Make Decisions Like a Fighter Pilot

Image by Defence-Imagery from Pixabay.

Military aviators are trained to absorb and filter information, make an assessment on what the information means, decide on the best action to take, and swiftly act on their decision. The military aviator performs this process repeatedly and quickly, thus creating a cycle of rapid adaptation.

This is known as the OODA Loop — Observe, Orient, Decide, Act — a decision cycle developed by military strategist and US Air Force fighter pilot Colonel John Boyd.

Observe. Quickly gather information about the environment, circumstance, and competition.

Orient. Filter out the noise and absorb the pertinent information. Analyze your observations and create a model of what is happening. Take into account past experiences, lessons learned, and the perspectives of others, to include those of your adversaries. If you are operating on a team, realize that synthesizing several points of view can be time-consuming and inhibit decision making. Don’t suffer paralysis by analysis.

Decide. Identify your options, weighing the possible rewards and consequences. Decide on the best course of action to take.

Act. Follow through on your decision. Make note of how your environment or circumstance changes, and how your competition reacts to your action. What you observe will feed your next OODA Loop, allowing you to rapidly adapt your orientation, decision making, and follow-on actions. Capturing feedback for the next decision cycle is just as important as the current action being taken.

Sounds pretty easy, right?

The OODA Loop is not just for the military. It can also be applied in business, sport, or by anyone facing a formidable foe, uncertain circumstance, or ambiguous environment.

If that defines your situation, then you should try making decisions like a fighter pilot. Educate your organization on the OODA Loop cycle and practice implementing the process. The teams and organizations that perfect the OODA Loop will be able to rapidly adapt and furthermore, will hold an advantageous position when facing their next challenge.