The Helper's High

In a 180-degree turn from my usual approach, this post shares a leadership concept and applies it to aviation.

Just a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of listening to a keynote speech delivered by John Mackey, the co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market. The company is known for product excellence, outstanding corporate citizenship and is a recognized best place to work.

Mr. Mackey described the importance of leaders to the company’s success and offered a profile of an excellent leader, Whole Foods style. Quite simply, he said, “great leaders are helpers. They thrive on lending a hand and they relish the success of others. Great leaders understand what I like to call the helper’s high.”

Over the course of the next two days, I listened to several CEOs and senior leaders from America’s best companies. The themes from Mr. Mackey’s opening keynote resonated throughout. Great companies are great because of their leaders. Great leaders are not ruthless, profit focused slave drivers. They are humans who genuinely care about other humans. Their success comes from their loyal fan base – those who they have helped and those whose success they continually celebrate.

Great Leaders and Great CFIs Know The Helper's High

The concept of the helper’s high has significant relevance to aviation. Great pilots are great because of the caring, patient and kind hand of great instructors. The Certificated Flight Instructor is the unsung hero/heroine of the aviation industry. Many pilots become CFIs simply to gather sufficient hours and move on to roles that are more lucrative. All too often, these pilots fail to renew their instructor credentials and some even proudly boast about no longer “needing” to perform what they view as a menial role.

Thankfully, there are other pilots who honor the profession by continuing to give back – tirelessly instructing newcomers or supporting experienced pilots who want to sharpen skills. They continue to serve the aviation industry, some as full time instructors and others in a part-time capacity. Often, the part-timers are airline flight crew members who derive great joy from the simple pleasures that general aviation offers.  These are the flight instructors who – like great leaders – thrive on the helper’s high.

Each of us who has learned to fly owes our success to a great CFI (or more than one) who we have met along the way. No doubt, those  of us who have had the pleasure of learning from a “helper’s high CFI” are much richer for the experience.

Think about the very best boss or the very best flight instructor you’ve ever had. List a few words that describe what made him or her so special.  Chances are, your list includes a healthy dose of adjectives that taken together, paint a picture of someone who embodies the spirit of the helper’s high.

Recommended readings for this post:  

• The Trustworthy Leader: Leveraging the Power of Trust to Transform Your Organization, by Amy Lyman. Amy is the co-founder of the Great Place to Work Institute, the organization that sponsors Fortune magazine’s annual list of Best Companies to Work For in America.
• The Savvy Flight Instructor: Secrets of the Successful CFI, by Greg Brown. Greg has been a CFI since 1979 and in true “helper’s high” fashion blended his airline career with his long-time devotion to flight instruction.