The Pilot – Learning Leadership

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.