Flying, A Life and Leadership Lesson!

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m a private pilot. I took up flying to add some adventure to my life. I figured that when I got too old to skydive, I could at least fly jumpers and stay connected to the sport. At the time, flying gave me something I didn’t realize I needed—structure, risk, and complete focus. It became an escape from the noise of work, family, and responsibility. Looking back, I realize it wasn’t about escaping life as much as it was about creating clarity.

Flying an airplane is very different from flying my body. Flying a plane requires you to think on multiple levels at once—systems, environment, timing, and consequences. Skydiving has its own complexity, but it feels more natural to me. It’s liberating. You step into chaos—120 mph wind, total sensory overload—and then suddenly everything goes quiet when the parachute opens. That transition is powerful.

But this isn’t about skydiving. It’s about flying—and leadership.

When I decide to go flying, there’s far more involved than just getting in the cockpit. I don’t own a plane, so I start with the weather. Then availability. Then planning the route, distance, fuel, contingencies, and whether I’m flying solo or with someone else. Flying isn’t a single action; it’s a series of deliberate decisions made long before takeoff.

Anyone who has learned to fly knows this: there are checklists for everything. Not because pilots are forgetful, but because complexity demands discipline. Checklists don’t limit freedom—they create it. They reduce uncertainty, prevent small mistakes from becoming big ones, and keep you focused on what matters most in that moment.

That’s the leadership lesson.

When things get chaotic in life or business, I do the same thing. I make a list. When work gets hectic, I make a list. When family life feels overwhelming, I make a list. When leadership feels heavy, I make a list.

And then I follow it.

As leaders, chaos is part of the job. Competing priorities, incomplete information, pressure from every direction—it comes with the role. The mistake many leaders make is trying to hold everything in their head at once. That’s when confusion creeps in, stress increases, and mistakes happen.

Great leaders don’t rely on memory or adrenaline. They rely on systems.

Flying taught me another important truth about leadership: you’re never fully in control. A pilot doesn’t control the weather, turbulence, or every variable in the air. What they do control is preparation, decision-making, and response. Leadership is the same. You can’t control outcomes, markets, or people—but you can control how you plan, prioritize, and execute.

Life, like flying, moves in one direction—from beginning to end. Some stretches are smooth. Others are turbulent. The difference between a rough flight and a controlled one often comes down to whether the pilot sticks to the checklist.

For me, checklists—mental or written—are leadership tools. They cut through noise, restore focus, and keep me moving forward when things feel unstable. They don’t eliminate chaos, but they make it manageable.

So here’s the takeaway for leaders:

When everything feels chaotic, stop trying to do everything at once. Step back. Identify what must be done next. Create a checklist. Focus on execution. Let go of the rest.

That’s how you keep flying straight—even in turbulence.