Elevate

Are You Ready for Take Off? Your Business Was Not Designed to Stay on the Ground. “Yuma Ground, this is Top Gun One-Five, ready for taxi.” That was the first sound I heard as I put my headset on in the control tower at Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Arizona. I was eighteen years old and had just completed four months of intense air traffic control (ATC) school at the Naval Air Station in Millington, Tennessee. As a young U.S. Marine, I was anxious to return the proper command to the pilot in the F-14 Tomcat, a high-powered fighter aircraft. Yes, just like the ones in the movie, Top Gun. Under the watchful eye of the corporal training me, I responded, “Top Gun One-Five, Yuma Ground, taxi to Runway Two-One, caution the C-130 on your left.” The ATC tower stretched ten stories into the sky, providing air traffic controllers a vantage point, from which we could see clearly for miles. High above the airfield, I looked down and watched the plane begin to roll forward. As the pilot guided his aircraft, moving closer to the runway, my excitement level grew. Top Gun One-Five slowed and stopped, just short of entering Runway Two-One. Switching radio frequency to Local Control, the pilot was now speaking to the gunnery sergeant standing next to me. Issuing the command to enter the runway, the F-14 slowly positioned itself, turning to face the opposite end, three miles away. The naval officer, piloting this aircraft, was about to operate this vehicle with its most simple function... to fly. Without the ability to perform this one basic task, the aircraft was essentially useless, unable to complete even the smallest mission. The moment was now here and the command from local control was given. “Top Gun One-Five, you are cleared for take-off.” With those ten simple words, the engines revved higher and the plane accelerated. Momentum rapidly increased as the jet blast poured from the engines. The F-14 was quickly speeding forward at over 100 mph. Within seconds, the front wheels lifted off the runway. The nose of the aircraft angled up and then the rear wheels left the ground. Seconds later, Top Gun One-Five was nearly one thousand feet in the air. With a few final adjustments, the pilot turned his plane toward the vast Yuma Desert and disappeared into the horizon. Like this aircraft, your business was never intended to stay on the ground, aimlessly taxiing around, or worse yet, stuck motionless in a hangar. But that is how many business leaders feel - grounded. You know your business is capable of achieving higher levels of success. But are you prepared to reach them? You have opened the pages of this book for one reason. You are ready to elevate the performance of your team and the results of your organization. If you are prepared to take your business to new levels, you must develop your skills and become the business pilot your aircraft needs. Imagine what it will feel like to transform your organization into a high-performance aircraft. Imagine the feeling of building a laser-focused crew, capable of accomplishing any mission. Now, imagine what it will feel like as you put on your flight suit, power up your well-oiled machine, and take off to the levels of success you have only dreamed of. In many cases, your business has already achieved some levels of growth. But too often, you may have experienced the feelings of worry, fear, or frustrations as your aircraft struggles to get off the ground, let alone, to achieve and maintain your desired “flight” levels. It can be immensely discouraging to lose altitude; not only for you, but for your team. Striving for growth can present new challenges, but no challenge is more threatening than the reality of staying grounded, especially while other aircraft are taking off around you. That feeling can now be a thing of the past. ELEVATE is much more than a collection of proven, real-world experiences, it is your navigation system, air traffic control support, and maintenance procedures, all rolled into one powerfully focused system: The Business Elevation System (BES). As an air traffic controller, I was trained to direct air traffic, and never experienced the adrenaline rush of piloting a plane. As a business coach, however, I now apply my ATC experiences in the corporate world. Most business owners find themselves stuck working “in” the mechanics of their businesses, wearing many of the hats that their crews should be wearing. Unfortunately, this prevents most business leaders from piloting their business planes and working “on” the elevation of their businesses. Sound familiar? Business pilots who lack the opportunity to fly their aircraft are left feeling overwhelmed and trapped in their own immobile aircrafts. When I interviewed for a job at a post-production company, in the entertainment industry, only an entry-level position was available. But the owner’s passion for his company, and belief in my skills, encouraged me to take the opportunity and utilize my experiences to help his company to grow. As the results grew, he reassured me that my career would too. With a tour of his facility and a solid handshake, I joined his team. We began to map out the enhancements necessary to allow his aircraft to achieve consistently high levels of success. By applying the concepts in this book, we not only took off, but we climbed well past the goal of doubling annual sales. Within five years, our annual sales grew by more than 300%, our margins increased, and we nearly eliminated all internal errors. Most importantly, we developed a crew of leaders and impacted our team and clients in significantly positive ways. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? The good news is that it is simple. Not easy, but simple. You already have what it takes to put in the hard work, dedication, and passion necessary for growth. Now, you can step back into the cockpit and elevate your business.