As a kid, I wanted to be a fighter pilot so I spent 7 years as an Air Cadet (No. Not space cadet!) learning as much as I could about flying. During our classes on flight planning, I learned about a variety of pre-flight plotting steps that could definitely be useful to a business owner looking to ensure that their company remains on their intended course.
Pilots rarely fly a straight line from departure point to point of destination. Ground elevation and restricted airspace often force them to plot changes in direction multiple times along their route. Adding variations in prevailing winds along each leg of the journey creates a variety of concerns including fuel requirements or being redirected in an entirely different direction.
Distance or Checkpoint Markers
Knowing your final destination is great, but there should always be some way to measure your performance and ensure that you remain on course. Pilots use distance markers (some gauge by time others use measured distance) along their plotted route so that they can check and recheck their heading to ensure they’re on the right track.
As a business owner, you can consider these destination markers your milestone goals on the way to your ultimate destination. If you’re looking to launch a new piece of software you might consider beta testing, final revisions and finalizing the advertising campaign your destination markers (distance). If you’re a retailer looking to increase your annual sales percentage than monthly percentage increments would be yours (time).
10 Degree Drift Lines
Pilots use 10 degree drift lines to allow for some measure of flexibility along the course. These are lines plotted between your points of departure and destination (be they final destination or turning point) at 10 degrees on either side of your direct route. These lines are used as a reference area whereby one can simply identify and recalculate their heading in order to get back on course. These lines allow for some flexibility whether you decide to do a bit of sight-seeing or to allow for shifts in wind that push you off your course.
As a business owner, you can consider unexpected shifts in market conditions as your wind and sight-seeing would be comparable to your testing of alternative innovations. Discovering that a competitor is attempting a comparable software launch might encourage you to alter your course to launch sooner than expected (wind), or one of your employees may have an idea for an improvement that you may want to spend some time exploring (sight-seeing). A retailer who has a new competitor pop up may require them to expand their advertising efforts in order to remain on course (wind), or perhaps there is a new supply or distribution method you may want to explore (sight-seeing).
Fuel Reserve
A pilot always allows for a bit of extra fuel just in case. When winds change and push them off course they must then fly into the wind to get back on track which results in more fuel consumption than expected. Also, if they happen to take a bit of a sight-seeing tour they will need a bit more fuel to accommodate too.
A business owner’s fuel is their resources, be they time (personal or employee) or money. Whenever attempting an undertaking it’s always a must to ensure that you have enough resources to reach your destination, and allowing for some reserve will provide some flexibility in the event of unexpected changes and to allow for some testing of alternative innovations along the way.
Whatever undertaking you’re planning I encourage you to ensure that you have – not only the resources to achieve them – but a little bit extra so that you can attempt any innovative ideas along the way and combat any unexpected forces that work against you. Having a clearly defined route with destination markers along the way will help you better understand whether you need some slight adjustments mid-flight and help make sure you and your passengers arrive safely at your destination.
What sort of pre-flight planning does your company undergo when planning a new undertaking?