Check Six Culture

Realizing I have blind spots has been humbling.

A close friend recently helped me see mine, underscoring the value of open feedback for personal and professional growth.

Adopting a ‘Check Six’ mindset—having trusted eyes on your back—has been crucial in both my aviation and business careers. This approach helps me navigate potential dangers and capitalize on opportunities.

Here’s how I cultivate this check-six culture of vigilance and mutual support, and hopefully this can help you as well!

• Feedback Loop: I regularly seek honest feedback on my decisions. Embracing this without defensiveness has been a challenging yet rewarding lesson in humility.
• Recognize Teamwork: I make it a point to acknowledge and reward teamwork, fostering an environment where support is celebrated.
• Admitting Errors: Admitting my mistakes openly has been tough but has encouraged a culture of transparency and trust within the team.
• Strategic Briefings: I rely on my team during briefings to keep me informed and aligned, emphasizing mutual accountability.
• Support in Challenges: I do my best to support team members during tough times – having known the value of this support firsthand.

By integrating these practices, I’m able to better lead a team that’s not just secure and proactive, but also deeply connected through trust.

We still have work to do and experience occasional flameouts, but the more we practice it, the better we become.

We fly high because we fly together.

Would love to hear how you create check six cultures within your team – share a comment on my LinkedIn post or YouTube short.