Page 22 - Never Fly Solo

INTRODUCTION | xvii
“Absolutely,” he replied. “As a matter of fact, you can’t
graduate from the academy unless you complete water sur-
vival training and jump off that diving board.”
My mom said I turned pale as a ghost.
Unbeknownst to the academy, I had a tremendous fear of
heights growing up. I was the kid at the local swimming pool
who couldn’t even muster the courage to jump off the ten-foot
diving board. And believe it or not, I’m also a (recovering)
claustrophobe! I used to be barely able to go inside a closet
for longer than ten seconds without having a panic attack.
Eventually, I overcame these fears to become a decorated
fighter pilot with sixty-five combat missions in Iraq and Ser-
bia. And while I may have flown these missions strapped into
the cockpit of a single-seat F-16, I was never flying solo.
We all have fears, doubts, and self-limiting beliefs that
hold us back from breaking the performance barrier in our
work and our lives. Yet it’s the relationships we build and the
people whom we trust that give use the courage to take risks
and make ourselves better.
I learned about trust with my classmates while struggling
through those four brutal years at the academy. Then I put
that trust to use in the real world with my squadron mates
while flying six-hour night combat missions over Iraq.
Trust. That’s what this book is about. It’s not about com-
bat or how to apply jet-fighter tactics to beat the competition.
It is, above all else, about building trust in yourself and then
building trusting relationships with others. These trusted
partners, male or female, are your wingmen.
My mission in Never Fly Solo is to give you a flight plan
that, if followed, will help you “earn your wings”—overcome
your fears, build trusting partnerships, and reach new heights
of success.