Blue Angels, Thunderbirds Commanders to Address NBAA Leadership Conference

Washington, DC, December 2, 2009 – What are the most effective ways to address leadership challenges common to business aviation professionals in today’s often unpredictable and ever-changing environment? Answering that question will be the focus of a presentation by former Navy Blue Angels commander George “Elwood” Dom, and former Air Force Thunderbirds commander Ron “Maxi” Mumm, at NBAA’s 18th Annual Leadership Conference, being held February 24-25, 2010 in San Diego, CA.
As people in the business aviation community know, economic and other pressures are placing an ever-increasing premium on embracing quickly evolving technologies, delivering new and better results and managing people with little or no margin of error. These are the same challenges that have confronted the two veteran aviation commanders in their lines of work, in which a tremendous amount of work and trust are needed to effectively coordinate the flying teams for peak performances.
“When we fly, we’re literally putting our lives in each other’s hands every mission,” said Dom. “To be trusted, you have to be trustworthy, so leaders of high performance teams build a culture of trust by working on individual and organizational trustworthiness.” Mumm agreed, adding: “Sustaining high performance in a jet team, or any team, requires the buy-in of each team member…and to buy-in, you have to trust in others.”
NBAA’s 2010 Leadership Conference marks the first time the former commanders of the rival flight teams will jointly present. A recent episode of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast, which previews their presentation, is available atwww.nbaa.org/flight-plan.
Also included in the lineup for the Leadership Conference will be a keynote presentation by Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, III, the iconic pilot who safely guided US Airways flight 1549 onto the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, after the airliner experienced a bird strike on takeoff. Sullenberger’s feat, which has been called “one of the most technically challenging maneuvers” in aviation, was dubbed the “Miracle on the Hudson,” because the event concluded without major injuries or fatalities.
The presentations by Sullenberger, Dom and Mumm reflect the theme for the 2010 Leadership Conference: “Lead the Future: Beyond People, Planes and Passion.” The event’s program of thought-provoking sessions focused on creative thinking, innovation and new models of collaboration is designed to provide attendees the tools needed in today’s dynamic workplace. To learn more, visit http://www.nbaa.org/leadership.