Flying a fighter jet is severe. It is exhilarating. It is risky, unforgiving and even fun. So is life. So is the workplace.

I have captured the essential Human Factors required to operate, teach and lead in the cockpit at high speed. Now, at room temperature and in the safety of the auditorium, you can also experience the thrill of harnessing our best human efforts towards a meaningful target. I transplant the knowledge, skills, and most importantly, the attitudes learnt under high stress and in highly dynamic environments to your own life and workplace. 

I started off as a junior officer in the armor corps of South Africa's Army. Then I grabbed an opportunity to follow my dream of becoming a fighter pilot. It was harder, more difficult and much less glamorous than I ever imagined. The standards were eye-watering, and I was tried and tested far beyond what I thought was possible. However, the target was to fly fighter jets. So I did. I received my Air Force pilot's wings. Later followed a commission from President Nelson Mandela, and I experienced first-hand how transformative an admired leadership style can be.

The fine balance between risk and safety in the life of a fighter pilot fascinated me. I wanted to know more about how to help my flying students perform better under stress and adversity. I also wanted to know how to better teach the seemingly elusive skills of communication, decision-making, leadership, followership and risk competence. We called it Airmanship. Then I found the perfect solution: a master's degree in aviation management with a specialization in human factors: a cross-disciplinary tertiary education in psychology, physiology, sociology, management science, and systems applicable to operating, teaching and leading in the dynamic aeronautical environment. This opened the door to promotion as corporate executive and later the creation of my own management consultancy: SAPIENS@WORK with the tagline Softening Attitudes. Humans First. Admired Leadership.

Back to my flying days: After a decades-long flying career, I have taught hundreds of aspiring fighter pilots the knowledge, skills and the attitudes required to survive and thrive in a harsh environment, where the performance requirements often seemed unattainable. Yet, more often than not, my students made the grade and became fighter pilots and instructors themselves. However, despite our best efforts, the risky nature of the work resulted a few times in unforgettable tragedy. The aviation industry learns quickly from its own mistakes. Perhaps it is because of the large, un-hidable footprint an air disaster leaves behind. Perhaps it is because of the integrity of the people in the system. Whichever way, those lessons are extremely costly, on many levels. Such experiences tend to make one prepare better, listen better, speak more clearly, and ask questions until you understand. It also makes one answer questions more thoughtfully and checking your wingman's blind spot more frequently. Many of those lessons are applicable to life and business in many other domains outside of aviation.

Therefore, it is my privilege, if not duty, to now deliver to you some of those expensive lessons and gems of wisdom gained through my own hard work, the efforts of my instructors and mentors, and perhaps more than my fair share of fortune.

I humbly present to you:

COCKPIT: Be the Pilot

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