100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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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?
6:29 AM
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.
6:50 PM
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100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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Image
We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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