet expectations, you impact your entire team and customers. There is a difference between risking and failing and failing because you were sloppy.

2. Becoming an expert at preparation. In the military this is called the pre-flight briefing. You better have a pre-flight briefing before every sales call, business day or meeting to organize your thoughts and actions.

3. Every mission has an objective. Never make a sales call or business contact without a clearly stated and defined objective. A military pilot would never take off just to see what will happen. Have an objective.

This is how you become a “Top Gun”!