Peak Business Performance Under Pressure: A Navy Ace Shows How to Make Great Decisions in the Heat of Business Battles

by Bill Driscoll, Peter Joffre Nye, John McCain (Foreword)

In enemy airspace, high above the treetops of North Vietnam, two US F-4 Phantom jet fighters have downed their fifth enemy plane, thus securing their new status as “Aces.” The skies are finally quiet, and the safety of the ocean is just ahead. But in that brief moment of victory, they are blindsided by a surface-to-air missile.

Bill “Willy” Driscoll, one of the most highly decorated Naval Flight Officers of the alast fifty years, demonstrates how his TOPGUN training prepared him for both life-or-death aerial dogfights and the demands of difficult business decisions. His remarkable military experiences, his 26-year award-winning career in the highly competitive Southern California commercial real estate market, and personal interviews with twenty-six other Ace pilots and over 200 business executives serve as a blueprint for achieving extraordinary results under the most difficult circumstances organizations face each day.

Topics include preparation, risk assessment, team building, focus and listening, self-evaluation and improvement, avoiding pitfalls, and much more.

Genres: Leadership, Business

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[BT Philips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Driscoll takes good lessons learned from his career flying in combat during the Vietnam War, and through his involvement in the TOPGUN program to illustrate principles and disciplines that led him to success even into his post-military career. I also appreciate the insight from US Navy promotion boards and aircraft carrier operations (to name a couple military-related examples) that is used to glean some of the same principles.

Planning+Preparation+Focus+Assessment+Improvement+Self-Discipline = Peak Performance

Here are some notes from each of Mr. Driscoll's 6 principles discussed:

Planning
Strategic, Operational, Tactical
- Strategic: Thought out 18 months in advance at a maximum. One should have a strategic plan written out.
- Operational: Having the resources arranged to execute strategically. Therefore, must fall in line with strategy to support it.
- Tactical: Your daily plan. It should also have a linkage to operational plus strategic and can change with those.
Daily Action Plan: List your things to get done for the day and prioritize them.

Preparation
- Know your mission.
- Know your business. Read and research your field of work. Know the metrics and history about it.
- Know your own capabilities. With that, take good physical care of yourself so that it can facilitate other aspects of your life.
- Know your people. Show genuine interest in them and get to know about them. Listen intently to them.

Focus
- Work on the right tasks at pertinent times (in the same essence as how we should prioritize certain items on our daily list for completion).
- Pay attention to the things that you stand to gain the most from. Make your decisions around enhancing that.

Assessment
- Measure personal performance based on job skills, determination to carry out the work, confidence that can be inspired in self as well as others, and people skills.
- Team Measurement: Look at how members score on their situational awareness. Tally up the "goods" and "others" elements of their work.
- Delegate, lessen micromanaging, don’t procrastinate, network with contemporaries in your business, and remain accountable to build the benchmarks for success.

Improvement
Personal Leadership Improvement
- To effectively lead your team: 1) Care about the opinions of your team members 2) Lead by example 3) Do not hesitate to give other team members the credit
- Look for the best performers in the business and seek mentorship opportunities from them.
- Seek feedback from your clients and use their input to find ways to improve.
Team Improvement
- Integrity in the people that are on the team.
- People skills amongst team members and a chemistry between them that can help them perform better together.
- Confidence in team members so that they can steadily succeed.

Self-Discipline
- Face your fears with discipline, avoid self-inflicted mistakes with it, and let your core values be upheld by it no matter how hard it might be at certain times. In the long-run self-discipline in these arenas will lead to success and financial gain.
- Balance in Life: Be optimistic, kind, and grateful. It takes discipline to show these characteristics in all your interactions, business and personal.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, Concise and Actionable

This is an easy to read book that covers off the basics of what it takes to be successful in all spheres of a persons life. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a pithy reminder and guide to help them achieve a better quality of life.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty fascinating and interesting read.

[Chandler Swallow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick important read, starts a bit elementary but finishes at the executive level and the most important human level. A good complement to Covey’s 7 Habits.