Culture Is the Cockpit: Leadership at the Controls
In aviation, we train for the unimaginable. We rehearse engine failures, electrical fires, catastrophic decompressions—not because we expect them, but because we know they might happen. Culture in the cockpit is not a perk—it is a prerequisite for safety.
But outside the cockpit—inside our companies, our boardrooms, our hangars—the word “culture” is often treated like soft fluff. Something we list on our websites or post in the breakroom, not something we train for, model, or hold each other accountable to. And yet, time and time again, it’s culture—not strategy—that determines whether people thrive or burn out. Whether innovation takes flight or crashes on the runway.
I’ve worked in this industry for 37 years. From mission control to test flights to the front lines of startups and Fortune 50 boardrooms. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
The most dangerous thing in aviation isn’t a mechanical failure. It’s a leadership failure that goes unaddressed.
Culture Is What Happens When the Leader Leaves the Room
Here’s what culture is not:
It’s not the framed mission statement in the lobby.
It’s not the annual leadership offsite.
It’s not the values printed on your lanyard.
Here’s what culture is:
It’s how people behave when no one’s watching.
It’s whether employees feel psychologically safe to speak up, ask questions, or challenge assumptions.
It’s who gets sponsored for leadership programs—and who keeps getting left behind.
It’s how you respond when someone says, “This isn’t working.”
Culture is created and reinforced one decision, one comment, one promotion, one blind eye at a time.
A Personal Example: The Spinout
I once drove through a blizzard to get to a malfunctioning spacecraft during a ground test. I’d been told it was urgent. I didn’t want to let my team down. And truth be told, I didn’t want to seem “soft.” So I drove alone, in white-out conditions, on icy roads.
And I spun out.
Alone.
In a ditch.
Wondering how I got there.
I didn’t get a medal for that. I didn’t even get a “thank you.” What I got was a broken trust with myself. I had allowed a culture of grind-at-all-costs to override my own safety and common sense.
That wasn’t just a “me” problem. That was a leadership culture problem.
Leadership Is Culture
Every executive I talk to wants to improve their numbers—retention, innovation, DEI progress. But here’s what I tell them:
You can’t metric your way out of a toxic culture.
🛑 You can’t train your way out of bad leadership.
🛑 You can’t mandate inclusion from the top without modeling it in the middle.
🛑 You can’t ask for innovation from teams that are afraid to fail—or speak up.
It’s not about having the right words. It’s about building the right environment.
Consider this:
🔹 A 2023 McKinsey report found that companies in the top quartile for gender-diverse executive teams were 39% more likely to outperform on profitability.
🔹 Yet, women make up less than 20% of leadership in aerospace and aviation—and even fewer at the executive level.
🔹 And women who do make it to those seats are 2x more likely to leave than their male counterparts—most often citing culture, lack of advancement, and burnout.
That’s not a pipeline problem.
That’s a leadership and culture problem.
What Culture Really Sounds Like
Over the years, I’ve collected countless stories from women in aviation and aerospace. Here’s what culture sounds like to them:
“I was the only woman on my team. Again. And when I asked why there weren’t more women, I was told, ‘It’s just the nature of the industry.’”
“After I reported harassment, I was moved off the project. Not the man who did it.”
“I worked under a manager with 15 years less experience. He ignored my suggestions and then presented them as his own. HR said I should be ‘grateful’ to be on the team.”
When this happens again and again, it becomes the expected norm. And when leaders tolerate it, they reinforce it. That’s the culture taking shape—whether anyone meant for it to or not.
So What Can Leaders Do?
Leadership isn’t just about making decisions. It’s about shaping the conditions in which others make decisions. That means:
Define your non-negotiables. What will you never allow in your culture—even if it costs you a high-performer?
Listen to the quiet voices. If only the loudest get heard, you’re missing out on most of your talent.
Reward courage, not just compliance. Celebrate the person who respectfully challenges you—it means they trust you enough to try.
Audit your “exceptions.” Who gets second chances? Who gets grace? Who gets believed?
The best leaders I’ve worked with don’t just “manage performance”—they cultivate trust. They know culture doesn’t live in policy—it lives in people.
If You’re a Woman Reading This
You’re not imagining it.
The invisible forces that push women out of this industry are real.
The pressure to perform perfectly, to take up less space, to never complain? That’s not a flaw in your attitude. That’s a flaw in our systems.
But you’re not alone—and you don’t have to go it alone anymore.
That’s why I created The Elevate Initiative. To change the way we grow leaders in aviation and aerospace. Not just by training women to survive broken systems—but by working with executives and organizations to fix the systems themselves.
Book a conversation with me here
Let’s talk about where you are, where you want to go, and how to lead without burning out or dimming your light.
You don’t have to do this alone—and you were never meant to.
Because women shouldn’t have to be exceptional just to be accepted.
If You’re a Leader Reading This
You are shaping culture—whether you realize it or not.
🛫 Are you reinforcing safety, trust, and inclusion?
🛬 Or are you accidentally signaling fear, favoritism, and burnout?
If you don’t know, that’s your first step.
And if you’re ready to find out—let’s talk.
Book a conversation with me here
Let’s explore how to build a leadership culture where people don’t just survive—they soar.
Because in aviation, we don’t wait for disaster to fix things.
We plan, we test, we train.
We lead with intent.
And the same should be true of our cultures.
See you next Tuesday. Until then—lead like someone’s life depends on it. Because it just might.