Ten Reasons Why Leaders Should Take Flying Lessons

Aviation social media channels have been abuzz over a study indicating that general aviation pilots make good CEOs. The study indicates that the “risk-seeking behavior that motivates certain people to fly personal aircraft may also make them effective corporate leaders.”

If general aviation pilots possess traits that enable them to more effectively lead organizations, might it make sense that flight training can be beneficial for those who are already leaders? I think that a case can be made.  Here are ten leadership skills that can be sharpened by learning to fly.

1)  Big-Picture Thinking: In “Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit,” I discussed the importance of looking beyond the obvious. Learning to fly involves developing broad scanning skills and improving the ability to see the big picture. It also requires one to assimilate information from multiple sources for sound decision-making.

Cessna 150 - A Popular Training Aircraft
Photo by Lillian LeBlanc

2)  Self-Reliance: Most pilots have strong memories from certain events in their initial flight training. The first solo is a memory that is frequently cited. Although my first solo occurred 33 years ago, I remember the exhilarating, yet slightly frightening feeling of being alone in the airplane, fully responsible for returning the aircraft - and myself - to the ground in one piece.

3)  Change Management: Learning to fly involves adjusting to constantly changing conditions, including weather that is different from forecast, unplanned air traffic detours, or occasional equipment hiccups. Pilots must be nimble and adjust quickly when situations change. Resisting change is not an option.

4)  Communication: Although it is possible to fly without speaking on the aircraft radio (and some aircraft do not have radios), communicating with someone on the ground or in the air is a routine part of most flights. Flight training involves developing communication skills by learning to convey important information quickly and succinctly.

5)  Awareness: Pilots learn to maintain constant awareness of their entire environment. Skilled aviators are able to perform all flight tasks while simultaneously keeping an ear to the airplane's sytems, monitoring the comfort of passengers, talking with air traffic control and staying aware of the location of other aircraft.

6)  Confidence: Born from self-reliance, flying is a tremendous confidence builder. Mastering the broad range of skills and knowledge needed to become a pilot is incredibly rewarding. Sweetly landing the aircraft after a well-executed flight makes every pilot feel fulfilled.

7)  Humility: For every soft landing, there is one (and sometimes more) that are far from graceful. Since pilots are human, errors happen and perfection can be elusive. Even the most highly skilled, talented pilots have humbling aviation experiences. Unfortunately, these embarrassing moments always seem to occur when others are around to notice.

8)  Managing Diversity: Pilots come from a wide range of backgrounds. High-school dropouts and ivy-league graduates can be found learning alongside each other. The flight instructor could be a young female or a crusty retired airline captain. Aviation is a small, closely-knit family where differences, accomplishments or failures unrelated to flying are irrelevant.

9)  Teamwork: Learning to fly involves working closely with others to accomplish a goal. Maintenance staff keep planes airworthy and help pilots troubleshoot mechanical issues. Line employees ensure that airplanes are clean and fueled for flight. Air traffic controllers provide critical aircraft separation and flight routing support. Certainly, in some cases such as experimental aircraft operations, a pilot can take to the air without the involvement of others. But most of us learn to fly in a world where teamwork abounds.

10) Finding Enjoyment in a Challenge: Why do we fly? Because it’s fun. Aviation can be challenging and learning to fly does not come easily to many. Yet, the thrill of gently lifting the plane into the air and soaring above the earth is one of life’s great pleasures.

Perhaps the personality profile of a typical pilot is indeed consistent with the persona needed to be an effective CEO. Given the many benefits to be derived from leaning to fly, a flight lesson or two could be an effective way to support the development critical leadership skills. If you’re a leader who has not sat in the pilot’s seat, consider exploring the world of aviation to enhance your leadership capability.

Recommended reading for those who wish to explore the topics of this post are Guided Flight Discovery: Private Pilot, published by Jeppesen. This guide is an overview of all information needed to pass the private pilot knowledge test, published by one of the leading producers of aviation publications. Those interested in developing the presence of a CEO may wish to read Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO, by Harrison Monarth. The book is an interesting look into the differences that set CEOs apart from others who aspire to but never achieve the ultimate level of leadership.

