For nearly 20 years, I was a commander in the US Navy and became Lead Solo Pilot for the Blue Angels. Erik Weihenmayer:No, I get very excited. Objective, come at each other at a thousand miles per hour closer. When that canopy came down, I'd be curious to see what you guys use, and you felt the canopy lock. #gladtobehere stickers (50/pk) $ 17.99. You're not good enough.". Then we go into a very scripted, watch the tape, talk about little things. Before we flew, we briefed, and after we flew, we debriefed, and that's a whole different emotional and intellectual episode than the actual physical. That's exciting to me. That's even worse. Why am I doing something, and why does it matter? Our first conversation of the new year is with a former navy jet pilot. I remember that. At a recent sales kick-off, I had the pleasure to listen to John Foley (call sign Gucci) who was a Naval Aviator, Blue Angel pilot and Stanford Business School graduate. John Foley:Well, guys, I want to say the honor's mine, and the thanks are for you. So, it's that front end and maybe the backend, the pre and the post is where the heart really truly has to exist. It's something that defines who you are and your impact in the world. My hope is that those four words will have a deeper and richer meaning to everyone who reads this article. And it was a light bulb moment, Erik. I used a trigger. Learn from people who have done it, and there's a combination of process and mindset. John Foley was a solo pilot for the Blue Angels aerobatic formation, a Sloan Fellow at the Stanford School of Business, a Gratitude Guru, and an expert on "how to" in high performing teams. The Blue Angels have the unique ability to highlight the importance of naval aviation while honoring its historical significance. I do that through meditation in the mornings. That's the training part, as compared to trying to hide something. When you're riding your motorcycle or when you're dropping in on a steep cliff, that's the pocket. That's what I was feeling. All of a sudden, as the complexity goes up, so do your skills. The importance of teams being in sync is a concept that John Foley understands profoundly. That's a good question, because I was thinking about that in a similar way, but a little bit differently. Never will because of the nuances in it. John Foley is a former lead solo pilot of the Blue Angels, Sloan Fellow at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, leadership expert, speaker and Gratitude Guru. They said, generally, here's what I thought about the evolution. I didn't realize what I realize now, how powerful that really was. Some people, I think, climb mountains, let's say this is something I know, like to almost escape, but for me, I think, okay, how do you come down from the mountain and move forward in your life and take certain things with you that help you with your happiness, with your growth, with your evolution as a human being? That you were appreciative of or that you enjoyed. Erik Weihenmayer:Yeah. I had trained my own replacement, Thumper, and he was better than I ever was. Erik Weihenmayer:Now, you can't do that when you're a Blue Angel. But I spent six months working for three for that individual learning the business. John Foley:You learn first off, your emergency procedures, you practice on simulators. The Navy's really good about debriefs, and the LSO, landing signal officer, walked in that day and he goes, it was very clear, he goes, Gucci, Gucci's my call sign. I have been training. John Foley:I like to put a nuance in there, Erik, and that's about being scared. If I actually got out parameters and I recognized it, and I did the right procedure, not a safety. John Foley:JB, more from, I'd say, a psychiatrist standpoint or psychological standpoint. Subscribe 3K views 2 years ago John Foley is a top leadership keynote speaker and former lead solo pilot of the Blue Angels that delivers keynote experiences to inspire leadership, improve. The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy. It went well today. You surprised me in so many different ways, but I wouldn't imagine that glad to be here, other than just the realization like, holy, man, I lived through some things. And then reverse engineer, what are you thinking about? I actually suck at it. I'm thinking about you hanging on to a lift, right? I feel grateful and a lot of pride for the men and women who are doing that. I've been doing this for about six months now, learn, grow, give. block. As long as I'm staying within those parameters, and then I'm in parameters, I'm moving around, but you just can't tell. I think about you guys, when you decided, I want to climb, something clicked in my heart. John Foley:No, no. It builds confidence, and your teammates go, okay. That's what it meant while I was a Blue Angel. Jeff:Well, I guess the question I would have is, it's kind of twofold. The significance of these events were not lost on the Blue Angels Lead Solo Pilot, John Gucci Foley, who joins this episode of Blue Angel Phantoms to share insights and behind the scenes stories from that now famous 92 European tour, as well as his naval career that spanned 17 years and saw him ascend to the rank of Commander. Block out your own mind. And here is in the present moment, right? Because a lot of times you can be off but you're still within parameters. Now, do I get it perfect? To date, TCV has raised more than $15 billion in capital and emerged as a leading provider of growth capital to technology companies. Those are the skills that we can learn. I got you. I know they are by two points. data. