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<span class="provip_member_name">Bill Bradfield, EA</span>
Bill Bradfield, EA
Tax Professional and IRS Representation
Blaine, Washington
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Life's Lessons From Flying Fighters

Are you good at what you do? Are you the best you can be? In this article I talk about what I learned as a fighter pilot and how to apply it to the business world.
Written Oct 20, 2009, read 2570 times since then.
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I am a retired USAF pilot.   During my career, among several different types of aircraft, I flew the F-100, one of the first of the Century Series fighters. It was a beautiful bird; supersonic, single seat and lots of fun to fly.  It also happens that I was a Top Gun in the F-100.  This was long before the movie “Top Gun” came out, and nowhere near as exciting; regardless, the award was very prestigious and was recognition of being the best among my peers. 

I learned a lot about how to approach life and business from flying the F-100.  The basic lesson is: if anything is worth doing, it’s worth doing right, and doing well.  That itself is an excellent life lesson, but I believe it needs to be taken one step further.  If it’s worth doing, strive to be the very best.  Striving to be the best separates the super successful from the rest of the crowd. 

Based on my real world experience, as a pilot, in the world of big business and as an entrepreneur, here’s what I believe it takes to become the best at what you do:  

  1. Do what you enjoy doing, be the best at it and you will be greatly rewarded.   “Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” said Confucius. No truer words were ever spoken.   That isn’t to say that you won’t be working; you’ll actually be working your butt off, working harder than ever to make your business a success, but I assure you, you will enjoy the ride from takeoff to landing. 
  2. Become an expert.  Do whatever it takes.  Take courses.  Read books.  Do research.  Work in the field.  Talk to experts.  Becoming an expert does not happen overnight.  You can’t do it by osmosis. This is where a lot of people cut themselves short.  In our society today, too many of us expect instant gratification.  Don’t fall into that trap.  Becoming the very best at what you do will greatly increase the chance you will succeed and excel rather than fail. 
  3. Don’t go it alone.  Becoming an expert does not mean you have to know everything.  In “I’ve Got Your Six” http://biznik.com/articles/ive-got-your-six I wrote about a team of advisors.  Let me temper what I wrote with a grain of salt.  Regardless of who you have on your advisory team, you still need to learn enough about the subject to keep yourself out of trouble and to be able to ask the right questions.  Don’t just blindly follow someone else’s advice.  Trust but verify as the adage goes.  That said, use your team of advisors to relieve you of the less essential things, so you can focus on your business.
  4. Plan your course of action (your business plan), then follow the plan.  Make adjustments along the way.  Stay focused.  In the flying business, focus is critical, not only to do well but to stay alive.  In business it can mean the difference between success and failure.  Know what is important to the success of your business.  Keep your focus on those important things.  Don’t allow yourself to get distracted in your efforts to move your business forward.  There is no such thing as a perfect plan; so don’t be afraid to make adjustments as you go along. 
  5. Set realistic and attainable goals.  You don’t have to be a perfectionist.  I belong to the TLAR school of thought; “That Looks About Right.”  There are times to strive for perfection, but most of the time you can get far more accomplished by doing a good job rather than a perfect one.  You can also get far more done by delegating; use your team of advisors to relieve you of the less essential things, so you can focus on your business.
  6. Learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them.  Not only that, but know when to quit and move on.  Sometimes, when a fighter pilot has a serious emergency the tendency is to remain in the aircraft until it is too late, rather than ejecting and living to fly another day.  The same with your business.  If things are not going well, don’t be afraid to eject and start over.  But learn from that experience.  Try not to make the same mistake twice.  
  7. Don’t give up.  If you fail the first time, pick yourself up and start over.  If your business is moving forward, albeit too slowly, focus more and work harder.  Get some expert help.  Biznik is full of experienced and knowledgeable people who are ready and willing to give you the expert advice you need.
  8. Dare to be different.  Don’t do what everyone else is doing.  Add your own twist to it.  Make what you do unique so you stand out in the crowd.  Find your niche.
  9. Play the part.  You’ve heard the term “Dress for Success.”  I say act successful. Be confident when dealing with your clients and others, even when you aren’t.  Your image is a key component in success.

