The Art of High-Stakes Decisions in Defining Moments

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Our guest is Sharon Preszler, the first woman to fly the F-16 and the first female Captain for Southwest Airlines. We explore the art of making high-stakes leadership decisions in defining moments, especially when every second counts.

Whether you’re leading a company or flying an F-16 military jet, the pressure to make the right decision when every second counts can feel gut-wrenching. The conditions are unstable. They’re filled with uncertainty and complexity. Your high-stakes mission is on the line, along with the lives of many different stakeholders. No matter how accomplished you are, there are no easy answers. The situation is moving fast and there’s no time to gather every perspective or fully debate every option. This is when making defining decisions becomes an art.

Sharon Preszler has deep experience with making high-stakes decisions in defining moments. She was handpicked as one member of the initial cadre of women fighter pilots in the United States Air Force. Sharon was the first woman to fly the F-16, a single-seat, single-engine fighter, and was also the first woman to fly combat missions and instruct in the F-16.

Sharon has over 1,300 hours in the Viper, including over 50 combat hours in Iraq and one ejection caused by an electrical failure. In her 20-plus years of service in the U.S. Air Force, she was also a navigator and piloted a Learjet. She also spent time in the North American Aerospace Defense Command during the terrorist attacks on 9/11. This includes writing homeland defense plans after the attack, which are still in use today.

After retiring from the Air Force in 2006, Sharon worked for Southwest Airlines. There, she flew over 9,000 hours in a Boeing 737. She retired from Southwest as a captain in 2020. Today, she is enjoying her third career as a speaker, adjunct professor, and life coach.

We discuss the parallels between Sharon’s experiences making defining decisions as a military pilot and as a commercial airline captain, and the challenges CEOs face in making high-stakes leadership decisions for their companies.

To bring these ideas to life, Sharon shares her story of being a member of the team at NORAD, making defining decisions in the earliest moments of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. We discuss how the team made their early decisions when every second counted and lives around the world were at stake.

In the third segment, we discuss immediately useful ideas for gaining confidence under pressure. Sharon describes how she applies what she calls her “internal gatekeeper,” especially in critical moments.

While preparation is incredibly important and while we try to anticipate all the threats or risks or challenges we’re going to face, that only will get you so far. ” | Sharon Preszler

This week on Growth Igniters® Radio, we discuss:

• Sharon’s take on why skill and preparation matter, but will only take you so far when making high-stakes decisions under pressure
• How building connections and trust with a wide range of people plays a crucial part in split-second decisions.
• A story of Sharon’s experience in the defining moments of serving in NORAD during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
• Immediately useful ideas for training what Sharon calls your “internal gatekeeper” to increase confidence for making defining decisions

Resources for This Episode

• Read more about Sharon Preszler and connect with her on LinkedIn
• Visit PamHarperSpeaks.com to find out more about her keynote “Break Orbit: Leading for Long-Term Growth in a Short-Term World”