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. It's at an angle. In his dynamic presentations, Foley addresses the essential elements of exceptional team performance and makes them relevant, simple, and immediately actionable. Ranges are presented as a guideline only. Erik Weihenmayer:How do you elevate people's belief levels? Even the, if you've ever seen a briefing of the Blue Angels, the boss's tone of his voice is exactly what we're going to experience together. It's not a long diatribe, right? John Foley:Yeah. And what discoveries does he continue to make today? Like, I was thinking about the folks that work for Apple or something, and they invent the iPhone, and Steve Jobs is hard as hell on this team. It took me 18 years, and I did. They get to talk about what they thought, and then anything that they need to do that's a safety, a safety's out of parameters, hopefully you don't have a lot of those. Disappointed with the assignment at the time, Foley now reflects that the three years he spent flying the A-7 were critical in his development as a Navy pilot. Yeah, me too. He is the former lead solo pilot of the Blue Angels, Bestselling Author of Fearless Success, an expert in the How of High Performance teams and 'The Guru of Gratitude.'. It's like, oh, that would be cool, but geez, that's a pipe dream. So, they allow you more time, and then you just start, just like you, you just keep upping the game, where now you start flying jets, then you start flying faster jets. So, we have the rotation that's planned. Sometimes I'm a little bit ahead, sometimes a little bit behind, but I'm talking inches instead of feet. I think if you were to ask Erik and I, when we were 15 years old, do you want to ascend to the highest climbing level and climb Everest? This is really the ethos of what we're talking about. However, after receiving his Wings of Gold in 1984, and in alignment with the needs of the Navy, Foley would initially be assigned to Attack Squadron 22 (VA-22) flying the A-7 Corsair II. Jeff:Like what? I think we're getting to the essence again, of what we do and why we do it. BLUe aNGeLS John Foley "G lad to Be Here." those four words meant something very special to me when I was a Blue angel. All of a sudden, the light bulb went off. We brief every Monday mornings on the week and stuff. Our first conversation of the new year is with a former navy jet pilot. They have more to win. John Foley:But you get a chance to voice that. Because you can't do the middle part without the pre and the post, right? They know the nuance. I think they're going to come out hungry as shit. You get to hear the boss going through the cadence of the maneuvers, where he'll say, up we go and, and you can hear why is that G, go? It comes with practice and it comes with the awareness. John Foley:Well, I was the second one. So, you can decide if you're going to step up or not. 01:18:45. Part of the equation is diving into the learning process and trying to illuminate the universal elements that exist along the way. My big change came from leaving the Navy. Not that I'm telling you, you're not good enough. I think the first thing, Erik, that I've learned over time is I like to say there's two beliefs. So, I like to put a nuance in there, Erik, and that's about being scared. Then after that, and I would say that's more the touchy feely part. I climb out of the jet. Erik Weihenmayer:I got my accelerated free fall license as a civilian to skydive. Or maybe he didn't realize it. So, you're trying to keep your airplane within a three inch circle on the other airplane. John Foley:But what hits me is, oh, okay, well, do I have the right personnel behind it? What I am trying to teach is show you, is how to be a better team member, how to focus better, how to be prepared, how to be more open and honest in your debriefs, how to lay it on the table so that your teammates can grow and you can grow. You bring the best athletes you can, but it's not about an individual. John Foley:Yeah. She joins hundreds of other women who have served with the Blue Angels . We all know the science behind appreciation and gratitude, how it changes the way your brain thinks, the neurons fire and all that. Just what we're doing right here. John Foley:Absolutely. However, if we were to look at success as improvement upon what ever it is you are, whether that be your life, your career, or your business, then there. You have to be amazing. $ 9.99. Erik Weihenmayer:How do you handle that, John? Erik Weihenmayer:And what's an example of a fear-based belief that maybe you have had that you had to struggle with or work through? The Blue Angels, I'm going to talk to you about debrief, how we did it on the Blues, it's slightly different than how I did it on my fighter squadrons or how they do it in Top Gun. It's just so hard and so intense. Then you actually back out, you stabilize and you come back in. But since then, yeah, I had a lot of inadvertent mentors. I remember thinking to myself, I'm going to do that. Some days you're just glad to be alive, but rarely, it meant that. John Foley is a former lead solo pilot of the Blue Angels, a Sloan Fellow at the Stanford School of Business, and an expert in the how of High Performance teams. John Foley:It's exactly that, but it's not just the coffee, right? All Rights Reserved. Let's see what you got. Thatsthewayukshop. I think you've had to have lived something at the nuance level to really be able to teach it at the highest levels. Get the best deals on Staffordshire Old Foley when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. The way I do that is I just say, when my eyes open up, the first conscious thought that hits my head, I just go, what