Naval fighter pilots are known for their unwavering commitment to excellence, exceptional decision-making skills, and expertise. These top performers offer valuable insights that can be applied in the business world. With decades of experience in stressful situations, they have mastered ten key leadership skills: staying calm under pressure, setting expectations, delegating tasks, building trust, giving feedback, evaluating risk, adapting to change, embracing failure, encouraging innovation, and inspiring others. Despite operating in dangerous and uncertain conditions, Naval fighter pilots consistently perform at the highest level, confidently making life-altering decisions with their expertise. 

A former “Top Gun” fighter pilot (call sign “Nasty”), Retired Admiral Mike Manazir’s distinguished U.S. Navy career spanned 36 years and included multiple commands: VF-31 ‘Tomcatters’ F-14D squadron, USS Sacramento, USS Nimitz, and Carrier Strike Group Eight in the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

His new and best-selling, “Learn How to Lead to Win,” features 33 powerful stories and leadership lessons based on real life events in the chaotic and risky business of operating off the decks of U.S. aircraft carriers. At its core, the book reflects Manazir’s selfless passion for developing people.

Timestamped overview

[00:00:46] Call signs used in fighter aviation are for communication brevity to easily identify individuals and aircraft. Call signs typically come from something an individual is known for or a play on their name. The origin of the speaker's call sign is explained in a book.

[00:02:54] Speaker discusses the three major themes in their book "Learn How to Lead to Win": having a vision, dealing with failure, and being resilient. They share their own experience of having a vision to join the Naval Academy, failure in their career, and finding a new path. They encourage listeners to have a North Star and keep going towards it, even if the path is not straight or as expected.

[00:09:40] Having a clear goal or "North Star" is the key to resilience and success, even when faced with setbacks like injury or failure. It's important to keep pushing forward towards that goal and not give up, even if the timeline or path changes. This mindset helped many people and companies stay afloat and thrive during the COVID pandemic. Ultimately, success is made through perseverance and determination.

[00:13:58] Seize opportunities with a clear plan and team perspective.

[00:14:51] Leading a high-performing team requires leading from the heart, getting to know team members, valuing their input, and establishing trust through human connection. It's important to not lead with a title and to be willing to fail and learn from it.

[00:20:02] Learning from failure is necessary for high performance, but repeating failures can have serious consequences. Hard discussions and debriefs can help prevent repetition of failures.

[00:22:30] Communication is key in leadership, regardless of team size and location. Effective communication involves connecting with every team member, enabling dialogue and feedback, and being present in their environment. Leaders must also seek feedback on their communication effectiveness and adjust accordingly.

[00:27:46] Effective leadership requires connecting with your team as equals, rather than relying solely on your job title to motivate and inspire them.

For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://leaddontboss.com/257

Marc Lesser is a speaker, facilitator, workshop leader, and executive coach. He is known for his engaging, experiential presentations that integrate mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices and training. He is the author of 4 books, including Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen, and CEO of ZBA Associates, an executive development and leadership consulting company. His podcast Zen Bones: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times features cutting-edge interviews, supportive tools for creating more meaningful work, and potent mindfulness practices to develop yourself, influence your organization, and change the world. ​

Marc helped develop the world-renowned Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program within Google – a mindfulness-based emotional intelligence training for leaders which teaches the art of integrating mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and business savvy for creating great corporate cultures and a better world. He founded and was CEO of 3 companies, and has an MBA degree from New York University. Marc was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for 10 years, and director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center, the first Zen monastery in the western world. He leads Mill Valley Zen, a weekly meditation group.

Timestamped overview

• [00:00:37] Accountability is about aligning values, aspirations, success, leadership, and trust with compassion.
• [00:04:14] Building great cultures by creating purpose and meaning, utilizing trust, and building character and well-being.
• [00:08:53] Businesses provide goods/services to serve people, allowing them to live.
• [00:09:59] "Asking "How are we doing?" to create healthy workplaces and effective, difficult conversations requires self-awareness and a contemplative practice to avoid blame and defense."
• [00:15:50] Tendency to blame when threatened; reflex to blame without conscious thought; story of accidental email; skillful creating of safe space to remove blame; blame prevents connection and solutions.
• [00:19:42] Teaching Google engineers self awareness through mindfulness and feedback to control emotions during times of tension.
• [00:25:18] Ask teammates how to make team/relationship more effective and listen.
• [00:27:48] Team building through conversation and improv activities.
• [00:31:57] Listening and self-awareness are essential leadership skills.

For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website:

https://leaddontboss.com/256

Leadership is not just about commanding people and getting results. It’s also about the subtle nuances of influencing and manipulating one’s followers in order to achieve desired outcomes. The ability to effectively tap into the “psychological strings” of individuals, while at the same time establishing mutual trust and respect, can vastly increase a leader’s capabilities. However, it’s important to note that such strategies must be used carefully as any misuse could lead to fallouts or even backfires. In this article, we will discuss some common methods for influence and manipulation among leaders and explore how their nuances have a significant impact on their success.

