Every lesson I learned in military training is applicable
to daily business life. A team leader is at the bottom of
an upside-down pyramid. You serve many people above
you—clients, staff, a board of directors—and all that weight is why the
burden of responsibility is so heavy. Leaders are responsible for what
happens to their team. If it doesn’t achieve its objectives, either the
team wasn’t given the right training or it didn’t receive the proper clarity
to solve problems. It is your fault, not theirs. People don’t wake up and
try to make a mistake—you must assume positive intent. People will
fail, but leaders of character own their mistakes, or those made by their
team. I can coach mistakes, but I can’t coach a flawed character. The
military teaches that disciplined people will win. To succeed, everyone
must be aligned to a clear purpose that is bigger than themselves. The
ultimate mission.”—Cullen Barbato, former field artillery officer for the
U.S. Army and current COO of online watch purveyor Crown & Caliber
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AccordingtoaformerArmyofficer
In the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control, we do
approximately 6,000 operations per day. We can’t move
such a large volume of air traffic without detailed proce-
dures. There’s an easy way to do things, but that might not be the best
way to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. We control traffic as if
we are going to have a complete electrical failure, I’m going to lose my
radar, and I’m not going to be able to talk to my pilots. Say two planes
want to cross each other’s path. One’s going from the southeast to
the northwest, and the other one is going from the southwest to the
northeast. It’s hard to tell if they’re going to be in the same place at the
same time or if they’re going to miss each other by three miles—which
is the required lateral separation in our airspace. So you keep minimal
vertical separation, which is 1,000 feet, between those planes at all
times. That ensures that if your screen goes blank and your radios cut
out, those planes will never ever hit. We call it positive control. Always
have a fail-safe.” Toby Bucsescu, air traffic control specia ist
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Accordingtoanair-trafficcontroller
48 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / January-February 2018
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Accordingtoamixologist
WHETHER YOU’REcelebrating a colleague’s retirement
or bonding with a potential client, work is waiting for you
back at the office. Kevin Denton, U.S. mixologist for the
international spirit and wine company Pernod Ricard, has
survived more than his fair share of liquored-up lunches.
Here’s how to keep your head on straight.
Order defensively.
Limit yourself to long cocktails—meaning those heavy on
mixers and served in tall glasses. Denton suggests a gin
and tonic, a Tom Collins, or a Presbyterian (whiskey with
ginger ale and club soda).
Walk it off.
Don’t try to sober up with coffee. “That’s like drinking a
Red Bull and vodka,” says Denton. “You’re still tipsy, but
now you’re more animated, too.” Instead, take a stroll
through the park. It won’t burn off your buzz, but 15
minutes to yourself will provide much-needed distance
from a rowdy lunch crew.
Aim for the mundane.
Set aside complex tasks and important emails in favor of
the boring (but necessary) work you’ve been neglecting.
Denton uses the time to log expenses. “I just put on
some music,” he says. “Now the thing I usually loathe
seems totally fine.”
Know when to call it.
“If you think you’re too drunk, go home,” he says. “The
worst possible thing you could do is be out of control
at the office.”