Avoid, Trap, Mitigate – The Leadership Flight Plan

In both aviation and business, errors happen. What defines an error, and how we manage it, can mean the difference between staying on course or facing a major setback. Today, we’re looking at how Threat and Error Management (TEM), a proven approach in aviation, can be applied to your business leadership strategy.

What Is an Error?

An error is any action or inaction that leads to a deviation from:

• Intentions or expectations
• Safety margins, expected operations/results
• An increased likelihood of adverse events

Whether it’s a missed step in a business process or a wrong decision in operations, errors can derail progress. So how do we, as leaders, prevent, catch, and correct these errors? Let’s take inspiration from Aviation Threat and Error Management (TEM) and apply its principles to business leadership.

The TEM Framework for Managing Errors

1. Avoid: Establish clear rules, protocols, and procedures. Just like aviation relies on strict regulations, your business should have well-defined processes that guide decision-making and minimize ambiguity. These could include standard operating procedures, routine checks, and clear communication strategies. The stronger your protocols, the fewer unexpected challenges.
2. Trap: Use backup systems and co-leaders to catch errors before they escalate. In aviation, co-pilots or other team members can trap errors early. In business, this can mean having strong internal controls, peer reviews, or technology systems that catch problems before they snowball. Encourage a culture where double-checking and collaborative problem-solving are second nature.
3. Mitigate: Stabilize the situation until a long-term fix is in place. If an error has already led to an undesirable state—whether it’s a project setback or a market challenge—leaders must act quickly to stabilize the situation. This could mean implementing a temporary solution while devising a long-term plan, preventing further fallout.

Managing External Threats

In both aviation and business, some events are beyond your control. These external threats can increase the complexity of your operations and demand swift attention from your leadership team. In business, external threats might include sudden shifts in the market, economic downturns, new regulatory pressures, or supply chain disruptions. These challenges, like unforeseen weather conditions or mechanical failures in aviation, require proactive risk management. The key is to acknowledge these external forces as soon as possible, anticipate their potential impact, and equip your team to respond with agility and resilience.

Two Categories of Threats

1. Environmental Threats: These are factors outside your control, such as economic changes, new regulations, or competitor actions. Like high terrain or bad weather in aviation, they require foresight and careful navigation.
2. Internal Threats: These come from within your organization’s operations—such as communication breakdowns, outdated processes, or resource shortages. These are the equivalent of in-flight issues like malfunctioning systems or errors in the flight plan.

Bottom Line: Threats Come AT the Team

In aviation, threats literally come at the crew, and it's their job to respond quickly and effectively. In business, the same principle applies—threats will inevitably come at your team. The key is to anticipate, avoid, trap, and mitigate these threats before they impact your organization’s trajectory.

By adopting the TEM framework in your leadership approach, you can turn errors into opportunities for learning and growth. Just like in aviation, where safety is never compromised, business leaders should ensure that every error or threat becomes a steppingstone for improvement.

Power your team to peak performance!

Subscribe and like,

Dennis Mellen, Full Throttle Leadership

Speaker, author, coach!

?