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The
Program
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The basic idea behind Red
Flag is that decision reliability is improved by a moment's reflection. Accidents are thereby prevented.
Support for the prevent accidents proposition is at: Introduction
This is the way it works: You say out loud the words "Red
Flag" to buy time for a brief interval - during which you consider the wisdom of the proposed action.
It's like a speed bump. Slow down. Think.
Red
Flag is a "Program". That is, training is involved - intial and continuous. You will devise your own training course (in reference to plenty of suggestions, models to emulate, etc).
You know that things you've worked out for yourself are better remembered.
The scheme is akin to physical exercise - to produce stamina.
The cognitive counterpart is the same. Exercise delivers mental fitness - and that improves your decision reliability, especially under stress.
In short, Red
Flag is a training program for your brain.
Engage diligently and continuously and you'll
make fewer mistakes.
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Levels
There are two levels to a Red
Flag Program - Basic and Professional.
- The Basic Program is free, generic and
self-administered.
- Red
Flag
operates within a formal Risk Management structure. It is described at User Guide
- A series of papers - Resources - provides further references.
- Keeping a record of activity - from the beginning
- is recommended.
- The Professional Program is specific
to an industry or profession and accredited.
It needs to be stressed at the
outset that any engagement in
Red Flag is going to be demanding.
It is about attaining (you may
already be there, of course) and maintaining
fitness through rigorous exercise. However, it is the sort
of thing that exceptional people distinguish themselves
by taking on.
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There's enough information on the website to ensure
you are ready before committing. However, you should also read the remainder of this page.
Motivation
Why am I thinking of doing this?
Red Flag is about accessing
your brain's maximum capacity. To do that you need to be cognitively
fit.
Check it out to see if advantage might accrue.
Applications
has examples of possible scenarios.
Advantage? Well, you can show that you are less likely
to make a mistake. In many fields, that's going to attract approval.
Taking up passengers in a plane is just an obvious example.
It's really about enlightened self-interest. The self-interest
derives from being able to prove you possess important attributes.
It's enlightened as you may be preventing avoidable harm, loss or
injury to another.
You may already be cognitively fit. In that case Red
Flag offers the opportunity to confirm it.
It includes means for testing and certifying cognitive competence.
It may be in your interests to show other people positive proof of your cognitive fitness.
The Basic version is D-I-Y and free. Value-adding options
may be purchased. Products
What do I do?
All necessary guidance is on this website and in the User Guide.
Red Flag is a challenging
exercise program. If you want credit for the hard work, keep a comprehensive
record. You can record activity in the Diary pages in your folder.
At any given time, the folder is your Certificate of Attainment
or Evidence of Competency. Diligence in activity will be
self-evident. (Ah, yes, someone could cheat.
The fact is that the sort of people who'll take on a tough regime
like this don't.)
What is it all about?
The basic story is simple. Being able to operate at high information
rates means your decisions are more reliable. It also means you're
good at Stress Management. These propositions are established in
Testing
and The
Tools.
Fitness is not maintained by doing
nothing. Red Flag
recommends exercising to acquire and/or maintain cognitive fitness.
In doing that, it notes the complementarity of physical and
cognitive exercise. Details are set out in Fit
to Fly.
There's also an exercise supplement in the User Guide.
As noted, you can access and use the complete Basic Program
at no cost (except for your own printing, etc).
Fit to Fly is essentially an opportunity for intensive
self-examination. (Am I one of the error-prone types?) As such,
it is unwelcome reading for some. Others report finding
it can't-put-down.
Reactions to Fit to Fly are revealing.
Self-evaluation requires unflinching exercises in self-awareness.
You need to be open-minded.
People who can't manage that simply
turn away from the spotlight, so to speak - aversion to
truth.
The tendency to deny reality earmarks
the error-prone.
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Red Flag
training has been welcomed in a variety of settings. Testimonials
Maintaining
Motivation & Commitment
It's all D-I-Y and that can be hard to keep up. The website sets
out thoughts on many issues. Re-visiting them should assist you
in keeping going. Here are some of the key ideas.
- It's about specific attributes - skills.
- Skills are personal; self-managed training is
thus appropriate.
- Your training will be as effective as you make it. Harder
is better.
- Red Flag provides
a framework for your cognitive fitness training. However,
please read Warning
- Fitness exercise must be continuous. Red
Flag advocates initial and ongoing commitment.
- There is a parallel with maintaining peak physical fitness (and
wisdom in combing the two).
- As with physical skill fitness, cognitive fitness can be measured.
Fitness
Test describes free options.
- And as with physical training, to maintain fitness, the exercise
must be daily (well, nearly).
It's origins are impeccable. Experience
in selecting and training Air Force fighter pilots is behind
Red Flag
design. Trends established since the mid-80s confirm design
integrity and merit.
Natural human attributes that
enable high rates of information processing are identified,
as are the means for improving the fitness state
in these cognitive skills.
Strong cognitive fitness
produces higher decision reliability - or lower error potential.
A key Red Flag
sphilosophy is that these valuable
competencies ought to be deliberately (not incidentally)
acquired.
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Materials
As noted, the full set of references can be downloaded from Papers.
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An immediate start
will mark you as being amongst the more responsible and respectable
professionals in your line of work.
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