The ROI of Specialty Certifications

During my 33-year career in human resources, I’ve had many people ask. “Should I pursue a specialty certification? Do I really need that, with all the experience I have?” My answer is always the same: Assuming that you have a good foundation of experience, additional credentials such as specialty certifications never hurt and often help to set one apart from the crowd.

Experience Fills the Toolbox

Deep and broad experience helps build skills and provides practical knowledge to draw upon over time. Consider a newly certificated private pilot, who has learned how to plan and execute a successful flight. Exercising the newfound pilot privileges will expose the pilot to different weather conditions, unfamiliar airports, varying enroute traffic situations and other elements that may not have been encountered during training. All of these experiences help to build the pilot's confidence and enhance his or her skills.

Leadership skills are also built through experience. There are ways to learn the elements of leadership before being assigned formal responsibility for a group of direct reports. Opportunities to guide committees and task forces teach collaboration and introduce the techniques for motivating people of different backgrounds. Project responsibility builds decision-making skills and effective time management. Mentoring provides a platform to develop skills in listening and delivering feedback. Those who ascend to leadership with this kind of experience generally have greater confidence and are more successful than those who are promoted based solely on their technical excellence.



NBAA Offers an Excellent Aviation Leadership Certification
Photo by Lillian LeBlanc

Experience in itself is important, but there are times when individuals of similar experience must be ranked against each other. This commonly occurs when selecting a candidate to fill a vacancy, but it happens at other times, such as civic elections, insurance ratings, or establishing one’s self as an expert. A specialty certification can offer a competitive edge in these situations.

Specialty Certifications Enhance and Validate Experience

Specialty certifications are common in the business world. These certifications typically provide quick validation that the holder has demonstrated mastery of a specific body of knowledge. In addition, the certification generally indicates that a certain amount of profession-specific experience has been documented. When combined with relevant experience and the requisite education for a profession, a specialty certification serves as a credential that sets one apart from others with similar experience and education.

The National Business Aircraft Association offers a leadership-specific specialty certification, called the Certified Aviation Manager (CAM.) Designed for leaders in the aviation industry, it is an excellent example of a credential that enhances and validates leadership experience. There are currently 174 aviation leaders who have attained the CAM designation.

Becoming a CAM requires a comprehensive application and successful completion of a five-part knowledge exam. Applicants are awarded points based on education and relevant aviation leadership experience. The knowledge exam tests the applicant’s mastery of Leadership, Human Resources Management, Operations, Technical and Facilities Services and Business Management. In addition to the application and exam, applicants must complete an essay explaining how the CAM supports and enhances the individual’s professional aspirations.  Two letters of recommendation are also required, serving as further evidence of the applicant’s career accomplishments.  The CAM’s multi-faceted approach to validation of the accomplishments and capabilities of a specialty certification applicant is unique and notable. In that regard, it is a model for other industry-specific leadership certifications.

Specialty Certifications are an Investment

Do the benefits of a specialty certification warrant the investment of time, energy and expense? Given the competition in the labor market, a specialty certification can provide an important edge for a candidate. This is especially true when the certification has recognition and acceptance within the industry or profession. Individuals who are comfortably employed can also benefit from the professional recognition and validation that a specialty certification offers, through acknowledgement of their professional expertise and accomplishments.

The recommended readings for this post focus on preparing for a specialty certification exam. Test Taking Strategies & Study Skills for the Utterly Confused by Laurie Rozakis will serve as a refresher those who have not recently prepared for  tests. The Secrets of Taking Any Test by Judith N. Meyers offers generic practice tests to build experience in test-taking techniques.

Leading Change and Flying Upside Down

Aerobatic flight is the term used for maneuvers that non-pilots equate with airshows. These include loops, rolls, inverted flight and other activities that resemble the actions of an amusement park ride. Some pilots love aerobatic flight and perform it purely for joy. Others are uncomfortable with the G-forces that are imposed on the body and prefer to fly “straight and level.”

It is common for first time passengers in a light aircraft to ask the pilot to avoid abrupt maneuvers. Their concern stems from a widely held misperception that pilots of small aircraft routinely engage in rolls, spins or loops simply to thrill or scare the unwary passenger. In addition, the uninitiated may worry that aerobatic flight is completely unsafe.

