The U.S. Navy calls it Headwork.
They consider it to be of utmost importance. In fact, they consider Headwork to be of such importance that it is evaluated and graded on every single flight throughout the entire U.S. Navy flight-training syllabus. Many students flunk out because of failures in Headwork. So, as you can imagine, Headwork is a very big deal when it comes to aviating, and actually, is a very big deal with everything that we do, whether aviation related or not.
OK, Headwork is a serious issue and very important, but what exactly is it? Can we define it? Specifically, what do we know about it? Can we improve Headwork? Can we measure Headwork? Just what exactly IS Headwork? The term, Headwork, if we stop and think about it, might seem unusual, because it suggests work performed by your head. Ponder that concept for a moment, work performed by your head.
Webster’s defines Headwork simply as, “mental effort; thought”.
The U.S. Navy defines Headwork as:
the ability to understand and grasp the meaning of instructions, demonstrations, and explanations; the facility of remembering instructions from day to day, the ability to plan a series or sequence of maneuvers or actions, the ability to foresee and avoid possible difficulties and the ability to remain alert and spatially oriented.
However, in all likelihood, unless you are a U.S. Navy pilot, you probably rarely, if ever, use the word Headwork. You probably use another word, judgment.
Webster’s defines judgment as, “the ability to come to opinions about things; power of comparing and deciding; understanding; good sense.”
OK, but why is judgment such a big deal?
Well, judgment is such a big deal, and so incredibly important because it is our evaluative judgment — more than anything else — that influences our decisions, actions, and choices. Our evaluative judgment is at the core of our success and happiness. If we “get it right,” and learn to better understand and improve our judgment, decision-making, and good sense, we can improve upon, and reinvigorate, all areas of our life, both professionally and personally. And we can do so no matter how wonderful our lives are already.
Within the work we do with corporations, many of our clients tell us that good judgment is so vital and so exceptional to their professional success that they would skimp a bit on skill set competency if they could be sure that they were obtaining superior judgment. (Of course, no matter our chosen profession, we do not want to skimp on skill set competency.) Nevertheless, the point being made here though is that good judgment is often as important, or possibly even more important, than actual skills.
That brings us to the crux of our work at Pilot Judgment Inc., which is the study, measurement, and improvement of judgment, your good sense, to help you improve your decisions and actions, to assist you on your path toward your success and happiness. We do that by taking you on what we call a judgment journey. Your judgment journey will help you better understand why you do the things you do, why you are the way you are.
So, whether you are a doctor; a mother; a web editor; a marketer; a teacher; a coach; an engineer; a college kid; a retail salesperson; a pilot; or whatever, inside we are going to reveal to you your distinct and individualized results that are a measure of your strength in particular aspects of judgment and decision-making. With this knowledge at your fingertips, you now know where you should, and need to, focus your efforts, so that you can improve upon your decisions in both the external world and in your personal life.
The science behind Pilot Judgment® has successfully been used across a variety of fields, purposes, and platforms, from corporate hiring to marriage counseling to safer flying, and many more. This is an assessment of how you make decisions – of your judgment. Judgment is based primarily on your value structure, and by improving your value structure, it is possible to improve your decisions and choices. That’s what we do here. We assess your judgment, and then give you the tools you need to improve it. We will help you become a better employee, a more compatible partner, a happier person. We will help you become more successful, period.
