OODA Loop & Leadership with Guest Dave Berke - 80

Feedback Loops, including the OODA Loop & Leadership

Lt Col. Retired, David “Chip” Berke is our guest this week.  Dave served 23 years as a Marine, mostly flying airplanes as a fighter pilot.  He is currently with Echelon Front as a Leadership Instructor.

Dave shares his experience with the OODA loop as a pilot, forward air controller, and in the business environment.  We also discuss the science and art of this process, and how this applies in sales, learning, and leadership.

Questions Addressed

• What is the OODA Loop?
• How do you apply the OODA loop or feedback loops today in business?
• How do feedback loops apply to leadership?
• How do questions apply to this process?

Key Takeaways

• John Boyd F-86 pilot - Korean War
  • Boyd figured out that there is a process that we use to make a decision.
  • The capability of your equipment can’t be what limits your success.
• OODA loop translates into every aspect of our lives.  There are four phases/stages - Observe, Orient, Decide, & Act - Repeat
• When it comes to data, there are things we can gather, there are things we are looking for that we miss, and there are things we simply discover.
• Assumptions get in the way of Observations.
• Transformation of data to information - this is hard - putting the data into context
• The more times you do something the easier it is to assess and determine the potential outcomes
• The more experienced we are - the likelihood that our decisions will be correct.
• There is a lot of science in data acquisition, however some of the decisions are more art than science. You need to rely on your instincts.
• Making Decisions is Hard, but not that Hard.  People are pretty good at this part.
• There is a discussion between decision and action
• Taking action is Hard - Once you take action, you now own the outcome.
• The action is the thing that matters most.
• Once you take action, you immediately get feedback, this starts the loop again.
• The deciding factor for success is how quickly you can act.You are going to be wrong, we are always making mistakes.
• Act, inform, re-act, reinform, re-act, inform - create efficiency in action
• EM Diagram - Energy Management - equipment - shows you what you are good at & what you are not good at. You can do this for yourself and competitors and define a plan that helps you avoid your competitors' strengths.
• DO the reps - take action, this is how you get better.
• The debrief is part of the process, it is If you want to get good at leading - LEAD, take the feedback, apply to scenarios, gain experience.
• Apply the information within your feedback loop, and use it to learn, adapt, and act.
• Two ways to get good at something - Experience & Training
• “You do not want to be the best salesperson in a company that goes bankrupt”
• You can give yourself more information to orient on by asking questions.
• Your intuition, your presumptions, they are not natural, they are based on your experience. The more reps you get, the better you will get.
• The lessons in “Extreme Ownership” are applicable in every aspect of life

Show Links

• Dave’s blog posts
• Echelon Front
• Dave's Twitter
• Jocko Podcast Ep #69
• OODA Loop - John Boyd
• Extreme Ownership - Leif Babin, Jocko Willink
• Lean Startup - Eric Reis

Call to Action

Please share your stories with us @catalystsale on twitter or via hello@catalystsale.com  We'd like to hear how you apply the OODA loop or feedback loops into your work.

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In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal.  There is a Catalyst.  We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high-growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do.  

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