When performed by a skilled, knowledgeable pilot, aerobatic flight is safe and can be very enjoyable. It is also an excellent way to sharpen basic flight techniques. The precision and discipline required to perform aerobatic maneuvers can applied to routine flight to become a better overall pilot. However, certain people, including some pilots, are extremely uncomfortable in a world where things are turned upside down. This does not imply inferior physical or psychological status; it simply means that aerobatic flight is not for everyone.

In leadership and indeed in everyday life, we encounter situations that feel like loops, spins and rolls. Taken collectively, this state is referred to as change or, at its extreme, chaos. Constantly shifting, unpredictable or completely unexpected matters put demands on the mind and body in the same way that G-forces affect us when in aerobatic flight. Many individuals don’t enjoy change and most seek to avoid chaos. Like a wary passenger stepping into a light aircraft, a majority of people prefer a smooth, easy ride. Unfortunately, business - and life in general - often tosses unexpected curve balls that must be managed.



Flying Upside Down Can Be Thrilling
Photo by U.S. Navy

Certain skills can be employed to introduce a newcomer to aerobatic flight or lead a team through significant change.

1.    Inform and Educate

The competent aerobatic pilot doesn’t strap in the passenger and climb nearly vertical to altitude. He or she takes time on the ground to explain exactly what will occur and how the passenger’s body may react. Aerobatic maneuvers are often introduced slowly, with less taxing actions taken first to ensure that the passenger is comfortable.

An entire business line has developed to guide individuals and organizations through new situations. Called Change Management, it relies on information and education to alleviate concerns associated with unpredictable situations. Change management also utilizes frequent pulse checks to understand how effectively change is being accepted, or what additional steps are needed to minimize change-related distress.

2.    Understand and Monitor

When properly attuned to passenger needs, the aerobatic pilot will check in frequently with the passenger, altering or terminating the flight if necessary for passenger comfort. He or she realizes that people react in different ways to the demands of aerobatic flight. The pilot also understands that there is a blurry limit just beyond an individual’s comfort zone where thrill and excitement erode into fear or terror.

Fortunately, the extreme emotion of terror rarely exists in a situation of change in the business world. It is still important, though for the leader to understand how each team member is likely to respond to change and to continually monitor the health of the team. A leader who is strong in change management is skilled at knowing when to alter the pace of change to allow team members time to effectively respond.

3.    Apply Lessons

As mentioned earlier, aerobatic flight skills can turn good pilots into great ones. The best aerobatic pilots continually practice to hone their skills. They incorporate the lessons learned from each aerobatic flight into their aviation toolkit.

Leaders who guide teams through change also learn different lessons from every experience. Understanding and responding to team dynamics during a time of change enhances basic leadership skills. Balancing the need to rapidly introduce a new process with the importance of maintaining stability for employees helps good leaders become even better.

If executed effectively, turning the world upside down can introduce individuals to a new perspective. Great pilots and great leaders share the ability to identify and manage the varying needs of different people who share the loops, rolls and spins of change.

The following resources are recommended for readers who want to read more on aerobatic flight or change management.  Basic Aerobatics by Geza Szurovy is an introductory primer for pilots who wish to gain a foundation of knowledge in aerobatic flight. Leading Change by John P. Kotter was written many years ago but remains one of the most widely read books on the topic of business change management.

Photo URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/5957826326/sizes/m/in/photostream/

A Language of Our Own

One of the biggest compliments that I received on my book, The Flight Level Chronicles, came via a review posted on Amazon.com. The reviewer stated that the book was "easy to read, with no aviation jargon." Truth told, eliminating aviation-speak was a conscious goal as I wrote and it was rewarding to learn that a reader appreciated the effort. There was a reason for my avoidance of aviation jargon. I wanted the book to be as interesting and enjoyable to those with no background in aviation as it would be to those who make a living in the field.

Every group has a language of its own, whether the group is an ethnic culture, a profession or an organization. Language is important to a culture. It is an element that bonds and provides a common frame of reference for the group. A native language is learned early and mastery is important to attaining a sense of inclusion. Yet, a group's unique vocabulary can unwittingly exclude outsiders or confuse newcomers.

