How to Simplify Leadership Like an Air Force Pilot

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Ever wondered how fighter pilots handle multiple critical inputs simultaneously without crashing?

Matt Gjertsen took that same ability to process complexity and applied it to leadership development. From instructing Air Force pilots to leading training at SpaceX, Matt discovered that great leadership boils down to three essential elements: building trust, giving feedback, and setting goals.

With over 15 years of leadership experience across aerospace and technology, Matt now helps transform high-performing engineers into high-impact leaders through his company, Better Every Day Studios. His approach strips away the unnecessary complexity that overwhelms new managers and focuses on the simple behaviours that create lasting change.

This isn't just theory—Matt shares how he applied these principles at SpaceX, where he onboarded every new employee for a full year and helped technical talent scale into the leadership roles needed for company growth.

Key Talking Points:

• The three essential elements of leadership: building trust, giving feedback, and setting goals—and why they must be done in that specific order
• How deliberately taking 5-10 minutes for icebreaker questions in team meetings creates massive changes in team dynamics and trust
• Why the first job of any leader is to create an environment where team members trust one another
• The "chunking" concept from pilot training: how experience transforms complex sets of actions into single mental units, creating more mental capacity
• How deliberate practice in Air Force training created pilots capable of refuelling two 500,000-pound aircraft flying at 250 mph

Links & Resources:

• Matt's Website: Better Every Day Studios
• LinkedIn: Matthew Gjertsen
• Recommended Resource: SBI Feedback Method (Situation, Behavior, Impact) from the NeuroLeadership Institute

Today's Exercise: Time Constraint Challenge

This exercise helps simplify complex problems by using artificial time constraints to force prioritisation.

Steps to Apply:

1. Identify a project you're currently working on with a longer timeline
2. Ask yourself: "If I had to complete this by the end of the week, how would I do it?"
3. List what elements would be truly critical to success in that shortened timeframe
4. Identify which tasks or meetings you'd eliminate or postpone
5. Apply these insights to streamline your current approach, focusing only on what's essential

Strategic Storyteller Newsletter:

For more insights on simplifying leadership like Matt's three essential elements approach, join my free 'Strategic Storyteller' newsletter at robdwillis.com/newsletter. Each week includes practical storytelling frameworks, personal insights, and curated resources from the podcast—all delivered in a 3-minute read.