How to lead under pressure: 6 tips from a former fighter pilot

Published 1 Min Read

U.S. Air Force plane
Frédéric Prochasson from AdobeStock

While there are seemingly few similarities between working in the office and flying a military aircraft, retired Colonel and former fighter pilot Kim Campbell is confident business leaders could benefit from these worlds colliding.

After 24 years of service in the U.S. Air Force, Campbell took her military experiences to her updated line of work as a leadership coach. Campbell has led more than 1,000 military and civilian personnel throughout her career, and quickly realized teams across industries and disciplines crave the same attributes in their leaders: calm, communicative and caring.

As a fighter pilot, Campbell knows firsthand the importance of being able to depend on someone to watch her back; that’s the role of a wingman.

“The wingman is responsible for looking out for threats or things that could potentially cause trouble for the flight,” says Campbell. “That allows the flight leader to look ahead and see the bigger picture because the wingman takes some of that stress and responsibility off the other person.”

Deanna Cuadra
Senior Reporter

Deanna Cuadra is a senior reporter at Employee Benefit News. Her work covers healthcare, U.S. policy and reform, challenges faced by women and parents in the workplace and innovation in work culture … Read full bio


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