A Hughes difference

Great leadership has more to do with understanding values, behaviours and processes than having a charismatic personality, says Justin Hughes, a former Red Arrow. He says this is as true when flying fighter jets as it is when managing companies.

One only had to watch the Red Arrows perform their aerobatic shows to appreciate the level of precision and teamwork necessary to achieve seemingly perfect synchronisation at such great speeds. It is a show of flying talent and excellence that has dazzled audiences the world over.

Justin Hughes, who served the Red Arrows for three years performing over 250 displays , was in Dubai recently at the Leaders in Dubai conference speaking to leaders from around the GCC on how to deliver consistent world class performance through constantly evolving teams.

A former fighter pilot and now managing director of Mission Excellence, Hughes also piloted the Tornado F3, the RAF's frontline fighter for six years.

During this period he took part in both training and operational deployments all over the world, including support of UN peacekeeping operations and was qualified to lead any type of mission.

In 1999, Justin was selected for the Red Arrows. He led the team as its executive officer.

He brought the lessons learned from his experience in the Red Arrows to leaders of organisations in the UAE. He believes that the techniques, methods and processes that lead to excellence in the sky can help companies in the UAE reach new heights.

Mission Excellence is a team of former Red Arrows, fighter pilots and training experts who now specialise in the development of outstanding leadership, teamwork and execution skills for corporate teams in all sectors of the economy.

The models and techniques that are used are all based on processes and behaviours proven in both training and operational roles in the high risk world of jet aviation.

In essence, Hughes explains, Mission Excellence training adds value to multi-functional teams operating under pressure.

"What I really enjoyed about the Leaders in Dubai conference was that it was more than a leadership event. There were credible speakers with a high level of expertise who spoke on a diverse range of subjects, and it really increased my level of insight as to what is going on in the region.

"My favourite was (economist) Mohamad Yunis," he says. "His speech was very powerful and humbling. It was delivered with such humility. It absolutely stood out in my mind.

"I am particularly interested in the field of decision-making in aviation," he says. He finds it amazing how a pilot uses his ability for rational analysis and intuition to achieve success while flying.

"Great leadership stands out in times of crisis. It has to do with crew resource management. Can the pilot communicate and make decisions under pressure? Say for example, an engine blows up. There is a need to collectively make decisions under pressure.

"The pilot cannot be an autocratic leader. When it comes to managing team behaviour, it helps a lot if the pilot is a respected authority who is capable of motivating and communicating,'' says Hughes.

Friday takes off on a trip with the high-flying pilot to explore his various interests:

I
I believe that recruiting and selecting employees based on their personality, behaviour and interpersonal skills are more important to the success of organisations than simply assessing functional experience.

I think that in a high pressure environment, leaders must balance clear communication while ensuring that employees do not suffer from information overload.

In my experience, I have found that there is absolutely no substitute for careful planning, contingency planning and risk management. In this regard, debriefing is key.

It allows each individual in a team to see his mistakes, identify clearly where he can improve and work towards continuous improvement. It is a proven method for achievement of excellence.

I have always had an interest in the natural sciences and mathematics. These disciplines are clear, and rational. They provide the basis for techniques and methods that work. I am a predominantly left brain thinker.

From childhood, I have had a fascination with flying. I decided to fly because I wanted to fly. I believe people should do what they have a passion for. The opportunity to fly for the Red Arrows was beyond fantastic.

I really admire resourceful and versatile leadership qualities. Steve Redgrave is a perfect example. He and his rowing teams won 5 gold medals for the UK.

The amazing thing is that Steve Redgrave did this with a different team each time. Great leadership has more to do with understanding values, behaviours and processes than having a charismatic personality.

You can train people in all of these areas if you have the understanding.

Richard Branson understands this. That is why he can create different businesses in entirely different industries with the same values.

Me

Me and my childhood fascination with aviation
I was born in the North west of England in 1967. Ever since I was a young kid, I have had a fascination with aviation. I was the nerdy kid who visited the captain in the cockpit.

I pursued this career, not for extrinsic reasons like money or the "coolness'' factor, but because it genuinely appealed to me. I think intrinsic motivators are very powerful, and that they are within every individual. People should pursue jobs that intrinsically motivate them. Make your hobby your career.

I joined the Air Force when I was 23 years old. By most standards, that is pretty old. I had graduated from university and travelled for a year before joining. I went to India, Nepal, Thailand and Australia. It was a fabulous experience.

I was on the front line for six years before joining the Red Arrows. I spent three years with the Red Arrows.

I studied physics at Bristol University in the UK. I wanted to earn a degree and had an interest in the sciences. I always leaned more towards the sciences - I was a more rational left-brain type of student.

In university, I joined the air squadron. It was both a flying club and a part time squadron. That is where I learned to fly.

When I joined the Air Force, I went through six months of hard training, which is designed to be both physically and mentally demanding. You learn (when you are) at a very high level of arousal and when you are extremely tired out.

It can be described as a stretch experience ... you don't learn in your comfort zone. I think this initial training helps you to learn about yourself and others. All of the training was team based. You go through it in a team and you stay in the team the whole time.

If you join a big company as a new hire, there is an induction programme that helps you to learn skills and functional competency. What the employees need is to know about the organisational history, values, brand, culture, team and leadership behaviour.

They need to learn about how to lead and how to follow. How things are done here, what to adapt and what to let go of. Most companies don't really understand the importance of behavioural training.

In the military, the focus is on behaviour first. They develop the right behaviour, attitudes and team based skills, then they teach you the job. People think that the military is inflexible and narrow minded, but one thing that they do fabulously well is training and development.

