Why I Wrote an Aviation Book - and its Connection to Leadership

My previous blog, Great Place HR, was focused on helping organizations maximize their strengths to become great places to work. With this post, I am shifting focus a bit and rebranding the blog. The new approach applies my experiences as an aviation business owner and pilot to lessons for leadership and organizational improvement.


The redesigned blog kicks off with an explanation of why I wrote and published a short book about aviation. I hope you will find the insights to be of value.

Like many people who publish blogs, I am a writer at heart. Writing comes naturally to me; words generally flow easily from my head to my fingers. Put simply, I love to write. Publishing a book has been a long-held dream.

In 1978, I took a flight lesson - followed by another, and more still. Within nine months, I held a pilot's license. My husband, Roger obtained his pilot's license less than two years prior; together we flew throughout the Northeast and even as far as the Bahama out-islands. Flying provided us with a perspective on life that few people ever know.

Unlike writing, flying did not come easily to me. It was a challenge, every step of the way. I worked harder than most to earn my private pilot's license and the same is true for every rating that followed. As a result, flying bolstered my confidence in ways that no other life experience has yet matched.

In 1991, my family moved to Maine when I was offered a position as VP of HR at a regional healthcare system. Soon after the move, Roger launched an aviation business in the community of Auburn-Lewiston. Measured by population, the area is the second largest in the state, and is home to a reasonably good-sized airport. Through sheer perseverance and an unwillingness to listen to the naysayers, Roger built the business into one of the most respected aviation companies in Northern New England. When the business was in its eighth year, I left my job at the healthcare system to help manage the now sizeable company.



Beechcraft King Air B-100
The Aircraft Featured in The Flight Level Chronicles

My years with our company were, without question, the most enjoyable of my career thus far. I wore many hats: pilot, chief marketing officer, head of HR, government relations liaison, hangar sweeper, toilet cleaner and more. Roger and I frequently flew together, especially after we sold the company and spun off a one-airplane charter operation with our Beechcraft King Air. Along the way, I kept a diary of sorts, recording some of the most interesting flights and memorable characters that we were privileged to fly. Those recordings became the basis for my book, The Flight Level Chronicles.

Writing this book brought me back to an interesting time in my life. Through this process, I am experiencing valuable lessons that one can apply to daily life, business, leadership, or organizational transformation.

1. Pursue your passion. Everyone says it, few of us do it. There's always a reason to put off the "want-tos" in favor of the "must-dos." Pursuing my passion has improved my writing, taught me the nuances of publishing, introduced me to online marketing, and, like flying, has given a boost to my confidence.
2. Listen to your fans - but listen more closely to your critics. Family and friends served as pre-readers for my book. The praise felt wonderful, but real improvement came through honest, candid feedback.
3. Understand what you want to accomplish - and why. Some of my readers asked, "Who is your audience?" Others asked, "What is your goal; why are you writing this book?" Understanding the answers to those questions was critical to making the book the best it could be and determining what, if any, post-publication plan to implement.
4. Even great can always be better - but focusing on perfection can hinder success. I am a near-perfectionist, a bit of an obsessive type. I read four proofs of the book and each time, I found a word to change, punctuation that wasn't quite right, or tense that wasn't consistent. After the fourth proof, Roger instilled a bit of reality. "You will always find something to change," he said. "If you continue on this path, the book will lose the voice and the charm of the author. Just let it go." And I did.

Finally attaining my goal, holding my tangible, published book in my hand is a dream come true. I will be honored if you'll read it, either in paperback, Kindle or Nook format. If you find the book enjoyable, I will be even happier that I was able to provide you with a pleasant diversion through the pastime I truly love to pursue.