Observe and Absorb

As many of you know, I have moved into a new position with Lockheed Martin. I am now the Flight Operations Manager for Skunk Works. This of this like the Director of Operations or Ops Officer for a squadron. It's a big move as I went from being an "Individual Contributor" as the Chief Test Pilot for the U-2 to now being a "Leader" for Lockheed Martin. I highlight the names of these positions to highlight some of the small changes (position titles) that I am adapting to as compared to my time while active duty in the Air Force.

My move into this position comes at a time when 2 key positions also became unoccupied. 1 position shall be filled soon, the other comes with a requirement of patience as it is being realigned into a new organizational structure that we (by we, I mean the leadership well above me) are working to evolve to. So, if you're tracking the few things that I've mentioned already, you can see that there is big change happening. Skunk Works ops execution is still ongoing, airplanes are still flying, engineers are still engineering, etc. So as I work to build out my new battle rhythm, I am choosing to adopt what was taught to me in the Air Force when I moved into a new position, observe and absorb.

Observe

It's easy to roll into a new role/job and want to flip the tables and make changes. If that's your style, than I hope it comes with relationships in that role that are expecting that. Across 21 years in the Air Force, I found it best to roll in and observe. One can't possibly expect to know the levels of efficiency that exist or the positives and negatives of the relationships amongst the team members. There are so many variables that you need to learn about and collect multiple data points on. I choose to do this while working to establish relationships or bolster those already established, with the team I am now a part of. These relationships will only help to build upon what you observe within this new workforce FROM the perspective of the new position you are in.

It's also important to remember that you need your new team to observe YOU. The professional relationships that are built are 2 way roads. I always encourage feedback from my team members while affording them the same. This feedback is important as it helps not only to make changes/adapt with the new team, but may also provide insight into personal improvements that haven't yet been identified. All of this from the simple act of observing.

Absorb

ab*sorb: 1. take in or soak up by chemical or physical action. 2. take up the attention of (someone); interest greatly

Absorbing inputs/data/feedback is MORE than just listening. You must be attentive to what it is you are listening to/reading/hearing/experiencing. Once you absorb the data/input, then and only then can you process it and position yourself to act on it. There is patience due in this step as absorption can sometimes be quick or take a long time. Your mind coupled with your personality and way of thinking processes at a certain rate. Know this about yourself and posture yourself appropriately. Keep yourself in check when making a decision/implementing an action to soon or too late.

To help ensure I am absorbing what I need to, I have my methods of jotting down notes in my style and breaking them up into groups appropriately. It's funny, as I had started on this journey, I reached out to an old coworker (now I consider him a friend) for some advice. I also learned he and his cohorts had authored some books which I am now reading. In one chapter, it is mentioned that during training, they were taught to identify the "near rocks and far rocks." This is a term all to familiar to me as that is exactly what my father taught me from my childhood. I have always broken up my tasks/actions into near rocks and far rocks and have thrived from it. I mention this because this process helps me to absorb the data, prioritize it appropriately, develop a plan, then act on it.

Personal Conclusion

I am not a teacher, a consultant, a high ranking official. I just thought that I'd start sharing some simple thoughts like this as it may help others in their endeavors. This is daunting for me as the transition into the civilian sector, while thankfully not that turbulent, is still something I am getting used to. I find that sharing thoughts like this also helps me to identify aspects that I may be to "military" on in my new civilian position. I will say this, one of the things I have absolutely enjoyed the most is helping my larger Lockheed team tie their specific work/duty to real world mission effectivity. More on that later.

Tailwinds All!

Tank #850 / XRAY69