Often, the military has recruited people off the streets and on the margins of society. When the right people are recruited, you can turn them into pillars of society.

You just need to recruit the right people - and the military is well versed on how to do this. You recruit and select people with team potential, who are predisposed to learning, have the right attitudes and you make them better.

Me and the Red Arrows
When I got the chance to join the Red Arrows, I was absolutely thrilled. It was beyond fantastic and very, very hard work. The RAF aerobatic team Red Arrows aircraft is the Hawk. It was very different from flying the Tornado.

The Red Arrows have no normal military function. The shows are an aerobatic display. It is the Air Force's PR machine or main PR advertisement. It is a way that it can display its professional excellence to the civilian world.

There is an element of risk in flying for the Red Arrows. I have had some close calls. It is easy to forget that there are risks. By definition, if you are operating in a dynamic, fast moving world things can and do go wrong, and the risks are higher. For example, I have had break failure at high speeds.

I attended the first Dubai Air Show in 1999 and had a great time. It was the first time I had been to Dubai, and it was truly a great experience. I began to visit Dubai whenever I had the opportunity, and on some visits I discovered business opportunities here.

Me and Mission Excellence
I left the Red Arrows in 2002, and decided to set up an organisational performance company that focuses on teamwork and leadership development.

I had learned a tremendous amount about developing high performance teams and using proven techniques to achieve excellence.

Our clients value and respect non-traditional trainers. We are not teachers. We have done it ourselves. We know what works and what doesn't. I found that there are two problems in organisations.

One is that companies train managers, not leaders. But they need leaders. We are called to help bridge that gap.
On the team side, they get the behaviour that they train for.

Often they recruit and select individuals who are highly talented, but do not think as a team. They need to give training in organisational teamwork. We do consultancy, training workshops, interventions, seminars, and team development. We create teamwork through shared experiences.

We are really in the development market - long-term team development and leadership development. The biggest benefit is the way in which we de-brief. It is all about learning from experience coupled with a commitment to excel.

In mission analysis, we give a complex problem and the team works together to find a solution. It helps the team understand the operating environment and develop winning plans to survive in that environment.

Myself

How does the debriefing work, and why is it so critical to success in organisational teams?
Debriefings are when a team gets together after a mutual experience and reviews in detail what happened. For the debriefings to work, all those present must be totally honest.

This requires a safe and blameless working environment. This will allow all participants to be self critical, and to analyse their individual areas for improvement. It is external objectivity that will lead to internally motivated performance.

This all takes place in an atmosphere where it is truly okay to make mistakes. The leader of the team is also analysed, accepts the objective analysis, and admits his or her mistakes.

The message is that it is ok for "the boss'' to get it wrong - the objective is to eliminate mistakes and to do this you must first admit (you made them). Humility and honesty are admirable attributes for those in power. To admit a mistake and improve upon it shows strength not weakness. It sets the example for the team.

Debriefing is an essential precursor to planning. Planning is not a natural process. It is something that must be done. The best think about not planning is that failure comes as a surprise. Plans must be aggressive and realistic at the same time.

Have you had any close calls while flying where you had to implement your own strategies?
Once while I was landing, I was about 1,000 feet from the airport, I checked the brakes as part of a routine test. Something was not right. I recalled the process for emergencies, and how to avoid disasters.

Forty miles into a field, I took a deep breath and jumped out. I crawled through the field, and saw a big yellow rescue helicopter.

The most uncomfortable part of jumping out was landing in a field. I have hay fever and could barely breathe by the time I got out of there.

It is at times like this when you must think with clarity. You deal with priorities first. Pay attention to the instruments and away from other thoughts. Imagine being a leader in this sort of life or death crisis, and being responsible for the lives of others.

You need to have clear priorities, choose and communicate them. Choose which ball to drop. This is when the cohesiveness of your team is put to the test. As a leader, you must not micro manage in a time of crisis - despite the temptation to do so.

What are the biggest challenges for leaders and teams in the UAE?
UAE organisations face two very big challenges ... that are also opportunities. They are the rate of growth and the cultural diversity. Clearly these are good things, fabulous strengths that make the UAE what it is, but they also cause challenges.

In hierarchal cultures, debriefing may be more challenging ... With this pace of growth, organisations are growing quickly, but teams take time to develop into cohesive entities.

There is lots of training going on, but no time to develop high performance teams. It is difficult for leaders to stay aligned in a fast moving environment and to simultaneously create a strong organisational culture. Leaders need to have clarity in values and behaviours. This is what Mission X helps them to do.

I really admire Thomas Lundgren for what he has created here in the UAE. As a leader, he managed to create a strong organisational culture at The ONE. Everyone knows what it means to work at The ONE. He understands it clearly, it is communicated, and the whole organisation understands it and lives it.

What are some key insights that you can pass on to team players and leaders?
One is that a manager is different than a leader. A manager is an efficient allocator of resources.

A leader is about people - demonstrating leadership through behaviours and communication, getting people all over the organisation to buy in and commit to team goals, and getting people to take ownership.

Leaders need to have the courage to make a decision. And not just any decision, but the right decision for the right reason.More than anything else, leaders are in the spotlight.
Some believe that they can cover up mistakes or bad decisions.

Honesty in leadership is essential. You can't cover up anything - people will find out eventually. Leaders are better off doing a de-brief and working on improving with the rest of the organisation.

In every business I have worked with I found one thing in common - people want to win. The selection process must be people based and not technical.

A leader's role is to remove any de-motivator or barrier that prevents the team from winning.

See www.missionexcellence.com