Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit

A reader of my recently published book suggested that I weave aviation into my leadership-focused blog. Flying is a passion, one that has been part of my life for more than 33 years. I thoroughly enjoyed writing a book about my aviation experiences. Initially, I failed to see any relevance between the world of flying and my blog's focus on helping leaders and organizations be the best they can be. And then, it came to me...

The Cockpit is a Great Place to Learn Lessons in Leadership.

The aviation industry has concentrated heavily on improving the cockpit work environment, through a technique called crew resource management (CRM.)  CRM has been successfully applied in many other work environments, such as surgical suites, where team interaction is critical to success. It may sound magical, but CRM is, in fact, nothing more than an adaptation of proven leadership techniques. 

Teamwork is critical in aviation. Captains and first officers often shift roles, with the "pilot flying" serving as the leader for that specific flight. The best flightcrew teams operate in pure harmony, demonstrating great leadership in action.

There is indeed a connection between my flying passion and the world of leadership. Let's look at a few specific leadership lessons gleaned during many years in the cockpit:

1. Communication is key:  Effective flight crews rely on solid communication. Unless a team frequently flies together, good communication is the only way that one crewmember can understand what the other is thinking or might need during any phase of the flight. In larger workplaces, open and frequent communication streamlines work, avoids confusion and enables team members to rise to the needs of others in the workgroup. Team members must ask for what they need. Human beings - even those who lead - are not mind readers. It’s important for leaders to stay connected, but it's equally critical for work group members to speak up.
2. Structure supports success:  Checklists are the backbone of aviation. They're used religiously during many phases of flight, even by pilots who have logged tens of thousands of hours in a specific type of airplane. Why? Because structure - the routine of carefully following a pre-action checklist - ensures that nothing is missed. When chaos rules, leaders can support work teams by adding a measure of structure. Clear work plans, well-understood tasks, and a solid focus on expected outcomes are examples of the many ways that leaders can infuse a measure of structure for their teams.
3. Look beyond the obvious: One of the early lessons learned by any pilot is to take a step back and scan broadly. Take, as an example, the task of preparing an airplane for flight - known as preflighting, in aviation-speak. Student pilots learn to use the aforementioned checklist in connection with broad-scanning when they are preflighting. Take a large view of the whole airplane as you walk toward it - don't just tick off the checklist items. In the business world, we speak often of a big-picture focus. Details are important, but learn to use them and the structure that they bring, in connection with a broad view of the project and the desired outcome.
4. Keep the coffee brewing: Flight crews often train in simulators, where challenging situations can be safely created for accelerated learning.  I recall a simulator lesson with my flight partner, who happens to be my spouse. Our instructor created many system failures, yet we worked together to ensure a safe and uneventful landing. Along the way, we added a bit of fun to the demanding task by commenting, “we need to keep the coffee maker going, no matter what, lest our passengers revolt.” Of course, there were no passengers in this make-believe environment.  What’s the parallel for business? The little things matter. Great leaders don’t have to do great things. None of us needs to be Superman or woman, with cape afloat in the breeze. We can often instill a sense of trust by ensuring that the little things – like the coffee maker – keep humming along.

Any work team, from a small flight crew to a large technical project group, is inspired, motivated and propelled to success through outstanding leadership. Conversely, if the leader is lacking in skill or engagement, he or she will drag the team down, placing them in the dangerous position of an unintended stall or a destructive tailspin. 

Many useful leadership tidbits can indeed be gleaned from the world of aviation. In my next blog post, we’ll explore a few leadership lessons from the hangar. To whet your appetite, here’s a hint:  "Put down the screwdriver and go to lunch."