What Flight Planners Can Learn From All-Star Athletes

The Secret to a Successful Career as a Flight Planner

All-Star. The term alone reeks heavily of excellence.

Those who wear it seem to have super powers, running faster and leaping farther than the average human, falling and failing never, or rarely and with grace.

All-Star. More magic than human.

Turn on the TV and take your pick: NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, World Cup.

Those athletes are the best of the best.

So what does this have to do with flight planning?

Everything.

Because the DNA of an All-Star professional is the same across every industry, from sports to corporate America.

Yes, we’re claiming that the best flight planners share something in common with Lebron James and Anze Kopitar and Lionel Messi.

They’ve mastered totally different skillsets, but they share one thing in common:

They’ve got the X-Factor.

Ready to learn what it is?

Talent Isn’t Enough

Let’s start with what the X-Factor is not.

It’s not aptitude or talent.

Those might get you in the profession, but they won’t carry you to elite success all by themselves.

So what is the X-Factor?

Attitude.

Dr. Martin Seligman, a psychology expert from the University of Pennsylvania discovered that attitude was a better predictor of success than education, I.Q., grade point average, or almost any other factor.

Attitude is what carries an NFL third-round draft pick into the Pro-Bowl 3 years in a row.

Attitude is what turns a kid who got cut from a high-school basketball team into a 6-time champion and 5-time MVP award winner.

Attitude is what gives a flight planner a sustainable, successful career regardless of the economic climate.

Leadership coach Pepper de Callier once wrote, “As a magnet is to iron filings, so is attitude to success.”

Do you have the attitude of an All-Star? Here are some tips to develop one: Why Your Attitude is Everything — Success Magazine