LavaCon 2026 and the future.

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LavaCon is a conference now going on 25 years. Its always fun at conferences where folks collaborate on what the future holds. This year I drove to Charlotte NC from Duluth GA to attend. I used the Tesla in Full Self Drive. I went park-to-park without touching the wheel for over 200 miles. It's crazy. I don't think most people understand how well it works. Lots of nay-sayers still, but it really does work. Be on guard, but enjoy. I spent some of my time "driving" while conversing with Grok as part of my daydreaming. I was discussing with Grok an idea I have of building a West system (cold molded) old style barrel-back runabout maybe 20 feet long- all varnished Mahogony. Of course this boat would have an exotic 12-cylinder engine under a transparent engine hatch between the twin cockpits. We discussed the designs, available actual study plans and pre-lofted design documents for the hull. We also discussed the best engine (perhaps a BMW N73) coupled with a Velvet Dri...

This study has come up through the wires (many different wires). It makes perfect sense to me.

http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/25416-flying-bosses-new-study-highlights-why-ceo-pilots-make-good-leaders/

Study

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1785413

Comments

David said…
Hmm, interesting. So, what would you say -according to your own experience being both a pilot AND in a leading position at a global company - are the 1-2 key benefits that you have gained for your job from flying?
Charles said…
In the same way Toastmasters helps folks confront fear, aviation takes it to another level. When you pre-flight and run-up a plane you are removing risks of the bad things that can happen. If you want to be totally safe, stay at home? "Life without risk is not worth living". "Takeoffs are optional, landings are not".

Flying and management are similar in that there is trust and there is leverage. The more you can intelligently trust (others and yourself) the more you can leverage. Smart leverage is the key ingredient to success, both personally and organizationally.

The other thing that I have gained for my job from flying is understanding that the human brain shrinks when under stress. You get stupid when you have conflicting inputs and things look dire. Being able to think through the chaos and be able to force yourself to think freely and creatively when your body is being tossed around are highly applicable to skills needed in executive management.

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LavaCon 2026 and the future.