Flight Crews Don’t Decide Where To Fly

On most flights, this crew is working together for the first time. A given flight’s crew usually didn’t train together. Often, they don’t see the exact plane they need to operate until they step aboard. How does a group of people who have never met fly 100 people in a 600-metric-ton metal tube across the world so safely?

My best guess: Nobody has to decide where to fly.



To work productively, make sure you don’t have to decide where to go. Work with stakeholders to set missions, KPIs, OKRs, milestones, or just plain old goals before the team steps foot onto the proverbial plane. In-flight, try to avoid re-evaluating the goal. Land the plane safely with a solid report-out and retrospective, before asking where to go next. Try to make switching teams between projects seamless.



The above advice works for big initiatives, 2-week sprints, and 30-minute meetings — especially 30-minute meetings.Flight Crews Don't Decide Where To Fly

Brilliant piece by Matthew Ström that I'm likely to reference and return to many times over the next years.