Afterburner, Inc.

We are consultants and elite former military who work side-by-side with your team to connect strategy to daily activities and drive disciplined execution.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

As a kid, Anthony “Roby” Roberson wanted to be cared for and provided for. Seeing what that took pointed him toward becoming a fighter pilot. Today he coaches leaders at Afterburner℠. Chat to a Pilot: https://t.co/7Y8YDweLEw

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

Flawless Execution℠ may be impossible. Chasing it still makes teams better: set the standard, check how close you came, and fix one thing before the next round. #continuousimprovement

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

When a dependable person starts slipping, check their workload before their effort. Task saturation can look like a skill problem until someone takes a task off their plate. #tasksaturation

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

One player comes up short. The whole team steps in to share the consequence.

If we're a team, one person struggling means we all struggle.

Most teams isolate the person struggling. Real teams move toward them.

Step toward, or back?

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

When you're working twice as hard and getting half the result, ask what you can control. Being the most prepared person in the room is usually on that list.

Chat to a Pilot about your event: https://t.co/sltJIyy8hM

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

The pilot riding a jet straight down isn't agonizing over whether to eject. That decision was made long before.

He knew the exact triggers. When they hit, he acted. No deliberation.

Set your triggers now, while you can think clearly.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

Facing a big challenge, most leaders look outward. New tools, new hires.

The most valuable resource is already in the room: your own people, learning from each other across regions and teams.

It's not enough to be great at what you do. You have to talk to one another.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

"Put it on autopilot" is one of the most misunderstood instructions there is.
Autopilot doesn't mean unattended.
Business does the same. We automate a process and stop watching it. Then it drifts.

What have you put on autopilot and stopped watching?

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

An F1 pit stop is team execution at its purest.

Two to three seconds. Twenty people, one precise job each, all at once. No individual could do it alone.

Nobody's rushing. Everybody's precise.

A team in sync is unbeatable.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

When you're overwhelmed, you're probably doing the worst of the three things without noticing.

Shutdown: 10%. Compartmentalization: 10%. Channelized attention, fixating while everything else falls apart: 80%.

The best response is rare. The worst is the default.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

A client nailed why most process initiatives fail.

They knew the debrief mattered. But process alone doesn't stick. There has to be inspiration behind it. Stories. Something that pulls you in.

Their words: the Afterburner team brought that to life.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

Would you call out your CEO's mistake to their face?

In a fighter pilot debrief, yes. Every time. A captain will call out a general.

They rip the rank off their shoulders and the name tags off their chest. Built for a better next mission.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

The movie version of a fighter pilot is a grin and a casual joke mid-flight.

The real version of an F-15E is 350 dials, switches, and gauges up front.

We do the same with high performers. We see the ease and assume it's natural.

Effortless is earned.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

Jimmy Carr on problems: they're not a bug, they're a feature.

You never reach a point with no problems. Get money, you just get different ones.

A problem just means something needs your attention. That's information, not a threat.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

At 9 Gs, a fighter pilot weighs almost 1,400 pounds. Hard to talk, breathe, see.

Their saying: train like you fight.

You don't rise to the occasion. You fall to the level of your training.

Most rehearsals are too comfortable. Then real pressure hits.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

Most companies have a blurry destination. The best have a high-definition one.

The HDD℠: a clear picture of where you're going, the strategy to get there, and communicating it so everyone sees the same one.

Could your team describe the destination the way you would?

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

Want a day like this for your team? Chat to a Pilot: https://t.co/bycIgM6MDd

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

In 2024, Afterburner wrapped a full day with the leadership team at Grange Insurance.

Two takeaways: debriefing as a culture of continuous improvement, and red teaming, pressure-testing your own plans before reality does.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

The Air Force mission statement is three words. Fly, fight, win.

Great vision. But if that were all a commander said before a real mission, the room would laugh. It is a slogan, not a brief.

A vision tells you where you're going. A brief tells you what to do.

[Afterburner, Inc. @AfterburnerInc]

P-51 Mustangs overhead. An F1 car nearby. Flash leading a session on execution.

Afterburner at Red Bull's Hangar 7 in Salzburg last December.

Some rooms just fit the message.