am I grateful for? Because my mind is starting to take over my body. So, here's the Gucci feel. To me, that's a feeling statement. I come down, I get waved off. John Foley:I'm going to do that. Then I try to get outside, I look up and I say, can I get into my body? I think, when I joined the team, and at the end of your comments, everybody said, "Glad to be here." John Foley:And it was scary. Now, to answer that gut feeling JB that you asked about. He also explains a process that he believes is the primary key to continuous improvement and exceptional growth. Like, they take you under their wing and they say And you're expressing gratitude, and because of that, they want to work with you more, right? I think it's a blessing to have parents, and my mom too, in a different way, but they taught me integrity, and just trying stuff, not to be afraid to fail. Happy 2022 listeners. Thank you, Gucci, man. It's perhaps like you have to have this veneer that exists to keep you in that pocket. I don't know. I've taught myself to block out distractions. I think the question JB asked is, do you choose that or does the market, or the job choose it for you? You do, in a way, you have to, I don't know, maybe you have to suspend the gushy parts because you've done all that hard work. Coming out of the new Top Gun; Maverick movie and I'm emotionally moved. Audiences discover how to inspire success, create commitment, align teams toward a common goal and build unprecedented levels of trust. Hey Jeff, thanks for joining me as a co-host, and John, this is so exciting to have you. No kidding, 300%. 0 bids. That's a fact. First, is just being aware, is am I operating from fear? Then I realized I had the wrong order. Jeff:You're welcome for all that work I've done with you. Jeff:Yeah. 605 SOUTH COLLEGE AVENUE, SUITE 101, FORT COLLINS, CO 80524. If I were to move that far and did not clear the formation, that's a safety. I have what I call my glad to be here wake up, and a glad to be here reboot. I think Erik also, and I, have had many, many conversations because we practice as well, but I wish I would've had that skillset back when things were really, really hectic, whether it was climbing or life or anything else, but I didn't really know it. My manager, Skyler, was always like, "Dude, the audience would've never known. I said, I don't need to be an airline pilot. I think I was looking at it as a bigger timeframe. But my whole point is that I fell into what I do now, which is I went to a seminar on personal growth, and I'm always trying to improve myself. To me, the easiest ones or relationships, whether they're personal or not. You're on to a really interesting point. There's a bigger show. I think, at the end of the day, it's all about other people. Through their interdependence as a team, members are also challenged and stimulated to achieve higher levels of individual performance. John Foley:But what's interesting is that if you expand that time out, because in between each maneuver, we have communication. I really do. John Foley:Thumper and I, two opposing solos. That part of the maneuver for that 18 seconds is absolutely what you just talked about. That's a start. To survive in those circumstances he relied on a culture of high trust, leadership and teamwork. Keep going. Then we give it away. It was really awesome. Erik Weihenmayer:I just imagine that the heart piece might almost get in the way. they have even more significance to me today. I'm constantly having fun. Erik Weihenmayer:Over time, you talk about focus, right? "Blue Angels are Navy fighter pilots. And that's great. But for JB and I, the shit goes by quickly, right? There has to have been a time during that process that you got completely shit on, or you were like, oh, well Or somebody said, "Forget it, Foley. I liked it. Like, oh man, you got to get your act together. Antique James Kent "Old Foley" Blue/White Staffordshire Pitcher, England. As if it happened yesterday, Foley fondly reflects on a flight he gave to his Russian counterpart that rendered his new comrade unconscious during a demonstration of high performance capabilities of the F/A-18 Hornet. High Performance Climb Then the other thing that occurs to me is, as I've taken the deeper dive on the Gucci platform, is this other little side note that I wouldn't have guessed. I think that's so critical. Erik Weihenmayer:Or you get internal with yourself and you start making mistakes or something, like how pitchers in pro baseball get in a slump or something. Special thanks to The Dan Ryan Band for our intro song, Guidance. It doesn't John Foley:Erik, I got to a question for you. Our first conversation of this new year is with a former Navy jet pilot, an 18 year journey that began after a visit to an air show as a young boy, piqued when he was selected to join the Elite Blue Angels Squadron. As a Blue Angel, John consistently performed in an extreme, high-stakes environment, flying at speeds of more than 500 miles per hour in formations as close as 18 inches apart. What's the minuses? Now you have breakthrough performance. I have to come up on the radio, and I got to say six is clear. I want to appreciate it. In that unexplored terrain between those dark places we find ourselves in summit, exists a map. The best climbers in the world, back when Erik and I climbed Everest, not necessarily could climb Everest. How do you increase that sense of focus? Or is it different? So Nick Saban and Alabama brought me in a few years ago. I think that's when you know you're in the zone, but here's the other thing, the minute you start realizing that, you're now losing focus, right? I'm from the