How One F-35 Fighter Pilot Makes Decisions Under Pressure

HBR IdeaCast

Harvard Business Review

Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Communication, Marketing, Business, Business/management, Management, Business/marketing, Business/entrepreneurship, Innovation, Hbr, Strategy, Economics, Finance, Teams, Harvard

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There are few jobs that demand decisive, clear thinking under pressure more than that of a fighter jet pilot. But the best combat pilots don't act on gut and muscle memory alone. They train to use proven mental models for making tough, fast decisions with extremely high stakes. Hasard Lee is a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and instructor who has learned, practiced, and taught these techniques. He breaks down the tools that individuals and organizational leaders alike can apply to some of their biggest problems and most difficult situations. Lee wrote the new book The Art of Clear Thinking: A Stealth Fighter Pilot’s Timeless Rules for Making Tough Decisions.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Are you trying to bring your leadership skills to the next level?
0:04.0	I want to suggest HBR's new podcast feed, HBR Unleadership.
0:09.0	HBR editors like me hand select the best leadership case studies and conversations
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0:24.0	New episodes every Wednesday.
0:30.0	Welcome to the HBR ID a cast from Harvard Business Review.
0:41.0	I'm Kurt Nickish.
0:43.0	Work can feel pretty stressful for a lot of us.
0:52.0	And then you look at certain kinds of jobs that seem almost superhuman.
0:56.0	Take the ability to fly a fighter jet for the military.
1:00.0	It's a job that requires physical strength, strong reaction time,
1:04.0	the ability to stay calm under pressure, and behind much of a fighter pilot success
1:10.0	is the ability to think clearly.
1:12.0	It's a skill set that many of us also want and need to develop in our more grounded jobs.
1:17.0	And that's something that today's guest knows a lot about.
1:21.0	Hazard Lee is a US Air Force F-16 and F-35 fighter pilot.
1:26.0	He's also the author of the book The Art of Clear Thinking.
1:30.0	Hi Hazard.
1:31.0	Hey Kurt, thanks for having me on.
1:35.0	Can I start with a very basic question and that's what's your philosophy about decisions?
1:41.0	Well I think everything hinges on the decisions you make.
	...

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