The Pilot – Learning Leadership

Applying Supersonic Jet Flying Principles to Business and Life

Greenleaf Book Group, 2011

15 min read

10 take-aways

Audio & text

What's inside?

Prepare, practice and perform like a pilot. When the pressure is on, soar.

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Editorial Rating

Qualities

Well Structured
Engaging

Recommendation

Former US Air Force (USAF) and commercial aviation pilots turned entrepreneurs Bill and Colleen Hensley reveal the unique disciplines that allow pilots to excel under enormous stress. The Hensleys’ lighthearted tone and dramatic narrative make this a quick, easy read, but one whose lessons linger. Their fictionalized but accurate tale about USAF pilots learning to fly the fiendishly fast supersonic T-38 jet reveals the roots of the Hensleys’ method for personal success. The book has an endearing gee-whiz quality; it reads like a story in a Boy Scout magazine. The whiz-bang tone offsets the book’s shortfall: While the Hensleys adeptly describe the programs and practices pilots follow to achieve mastery, they never quite connect these practices to a world outside the military. Even so, getAbstract recommends their enjoyable flight-based narrative to anyone seeking a more purposeful, disciplined approach to work and life.

Summary

Navigating the “PEER Performance Model”

“Achieving mastery” in any field or skill is not and should not be easy. Real mastery requires disciplined effort and self-sacrifice as well as the self-knowledge that comes from both that effort and that sacrifice. Achieving mastery means coming to “possess the full command of a skill that results in consistent, repeatable and reliable excellent performances.” You can attain a skill level that allows you to perform at your best under the greatest pressure, time after time. When you gain mastery, you will be able to act in high-pressure situations with confidence, knowing that you have done the work that will reap rewards. And while – like everyone – you may not always get everything you want, you will know you have done your best.

To attain mastery, utilize the PEER Performance Model by conquering its six components in turn – “prepare, practice, perform, evaluate, enhance and repeat.” This model’s circular, self-fueling nature confirms that you never finish learning, and it shows that everyone needs help and guidance to achieve mastery.

Prepare, Practice, Perform

To prepare, you must achieve the necessary mind...

About the Authors

Bill Hensley and Colleen Hensley both are former US Air Force and commercial aviation pilots.

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A. W. 5 years ago

This was very helpful. Thank you for adding this to Genesis.
L. D. 1 decade ago

Felicidades es una excelente herramienta que nos permitirá mantenernos actualizados y sobre todo compartir con nuestra gente prácticas y formas de liderazgos

Bill Hensley and Colleen Hensley