south, so I'm torn, but all my buddies are all Auburn, so I can't stand Alabama as a result. We actually can only focus on one thing at one time, but because it's like a movie, you have different frames, we're seeing things in frames. That's called reactionary. His charismatic and enthusiastic presentations stimulate audiences emotionally and intellectually with a whole new perspective on their ability to excel. But I do remember that distinct moment. That is what's happening to me in the jet. You don't want a whole bunch of safeties. If you acknowledge that empathy, that compassion, and then actually take the action to reach out to them, amen. To me, that's operating from a fear based mentality, as compared to, wait a minute. Copyright 2023. I just want to do something that's personal. They probably visualize dreams way better than we did, at least I remember as a little kid doing that. There's a lot of good in that person, in this situation. It was during this same time period that Foley attended a Blue Angels air show and proclaimed to his father that one day he too would be a military aviator. He did a couple tours in Vietnam. As I contemplate the trajectory of, say my climbing career, my speaking career, the things that I do with my family and everything, I contemplated a whole lot more because all those marbles in the jar, there's just fewer of them. They say like, "I put in six years, but it was the best six years of my life in certain ways." I don't know. Each year the team typically selects three tactical (fighter or fighter/attack) jet pilots, two support officers and one Marine. Erik Weihenmayer:Hey, everybody. Is that part of the process of being focused? I'm not waiting to see if the boss's airplane moves or not. Actually, the glad to be here is a proactive way to not only snap you out of that downward spiral. I remember being at that air show that day. But the point is, is there's a lot more that is intangible, that sits within us, and that's exactly what you captured right there. It's what Shakespeare was talking about when he says, to be or not to be. I know there's difficulty and I'm aware of it. I'm going to guess ask, were you doing breathwork and meditation when you were with the Blue Angels or is this-. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will transition to the Super Hornet platform for the 2021 season. I'm just so excited because you and I got to meet up and Vail at a retreat, and we had some coffee, and you were so nice to talk to my dad who was a Marine. What's hard is to be aware of the situation. In the briefing room, you're going through their procedures, very scripted. Visit our updated, Distributor/Logistics Provider of the Year, Food Automation & Manufacturing (FA&M) Conference & Expo. Because think about when you're teaching someone to climb. You get to see us visualizing. I could sense the space between my heartbeats. And they've got a great program too. And then you're going to be the best of the best. Let's continue to help others, serve others with that. help you have the best experience while on the site. March 25 to 26: Barksdale Air Force Base . But what's surprising to me is you say the first thing on your debrief is you come at each other with something you feel. I know you do and facilitate, you do personally, but also facilitate a lot of breathwork and meditation with clients, and you do it yourself. Fortunately, I have a lot of video of me in the briefing rooms and the debriefing rooms and actual flying. It's taken on a whole new ethos since then. Thanks so much and have a great day. We're doing a mile every nine seconds. You know it, every kid does it better than us. Jeff:I think you're right. Vintage James Kent LTD | Old Foley . One of them was my commanding officer on the carrier air group commander, called a carrier group commander, a CAG. And you're welcome. Erik and I are like old aged salty mountain guys. It's been a struggle to live what I call a no barriers life, to define it, to push the parameters of what it means. That person asked me if I would mind saying some words on stage. Then we actually allow the support officers, so my maintenance officer, my doc, they get to do the same thing. Jeff:And I guess, just like so many of us, you've evolved into the new Gucci, the different Gucci that I really think the world benefits from having you. I had a team briefing this morning. You know what the biggest one, Erik? Like instead of things going by so quick and your awareness is pretty small, your awareness increases and time slows down so that you're aware of more capacity at one moment. I'm going to send you out tomorrow night and you better show me something. I remember, I had to think that night had to do some self-reflection and not get overwhelmed, and just realize, you know what? I don't have those all the time. It causes stuckness. John Foley, a former naval aviator with the Blue Angels was on with Chaz and AJ to talk about the coordinated flyover of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with the Thunderbirds. I want to go into the entrepreneurial world. We're all playing our guitar. The Blue Angel: Directed by Edward Dmytryk. John Foley:Now, having said that, I still get out and do it. Stay up-to-date on new opportunities & community stories. There's the transcendence of that. Half the pilots are new every year. No one has to teach you how to visualize. I know why it works and that allows you to do the how. Maybe it's a financial challenge, maybe it's a personal challenge, an emotional challenge, and you can feel yourself get tight, right? You finally get in the airplane and that's totally different.