September 25, 2023
Written by Brad Kraay
The 7 P’s—Proper Pre-Flight Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance—a mantra seared into my consciousness from a tender age by my father, a distinguished fighter pilot and a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. More commonly distilled to the 5 P’s, this guiding principle signifies much more than just a mnemonic—it’s a philosophy, a methodical approach to life and work. It’s the ethos that dictates if you’re not ten minutes early, you’re essentially late. It’s the commitment to meticulous preparation and hard work, a doctrine suggesting that without proper groundwork, attaining fruitful results becomes a herculean, stressful task.
When effort is invested and the work is put in diligently, the fruits of labor are not just sweeter, but the rewards feel more authentically earned, more deserved. This principle is the bedrock upon which we, at Thunderbird Advisors Group, build our services.
As we are on the cusp of concluding Fiscal Year 2023 and stepping into the first quarter, it’s a transformative phase. The rollover brings with it the wrap-up and awarding of lingering projects, rendering it conventionally a sluggish period for business development initiatives. This transitional phase is often perceived as a window for complacency and relaxation. However, this is also the crucial juncture where our due diligence and detailed analysis into the occurrences of FY23 and projections for FY24 can carve out a competitive edge for us and our clients. It’s the phase where recovery and rejuvenation are pivotal, but it’s also the phase where the preparative essence of the 7 P’s becomes more consequential than ever.
While it may seem tempting to ease off, this is not the period to decelerate; instead, it’s the time to recalibrate our efforts, to delve deeper into preparation and planning. It’s the time to scrutinize the past and strategize for the future, to ensure we’re not just participants in the race but are well ahead in the game. This isn’t a shutdown phase but a strategic redirection phase, a time to intensify focus on the values of thorough preparation that my father ardently advocated.
At Thunderbird Advisors Group, we perceive this transition not as a slowdown but as a strategic inflection point, a phase to re-energize our focus on the principles of meticulous planning and preparation, to secure not just an edge but a decisive lead in the times to come. The foundational lessons from my father reverberate profoundly during this time, steering our approach to build not just results, but lasting legacies.
