Business Is Combat by James D. Murphy

Author:James D. Murphy [Murphy, D. James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-06-203526-4
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2000-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

5. Motherhood (Squadron Standards/Administration)

Of all the segments of an Air Force briefing, by far the oddest-sounding one is the part we call motherhood. That’s the word we use to describe our squadron standards—the things we have to keep in mind on every mission, the equivalent of a business’s standard operating procedures. These are our principles, our everyday procedures, our expected mode of flying for everyday phases of flight: how many seconds apart we are on takeoff, the order in which we refuel, the rundown of emergency procedures. These all come under the heading of motherhood—the kinds of things your mother always thought you wouldn’t remember once she’d sent you off to school (Did you remember to bring your lunch? Do your homework? Say “thank you” and “please”?). To confirm that standard operating procedures are in place for a given aspect of a mission, the flight lead will tell us that “motherhood is in effect” for that aspect of the plan. And if there’s some reason to break from established practice, the briefing is when the flight members would hear about it.

The equivalent of motherhood in corporate life is your basic professional code of standards. TDI, a national outdoor advertising company, has a set of motherhood standards that specify not only what kind of jacket its reps wear on sales calls, but the very tie pin they wear in their lapels. Ritz-Carlton hotel employees are famous for their service—and well they should be, for their service standards are codified down to the last detail. Next time you’re in a Ritz-Carlton hotel, try it out by presenting a problem to a passing employee: No matter whom you turn to, that person will stop, look you in the eye, try to understand your question, and then try even harder to find an answer. (How far can they take it? Put it this way: The doorman probably knows the menus for each of the hotel’s restaurants.)

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