If fighter pilots can do it, so can you

After seeing the movie "Top Gun" some years ago, I've often wondered what the U.S. military could be thinking to turn over $30 million fighter jets, not to mention world peace in many cases, to the dubious discretion of testosterone-laden young men.

"The Debrief Imperative," is a new management manual written by a former fighter pilot and his business partner. Subtitled "Fighter Pilots and The Secret Tool That Is Transforming Businesses The World Over," the book was written by best-selling author James D. Murphy and William M. Duke.

In a quick read - only 99 pages, plus 20 pages of glossary, index and other add-ons - the book provides valuable insight into the methods behind the military's peculiar form of madness.

"Through the early 1970s the military fighter pilot community struggled to improve its combat effectiveness in the sky. It wasn't until we discovered the power of effective debriefing that we cracked the code and started executing nearly flawlessly," said Murphy in a statement announcing publication of the book. "As former fighter pilots, our job is to help businesses execute their missions, so, we refined the debrief process and began to teach it to corporate America. The improvements that we've seen have been incredible."

Murphy also wrote "Business is Combat" and "Flawless Execution," and is considered an expert in organizational execution. Through his business, Afterburner Inc., he has taught the techniques that he learned as a 20-something fighter pilot to executives in the world's top corporations.

Duke is the director of learning and development at Afterburner, Inc. and also currently serves as a senior human resources officer for the U.S. Navy Reserve.

"We have been fortunate to share the method with more than a million professionals, which can work in the boardroom, the emergency room, or the battlefield. This method is tried and true to its roots from SEAL Team SIX to the cockpit of the F-22. We need to share this important process with as many people as we can," he said.

At the same time, "Debrief" provides compelling ideas and advice on how to successfully guide a team, an organization, or even a mining operation through a veritable thicket of pitfalls and missteps to not only learn from its mistakes but also to thrive in an environment of continuous improvement.

"Every manager understands that organizational learning is critical for success in today's volatile markets. But few know how to squeeze insight and improvement out of experience," said Donald Sull, Professor of Management Practice, London Business School.

While many of the underlying concepts of "Debrief" can be found in numerous weightier organizational management texts, this little book gets to the heart of the matter without getting bogged down in theory or jargon.

"The Debrief Imperative" was published by FastPencil Marketplace in print and digital formats and was expected to be available in major bookstores and online retailers by New Year's 2012. It is also available in paperback in FastPencil's Marketplace for $14.95 - as well as e-book format for $9.99: http://www.fastpencil.com/publications/2018-THE-DEBRIEF-IMPERATIVE