On this episode of Peak Performance Leadership, we talk about the differences between influence and manipulation, inspired by a discussion in the Leader Growth Mastermind.

Topics

During this solo episode I touch on the following topics:

• Discussion on the differences between influence and manipulation
• Key distinctions between the two, and the impact they can have on others
• The importance of positive influence and how it can inspire people to be their best selves
• Examples of negative influence and manipulation, including personal gain and coercive tactics

For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website:

https://leaddontboss.com/255

Accountability was once a concept associated primarily with punishment and failure. However, today it has become much more than that—it's seen as an essential part of any successful business. When practiced correctly, accountability has the power to create well-motivated teams who are actively engaged in their work and committed to success. It encourages individuals to take responsibility for their actions and practice good communication and collaboration skills. By creating an environment where everyone is held equally accountable, organizations can foster a culture of mutual respect and trust that encourages employees to thrive.

"In fact, research suggests that when organisations get accountability wrong:

• 75% of team members see solving problems as ‘someone else’s job’,
• 65% don’t see due dates as real commitments,
• 80% don’t seek and offer feedback often,
• 82% try but fail to hold others accountable (or avoid it altogether), and
• 85% are unsure what the organisation is trying to achieve."

- Dr. Paige Williams, "Own it"

Dr Paige Williams is an author, researcher and PhD in Organizational Behaviour. A trusted advisor and mentor to senior leaders, she uses a potent blend of neuroscience, psychology and her own twenty-plus years of international business leadership experience to help leaders surface uncomfortable truths, see the rules they need to break in order to breakthrough and lead themselves, their teams, and their organizations to thrive. Her latest book is Own It! Honouring and Amplifying Accountability.

Topics

During this interview Paige and I discuss the following topics:

• How accountability has gotten so bad in organizations
• How to have the conversation about positive accountability
• Why language is so important in accountability
• How to shift the power dynamic of accountability
• How to empower your team to hold itself accountable
• How to run an accountability coaching session

For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website:

https://leaddontboss.com/254

Gallup recently reported that only 15% of employees in the U.S. are truly engaged in their workplace. Yet nearly 70% of employees say they would work harder if they felt more appreciated. Over 90% of employees surveyed believed their leadership “lacked communication skills to lead.” The gloomy stories behind sobering statistics reveal employees’ disappointment with current leadership approaches. Leaders can do better.

DeKoch, with over 40 years of diverse executive leadership experience, which included 20 years leading The Boldt Company, a $1 billion construction services and real estate development company, has developed novel insights into leadership thinking and practice. Clampitt, an endowed, award-winning communication and information science professor at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, has over 40 years of experience in university teaching, ground-breaking research, and business consulting. 

Topics

During this interview Bob, Phil, and I discuss the following topics:

• How we got to the point where we are currently in terms of leadership
• Where they got the inspiration for their book came from
• How beliefs are important to being a caring leader
• The values which a caring leader holds
• Why companies don’t follow their values
• How middle leaders can follow their company’s values
• How to communicate effectively as a leader who cares

It's no secret that companies today are struggling to secure top-tier talent. With the current labor shortage, competition for high-caliber candidates is at an all-time high, leaving recruiters looking for new ways to attract and retain the best of the best. However, finding and hiring 5 star candidates isn't as difficult as it may seem. With the right strategy and determination, recruiters can still identify, engage with, and hire outstanding talent — even in a competitive hiring market. By knowing exactly what kind of qualities you're looking for in a candidate and leveraging the right recruitment strategies, you can discover the stars of tomorrow and secure the perfect hire.

Heenle Turner is the Vice President of Content and Consulting at the ALL IN Company, and a

certified HR Professional passionate about finding creative solutions to help businesses

succeed. She has provided consulting services to more than 200 businesses of varying sizes and industries. This extensive experience in sales, customer service, and people management

uniquely positions her to collaborate with entrepreneurs when it comes to recruiting, hiring, and retaining 5-Star Employees: committed candidates who share the company’s values and go above and beyond to achieve results.

