Many business people would love to learn how to fly airplanes. Unique Training & Development Inc. (UTDI) president Greg Schinkel is a private pilot and provides some insights from his training both in the air and in ground school. He connects principles of flight to aspects of leadership. The end result is a flight plan to take your team to high altitude performance.

Which are you? Bus Driver, Fighter Pilot or Airline Captain

Bus Driver – Happy and content to play it safe. Stay on the ground, follow the crowd and get stuck in traffic. The bus driver thinks they are taking the safe route. Perhaps they don’t know that there is a higher probability of dying in a car crash than in an airplane. Uninspiring, many people on the bus will get bored and fall asleep.

Fighter Pilot – The risk taker, the high flier and the lone wolf. A fighter aircraft is high performance, capable of climbing at great speeds, knocking out the competition with missiles and diving at great speeds. It sounds exciting, yet fighter pilot managers only take themselves to high altitudes leaving everyone else observing their performance as if they we a crowd at an airshow.

Airline Captain – The professional, calm, cool and expected to perform in various weather conditions. An airline captain has a crew and is responsible for the safety of passengers and crew. Millions of dollars of assets are under her control. Except for the most extreme weather conditions, the airline captain is expected to keep customers happy by getting them to their destination on time, with minimal turbulence. This type of manager is well trained, has a flight plan, knows how to adapt to the unexpected and takes passengers and crew to higher altitude performance.

The four forces of flight

Pilots understand how the four forces of flight affect their ability to keep their airplane in the air. The four forces of flight are dynamic and interrelated. Ignoring the four forces of flight puts in peril the pilot, crew and passengers.

Thrust – created by the propeller, or jet engine, thrust is the forward momentum that pushes or pulls the aircraft through the air. Generally more thrust will help create lift. Even a table can fly if there is a strong enough wind blowing.

A manager can increase thrust by creating and implementing a winning strategy. They can lead by example and inspire greater performance from others.

Lift – is created by the wings which are shaped like an airfoil. When wind passes by the wing, the design of the wing creates lift. Generally, the faster the wind that passes over the wing, the greater the lift. Wings can be designed to create greater lift.

Managers create lift by hiring talented people, providing training, feedback and encouragement so that the team can reach higher altitudes and overcome the force of gravity.

Drag – is the resistance of the aircraft itself against the wind. Aircraft design can affect the amount of drag. To understand this better, remember when you put your hand out the car window. The force pushing your hand backwards is drag.

Managers must reduce drag by getting people on side, fix systems and processes that do not support the direction they desire.

Gravity – the force pulling the aircraft towards the earth. Lift needs to exceed gravity in order for the aircraft to stay flying and gain altitude.

In business, gravity is complacency and change pulling the organization towards the earth. The effective manager creates enough lift by increasing thrust and moving the company forward despite the challenges that are faced.

How can we help your team achieve high altitude performance?

At UTDI, we help develop leaders to be future airline captains. See how we can add value to your organization.

For an outline introducing our company and services, click on these links:

UTDI Overview

Leadership Courses Overview