1. The unique language

During the lifespan of our aviation business, we published a newsletter that included a column called "The Pet Peeve Corner." Customers were encouraged to provide content, sharing anything that was bothersome, along with a recommended solution. The goal was to raise awareness and through that process, reduce or eliminate the troubling behavior. One of our customers who was a seasoned pilot provided a suggestion for the benefit of the many less experienced aviators who operated from our busy airport.

 "Let's think about the language we use on the radio," he said. "For example, students and even newly certificated private pilots don't have any idea what it means when we say, 'outer marker inbound on the ILS.' We'll all be safer if we indicate our exact position from the runway in terms that everyone can understand.” This excellent suggestion was published in the newsletter and helped to raise my personal awareness of the confusion that any special language can cause.

Organizations also have their own language, unique to each individual corporate culture. Acronyms, nicknames and special-purpose words are in use within virtually every business. Although a company's native tongue connects those who are insiders to the organization, it can be a barrier for customers, new employees and others. Leaders can help these individuals by maintaining awareness of the impact of unique words and abbreviations, providing explanation and clarification when needed.





"Marker Inbound" Has Little Relevance to New Pilots
Photo by Lillian LeBlanc


2. Jargon and the newcomer

Using the example from our newsletter, it is easy to see how jargon can confuse a newcomer to a group. "Outer marker inbound" has specific meaning to a pilot of advanced skill who is familiar with the nuances of flying in clouds. However, a new private pilot may not realize that the announcement tells of an aircraft that is flying straight into the runway in use, and is about five miles away.

Business jargon may be specific to an industry or unique to an organization. Either way, it may confound new employees or confuse customers. They may be reluctant to ask for clarification, not wishing to be considered ignorant. Lack of understanding can lead to incorrect assumptions about the meaning of words. In some situations, the assumption might lead to incorrect action, or perhaps inaction when follow up is important.

It's easy to maintain awareness of jargon. Conduct a frequent vocabulary check to determine if words in use would have similar meaning outside the group or organization. If not, be prepared to eliminate use with newcomers or others unfamiliar to the group, or at least offer an explanation of these words and terms.

3. Acronym assumptions

Acronyms are shorthand and they are in widespread use within every group. The growth of social media has greatly expanded the use of acronyms, since abbreviations can rapidly convey complex concepts. This can be very useful if the acronym is logical or easily decoded.

Aviation is brimming with acronyms that are often exceedingly difficult to decipher. IMC, for example, refers to weather conditions that make it difficult or impossible to see outside the aircraft. It stands for "Instrument Meteorological Conditions." The acronym is puzzling unless one knows or can figure out that, in low or no visibility weather conditions, an airplane must be flown by reference to its flight instruments.

Every business has its own acronyms. Letters combine to describe meeting rooms, company-operating divisions, policies and practices. Acronyms flow easily and are extensively used in the workplace. It is important for new employees to become familiar and comfortable with this shorthand; some organizations have taken the extra step of creating glossaries to facilitate the newcomer's orientation. If such a guide doesn't exist at the organizational level, a leader may want to create one for new team members. Assume nothing when compiling the glossary. In my very first job, fresh out of college, my supervisor sent me a note prefaced with "FYI." I puzzled over this abbreviation that I had never before seen. Too embarrassed to ask my boss for an explanation, I was rescued by a kind coworker who explained that the note contained material that did not need action - it was simply for my information.

All of us can aid the cause of creating clarity for others by maintaining awareness of the terminology that we use and ensuring that explanation follows any special-use words or unique shorthand. Helping others to learn the native language of your group, industry or organization makes people feel welcomed and included. It can also enhance safety and facilitate problem resolution by creating an environment of understanding and openness.

Each post in this blog closes with additional resources for those who wish to expand understanding of the topic. Two light-hearted recommendations accompany this post: Aviation Acronyms, a collection of aviation alphabet terms compiled by Jason Schappert and Corporate Lingo Flashcards, published by Knock Knock.  Each resource offers valuable information in an enjoyable format

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