Don’t settle for good enough; be the best that you can be.  Being the best can be a moving target.  Once you achieve success, continue to improve yourself.  If you separate yourself from the rest of the pack and become the “Top Gun” in your profession you will be greatly rewarded.

 

 

Tax Professional and IRS Representation 
Blaine, Washington 
Bill Bradfield, EA

As an Enrolled Agent and consummate tax professional, Bill provides year-round, affordable tax services for his clients. Bill is experienced in small business start-up and tax planning in addition to a full range of tax return preparation.

Learn more about the author, Bill Bradfield, EA.

Comment on this article

  • Purveyors of Social Web Tactics 
Ferndale, Washington 
Mario Bonilla
    Posted by Mario Bonilla, Ferndale, Washington | Oct 20, 2009

    Hey Bill,

    Solid comments from a Pro.

             mario
    
  • Tax Professional and IRS Representation 
Blaine, Washington 
Bill Bradfield, EA
    Posted by Bill Bradfield, EA, Blaine, Washington | Oct 20, 2009

    Thanks Mario.

  • Ghost Writer/Blogger 
Los Angeles, California 
Terra  Paley
    Posted by Terra Paley, Los Angeles, California | Oct 20, 2009

    Hi Bill, Great article, love number six. Sometimes I have to learn twice but when I get it, I get it. Best, Terra

  • RN, BSN 
Richland, Washington 
Kellie Bradfield
    Posted by Kellie Bradfield, Richland, Washington | Oct 21, 2009

    Wow! I can apply this to my career as a nurse! Excellent!

  • Tax Professional and IRS Representation 
Blaine, Washington 
Bill Bradfield, EA
    Posted by Bill Bradfield, EA, Blaine, Washington | Oct 21, 2009

    Thank you Terra, I've been known to be a slow learner on occasion. Thanks kellie.

  • Accounting 
Bellevue, Washington 
Kirsten Clark
    Posted by Kirsten Clark, Bellevue, Washington | Oct 21, 2009

    Hi Bill, Well done. This article has a lot of good points. Sometimes we can get wrapped up in the details and forget to pull back and look at the big picture of what we're doing and why we are doing it.

  • Tax Professional and IRS Representation 
Blaine, Washington 
Bill Bradfield, EA
    Posted by Bill Bradfield, EA, Blaine, Washington | Oct 21, 2009

    Thanks Kirsten. You are absolutely right. When it comes to a business, we must have the big picture in mind at all times. It is so easy to get caught up in the minutia and get off track or get bogged down doing things that have little or no bearing on improving the business.

  • Life, Prosperity, and Small Business Coach. Author. Speaker. Trainer. Singer/Songwriter. 
Seattle, Washington 
Kate Phillips
    Posted by Kate Phillips, Seattle, Washington | Oct 22, 2009

    Thanks Bill. Sometimes I need to remember "That looks about right!"

  • B2B Sales Coach and Fundraising Auctioneer 
Portsmouth, New Hampshire 
Lori Richardson
    Posted by Lori Richardson, Portsmouth, New Hampshire | Oct 22, 2009

    Another great article Bill. I know a lot of entrepreneurs who are so busy trying to make things perfect they never turn their ideas into revenue. TLAR is is good acronym to know - and an excellent example is a little software company in Redmond, WA. Like 'em or not - they did pretty well releasing "beta" products and improving as they went along - bugs and all.

  • Tax Professional and IRS Representation 
Blaine, Washington 
Bill Bradfield, EA
    Posted by Bill Bradfield, EA, Blaine, Washington | Oct 22, 2009

    Hi Kate and Lori,

    Thanks for the comments. Glad you like the TLAR acronym. I've espoused it for a long time.

    To be the best does not mean you have to be perfect. Too many people get caught up in perfection. There is a time to strive for perfection, but in business, and in life, being about to do a lot more things well, is much better than doing a few things perfectly.

    Bill

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