January is here, so it’s no surprise that the word around the watercooler is well-intentioned talk about resolutions. The first month of every year always starts off with big promises. But I offer you this wisdom: a one-time pledge doesn’t fare as well as a long-term commitment.
Resolutions don’t deliver consistent high performance. Discipline does. Precision does. Repetition does.
When I was flying F-15Es in the Air Force, we had to run checklists to execute every mission, every time. The system--the mission planning, the brief, preflight and airborne checklists, execution, constant crosschecks, and the final debrief after every flight--is what kept us safe and effective in the jet when the margin for error was zero. The muscle memory and practice are what made successful missions possible.
THE CHECKLIST PRINCIPLE
Whether it’s in a cockpit or a conference room, the strongest leaders don’t make commitments that they can’t sustain. They develop habits to support their actions; they build routines that become non-negotiable standards for peak performance; and they create systems and processes that work even when turbulence arises. This is the Checklist Principle--how you create routines for streamlined, systematic excellence.
WHAT LEADERS SHOULD DO THIS MONTH
This month should be less about what you hope to achieve and more about what you will do to stimulate growth, maintain momentum, and sustain excellence. Start by asking yourself these three important questions:
➀ What should I include on my preflight checklist for leading my team?
➁ What systems will I put in place to keep my team moving forward?
➂ What standards am I establishing as non-negotiables?
Just as fighter pilots walk around the jet before every flight, checklist in hand, leaders should define what they’ll do before every team interaction. What will you consistently do before every meeting, every week, every quarter?
Your answers to these questions will become your operating system for leadership excellence. Daily check-ins with team members… weekly debriefs on what’s going well and what needs improvement… monthly team feedback sessions… quarterly performance reviews…whatever you address, the bottom line is this: CONSISTENCY IS KEY. Choosing discipline over an individual resolution will lead to success because excellence isn’t a single event. It’s a checklist you run every single day.
