The Importance of Situational Awareness

One of the many things learning to fly taught me, although I didn’t really understand or fully appreciate it at the time, was that I could spend all the time I wanted on flight planning, but the minute my airplane left the ground, that flight plan may already be obsolete. For one thing, even if I obtained my weather briefing within an hour of takeoff, the forecast for weather enroute or for my destination airport may have already changed.

A pilot [or any other human being] has no control over changes in the weather, but we do have the ability to visually and electronically monitor weather conditions as we fly. By monitoring the weather conditions and anticipating how those conditions could change our route of flight or weather at our destination, we can determine if we need to make any changes to our original flight plan. This very simple example illustrates the importance of maintaining “situational awareness” in order to ensure a safe flight (i.e., a successful outcome).

Safe flights, like other successful event outcomes, do not happen by chance; they happen because of careful planning and then the pilot-in-command (aka the planner) being willing to modify, change, or otherwise tweak the original plan as new information becomes available. In fact, in this aviation scenario, the weather could actually change enough to make completing this flight in this type of aircraft unsafe, and therefore, the flight should be cancelled.

So why should anything I’ve written so far be of interest to CFP readers? Here is my answer. When I watch Donald J. Trump and the high-achieving individuals he has nominated for his Cabinet and other critical leadership positions, I see a person who wants to have a “a leadership team,” who will keep our country and citizens safe and informed while moving us closer to our ultimate destination and goal of Making American Great Again.

President Trump is a smart man. He knows he cannot accomplish his many goals for America without the wise counsel and hard work of others who not only have a great deal of experience as highly successful business leaders, managers, and innovators in diverse industries, but who also have the personal courage to make difficult, and sometimes unpopular decisions, as well as the courage and wisdom to change their minds when they become aware of new information or changing circumstances.

In the last few days, President Trump has appeared to change his mind about banning TIKTOK. I have no idea why he has changed his mind on this issue but based on Trump’s previous record as an exceedingly astute entrepreneur and former U.S. President, I –as a fairly savvy, discerning American citizen – am willing to trust his judgment and instincts.

One definition for instinct offered by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5^th ed., is “an innate capability or aptitude.” From my perspective, Trump is also quite intuitive and seems to have a knack for “reading people” well. Trump has even given us some tips on how he does that in his book, The Art of the Deal, which was #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List for 13 weeks in 1987.

Good leaders, just like good pilots, are not afraid to change their minds when new information becomes available to indicate a course correction or even a complete change of plans in order to ensure a successful outcome. Good leaders also understand that sometimes they need to exercise patience before making a course correction because the situation is “fluid” (i.e., rapidly changing).

Americans have had four long years to watch the Biden-Harris Administration “move forward” (their favorite campaign slogan) in situations where anyone with average thinking skills could see they should either have changed course or put the brakes on. However, the Biden-Harris team is not known for their ability to analyze or think through the consequences of their actions, so they separately and jointly piled up many, many really bad outcomes. The examples of this are too numerous to mention, but in my opinion, their promotion of the “Open Borders” policy and their many DEI initiatives top the list, and it will literally take years to undo the damage caused to the American economy, education system, societal values, and national sovereignty.

In the last few weeks, President Trump has unveiled what I am calling his “government management dream team.” Trump has been criticized (primarily by the Left and MSM) for many of the “picks” he’s made, but based on his previous track record and all that he has learned in the last four years, I’m trusting his better-than-average instincts, intuition, and judgment. I’m also praying fervently that President Trump’s nominees will be confirmed by the U.S. Senate quickly, so that they can get to work as soon as possible to Make America Great Again, Safe Again, and Proud Again