Lab Manager at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals | Process Improvement | System Implementation | Efficiency Driver | Mentoring New Leaders
Leadership in Movies: The Blue Angels Synopsis: A made-for-IMAX movie event that chronicled the Blue Angels in their 2022 season with Captain Brian Kesselring as the head of the squad. It was great to witness the aerial action in 70 mm format. The film showed great insights on how they prepare as well as the history of the elite US naval aviators. The theme that kept displaying throughout the movie was teamwork. The formation that the Blue Angel is most famous for is the Diamond 360 where four planes form a tight-knit diamond shape with the wings inches away from touching and the wing cockpits feet away from the wings of the middle planes. And during this formation, they all perform a 360 degree twist maneuver as a cohesive unit. Any failed misstep would result in potentially fatal accidents. This formation, as well as other stunts, performed throughout an airshow can only be achieved through rigorous practice, preparation and communication. The team would all be present and critique each practice videos and be openly candid about how to perform better next time. One of the most memorable moments was when they showed them simulating in real time the whole airshow sequence together with their eyes closed and communicating what each team member is doing as well as going through the motions of accelerating and decelerating. All these steps are necessary because it is life and death. What I also enjoyed was the film highlighting the support crew that helped with logistics of the show to the maintenance crew. The Blue Angels are not just the 6 pilots flying the F-18s. The pilots cannot fly or travel without the other supporting members performing the other ancillary tasks. At one point, one of the pilots mentioned that they do not even preform a pre-check on his plane because they place that much trust in their maintenance crews. It is truly spectacular to see a team form into a cohesive unit where there is complete trust from your fellow airmen down to the support crew. It doesn’t happen overnight. It requires constant consistent communication and practice to achieve that culture. Once that trust is achieved, the team can just focus on executing. #leadershipinmovies #leadership #teamwork #blueangels #theblueangelsmovie
