Episode 715 - The Blues & You

What does it really take to perform at an elite level? In this episode of Monday Morning Mojo, Phil pulls back the curtain on the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels; not just the thrilling air shows, but the 130+ person team and relentless behind-the-scenes preparation that fuels their excellence. Discover how humility, daily evaluation, and intense practice turn top performers into legends, and how you can apply those same principles to elevate your own career and life. Prepare to rethink what it means to be ready.

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Transcript

Top performers in every field surround themselves with those who inspire them, who seek to build them up, and who push them to reach beyond their current limits. I am Phil Buchanan, executive chairman of Cannon Financial Institute. I designed Monday Morning Mojo to provide you with a weekly spark, a push and motivational insight to live your best life. Thanks for joining.

Well, good Monday morning. It is Phil here with episode 715 of Monday Morning Mojo. Since 1946, a group of aviators have been showcasing the power of naval aviation through a flying squadron known as the blue angels. Now, for the casual observer, the blues normally consist of six jets flying its air shows, but like most everything in life that is special, there is so much more to the team and its process. Then just the six F 18 super hornets, one seas in the air beyond the pilots who fly the show. There are another 130 plus Naval and marine personnel that make the efforts of the Blue Angels a reality. Be it medical, public relations, maintenance, logistics, avionics administration, et cetera, all of the component pieces come together in an integral way that creates the mosaic known as the blue angels.

Teamwork isn't just preferred or required. It is absolutely essential. Now while the 2025 season is in its later stages, the show season runs from mid-March to mid-November. The 2026 season is already set and under heavy preparation and planning. The team begins training in the California desert in early January.

All team members are already individually successful in their own disciplines, but it is in these January through early March training and development days. That cohesion of that year's team is fermented and perfected. Every member of the 130 plus team trains is evaluated and is coached on a daily basis.

There are pre-flight meetings, training flights, post-flight, debriefs, physical exercise, nutritional analysis, power plant evaluations, avionic analysis, et cetera, and all of that is just the mornings. See when you're prepping to fly in close formation at slow speeds that are in excess of 120 miles an hour and can go up to 700 miles per hour, well, you practice and analyze with a keen focus on precision.

One ethos of the blues is that of humility. Now this is surprising to some who believe that cockiness prevails in a high performance flying well, while confidence is certainly a requirement, and confidence of course is gained from a combination of realistic self-awareness and hard work and preparation, the trait of humility fuels the desire for continued growth further achievement.

Now, talk to anyone associated with blues. They'll tell you that show days are usually a blast, literally. But that's not just due to getting to perform in front of others, but it's that culmination of the relentless preparation and practice that manifests itself in the air show.

Those pilots and the entire team could never perform at that elite level without all of the practice and preparation that goes in. Now, if you wish to be elite at your chosen profession, well, you can't simply rely on previous experience. To be the differentiating factor. Every event, every client engagement, every opportunity must be the result of deep preparation and intentional practice.

Now, can you wing it occasionally? Well, sure. All of us have done so and it had to do so along the way. To become elite and to maintain that elite status requires a special commitment to the effort of preparation of practice and continual evaluation. Most individuals desire high levels of success and be able to perform at an elite level, but my question for you is.

What are you willing to do from a preparation, from a practice and from an evaluation standpoint to ensure that you always operate at that elite state of mind?

Monday Morning Mojo is a production of Cannon Financial Institute, executive producer of Monday Morning. Mojo is Sarah Jones. Editing and mixing is done by Danny Brunner. Until next time, I'm Phil Buchanan reminding you to be a force for good. Have a great week and thanks for being part of the Mojo community.