I think sometimes like we're so quick to assume or think, oh, there's going to be this is going to be difficult. The stakeholders shouldn't be involved. What if we say the wrong thing? But it started with the tone, the value at the beginning of like everyone's involved. All the stakeholders are here. They're all part of the conversation. Even if it's difficult and setting that tone was key. You know, just making the org chart was a big challenge. And I mentioned General Jack Hudson earlier, but Jack and I sat together, the contractor and the customer side by side. We wanted to make sure that the customer organization and the contractor organization were completely aligned
Tom Burbage: F-35
Tom Burbage retired from the Lockheed Martin Corporation in 2013. He was the President of the Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems Company and the Executive VP/GM for both the USAF F-22 Raptor and the multi-service, allied next generation fighter, the F-35. Prior to joining Lockheed, Tom was a Naval Aviator, completing the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in 1975. He has accumulated more than 3,000 hours in 38 different types of military aircraft. As a reservist he retired as a Navy Captain in 1994.
Tom has received numerous industry awards, including the U.S. Naval Academy/Harvard Business Review Award for Ethical Leadership; the Aerospace Industry Personality of the Year; the Society of Automotive Engineers Leadership in Aerospace Award; and many others. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in the United Kingdom. He is co-author along with Betsy Clark and Adrian Pitman of the book F-35: The Inside Story of the Lightning II.
Sometimes we find ourselves leading a very large team that isn’t used to working together. That happened to Tom who was the general manager of the F-35 fighter jet. In this conversation, we explore how to bring together many stakeholders in order to do something bigger than any one of them could do alone.
Key Points
Solicit and listen to feedback on what didn’t work in past situations.
Establish behavior norms and expectations and continue coming back to them. When disagreements happen, resolve them in the context of these norms.
Consider including customers in major meetings, so struggles are shared transparently with all stakeholders.
Behavior norms and expectations were established globally and referenced in most formal interactions. When flare ups happened, they were often settled quickly in the spirit of the norms.
A “one team” concept was used to unify people from formerly competing organizations to align them to the nobler motive.
Resources Mentioned
F-35: The Inside Story of the Lightning II* by Tom Burbage, Betsy Clark, and Adrian Pitman
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
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How to Lead Better Through Complexity, with Jennifer Garvey Berger (episode 613)
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