Topics

During this interview Heenle and I discuss the following topics:

• Why hiring vacancies are still a problem within the workplace
• What a 5 star hiring process looks like
• Where to go to make sure we are advertising to the right people
• The makeup of a 5 star candidate
• The 11 universal qualities of a 5 star Candidate
• How to properly interview a candidate

For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website:

https://leadddontboss.com/252

In today's work culture, it can often be difficult to maintain a balance between managing the demands of our workload and building close relationships with our team members. While strong teamwork is essential for the overall success of a business or project, personal boundaries need to be established in order to ensure goals are met in a timely and efficient manner. The following quote is from Facebook Group Member Valarie and her question revolving around just this challenge:

Knowing your direct reports well without overextending yourself. Patrick Lencioni talks about anonymity leading to job misery and I agree with this. I know my large team fairly well. Recently implemented middle managers as team leads due to there not being enough of me to go around. I want to continue to foster relationships with the new employees so that I will have the same level of relational vibe that I have with most of my team. I am struggling with ways to do this as it takes a lot of time. I know it doesn’t have to; however, I am finding that once I open the door to getting to know them more, they want more and more time with me and so I am wondering about ways to provide better communication and clarity in those earlier meetings as I think I may be unintentionally creating the impression that I am available to them more often than my time allows or that I was initially available and now I’m not as available and that can be confusing and send a message I am not intending to send.

For context, I’m in my 4th year of leadership and I have a team of about 20. They all reported directly to me until January so I am wondering if some of this is just the shifting that’s occurring.

Thanks in advance!!

• Question from Valarie

So lets dive into how I believe that its best for leaders to tackle this challenge with a number of tactical pieces of advice for her.

For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website:

https://leaddontboss.com/251

Leadership is a tricky but essential role; it requires both an intimate understanding of the team and organization and the ability to set and maintain clear expectations. When authorities don’t match responsibilities, it can lead to confusion, tension, and even disaster.

Take, for example, the case of one of our audience members, Leticia. She was charged with leading a team but lacked clear authority in certain areas – a situation that could have been avoided if her assigned responsibilities had matched her authority. Instead, she found herself at odds with team members and her supervisor. The result... shouldn't surprise you... disaster.

Topics

In this solo episode, I discuss the following topics:

• What responsibilities, authorities, and accountabilities are
• What happened specifically to Leticia and her story
• Why it happened
• What could have happened differently
• What to do if you're a superior and things are aligned
• What to do if you're a subordinate and things are aligned

For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website:

https://leaddontboss.com/250

Bringing together new teams of people can be challenging, especially if it requires managing disparate personalities, diverse backgrounds, and conflicting interests. However, with sustained effort, open communication, and effective problem-solving skills, successful team cohesion is within reach. Leaders need to take the time to get to know their team members individually, invest in building relationships of trust and mutual respect, motivate mild competition where appropriate, set clear goals and expectations, resolve conflict constructively, and use feedback to coach and celebrate success. When leaders put in the work to bring their teams together, the results will be well worth the effort.

A registered nurse since 2011, Andrea works in a pediatric critical care unit. Discussing mental health and philosophy has always been her passion and outlet. Andrea wholeheartedly believes emotional intelligence is a valuable, yet under-taught phenomenon. After all, it helped her cope with anxiety, depression and her first burn out at the young age of 21 – two short years after working the floor as a nurse. Unaware of what she was experiencing, Andrea turned to talk therapy for help, where she was taught strategies on how to become aware of her emotions and thus, manage them. She learned how to handle the anxiety that had imprisoned her mind, and gained control over the panic attacks and depression that plagued her. Andrea’s goal is to destigmatize mental health and create a safe space through her podcast so she can help others who are currently going through their own personal struggles. She hopes to encourage self-awareness and self-love, and create an environment where mental health can be spoken about openly and truthfully, without stigma or judgment.

Topics

During this interview Andrea and I discuss the following topics:

• The challenges of bringing a new team together
• Tactical actions she took to get her team gel together
• How her team got through conflict with another team
• Strategies she used to improve communication within her team
• How having a sense of psychological safety has propelled her team forward

For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website:

https://leaddontboss.com/249

The job of a combat helicopter pilot isn't just stressful - it's life-or-death. And the leaders of these highly trained forces don't take the stress lightly, but instead double down on their commitment and drive those around them to extraordinary performance. The toughest test for any leader is to stay focused under intense pressure, and yet remain humble. They’re able to lead with great clarity and precision, inspiring teams in the heat of battle. It takes poise, courage, and strength of character to do what they do - each day flying into danger with a team by their side.

Brian L. Slade has held command positions in the Army and the Air Force and received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and fourteen combat air medals. He attended Utah State, where he earned a BA and was commissioned as an Army Aviation second lieutenant. He’s also earned an MA in aviation instruction. Brian currently serves as a lieutenant colonel for Air Force Combat Search and Rescue.

Topics

During this interview Brian and I discuss the following topics:

• What drew him into forces especially the officer corps
• How he kept the mindset to stay at the top of performance
• How he got prepared to operate in combat zone
• How he took over an already established team and got it to peak performance
• Why leaders need to commit with courage 
• How to combat the great resignation 

For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website:

https://leaddontboss.com/248