Leading 4 Life "Stories"

In some respects ground tours or "flying a desk" are the things that aircrew are conditioned to dislike the most; however, as you will hear in this episode, that wasn't really the case for me and, although I always loved flying, I also thoroughly enjoyed my time on the ground.

This episode covers my ground tours as a squadron leader, starting with my first tour in the UK Ministry of Defence, then on to the Joint Service Defence College at Greenwich, and concluding with a short tour in Operational Requirements, once again in the Ministry of Defence.  

As ever with such roles, there are some really useful leadership experiences that I reflect on and I hope you find them useful.

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What stood out for you in this episode? I would genuinely welcome your thoughts, experiences and suggestions for future programmes. Use the “Send me a Text Message” link above or leave a comment on YouTube.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow Leading 4 Life “Stories” on your podcast platform so that you receive future episodes automatically. Sharing it with someone who might find it valuable is also one of the best ways to support the show.

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If you value the content and would like to help me continue producing the podcast, you can become a Supporter, Champion or Patron by clicking the "Support the show" link above or by going to:
https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated, but listening, following, sharing and providing feedback are equally valuable.

CONNECT WITH BOB JUDSON

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

Website:
https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

X:
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I am delighted to be joined this week by Juliet Kennedy.  Juliet very recently completed more than 8 years as the Operations Director at National Air Traffic Services, the capstone of an entire 43 year career within the world of Air Traffic Control.

Juliet speaks very candidly about her love of a job that many would consider extraordinarily stressful but which she simply thrived on.  She is very clear that it is the outstanding people within the air traffic world that make it what it is, and she offers some fascinating perspectives on leadership and life in general.

You can find Juliet on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliet-kennedy-14b38420/

In this episode we cover the following topics (starting time in brackets):

• Juliet's career journey (00.01.22)
• Early motivations (00.06.00)
• Advice to a school age Juliet! (00.12.17)
• Imposter syndrome and the progression of opportunities for women (00.13.36)
• Adjustments to leadership style and important traits / values (00.18.42)
• The importance of early exposure to leadership training & development (00.25.01)
• Highs and lows (00.30.17)
• Most significant achievement (00.37.25)
• Career low point (00.39.31)
• Managing work : life balance (00.42.44)
• Personal lessons from crises (00.53.24)
• Perspectives on the future of the aviation industry & air traffic control (00.57.06)
• Changes / challenges for the future of air traffic control ()
• Most memorable event (01.06.14)
• Most difficult question (01.07.13)

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What stood out for you in this episode? I would genuinely welcome your thoughts, experiences and suggestions for future programmes. Use the “Send me a Text Message” link above or leave a comment on YouTube.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow Leading 4 Life “Stories” on your podcast platform so that you receive future episodes automatically. Sharing it with someone who might find it valuable is also one of the best ways to support the show.

SUPPORT LEADING 4 LIFE “STORIES”

If you value the content and would like to help me continue producing the podcast, you can become a Supporter, Champion or Patron by clicking the "Support the show" link above or by going to:
https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated, but listening, following, sharing and providing feedback are equally valuable.

CONNECT WITH BOB JUDSON

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

Website:
https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

X:
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My guest this week is Nick Anderson.  Nick is  one of my original flying instructors from my own time in the Royal Air Force's flying training system, and spent his whole working life in the world of aviation. 

He spent 19 years in the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot and advanced flying instructor, followed by an outstanding and longer 25 year career in Virgin Atlantic, eventually becoming one of Virgin's most senior captains on the Airbus A340.

Nick is also one of the hosts on the highly regarded Airline Pilot Guy Show podcast (https://airlinepilotguy.com/), which is really worth listening to even if you only have a passing interest in all things aviation.

We had a very enjoyable conversation and, amongst a range of humorous moments, and aviation stories, there are some fantastic tips on leadership and also managing your own mental health. 

You can find Nick here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nick.anderson.pilot
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/OldPlot
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/old.pilot340/

You can find the Airline Pilot Guy Show here:

Website: https://airlinepilotguy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airlinepilotguy
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/apgcrew
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apgcrew/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@airlinepilotguy

In this episode we cover the following topics (starting time in brackets):

• Nick's career journey (00.02.34)
• Reminiscing about the RAF (00.10.57)
• Early motivations (00.19.10)
• Changes to leadership style (00.26.37)
• Role models (00.38.39)
• Advice to a school age Nick! (00.45.29)
• Most important leadership traits and values (00.47.51)
• A bomb warning on the aircraft! (00.50.49)
• Highs and lows (01.02.15)
• Most important achievement (01.06.49)
• Managing mental health and work : life balance (01.12.43)
• Nick's perspective on the future of civil aviation (01.20.12)
• The Airline Pilot Guy Show podcast (01.27.17)

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What stood out for you in this episode? I would genuinely welcome your thoughts, experiences and suggestions for future programmes. Use the “Send me a Text Message” link above or leave a comment on YouTube.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow Leading 4 Life “Stories” on your podcast platform so that you receive future episodes automatically. Sharing it with someone who might find it valuable is also one of the best ways to support the show.

SUPPORT LEADING 4 LIFE “STORIES”

If you value the content and would like to help me continue producing the podcast, you can become a Supporter, Champion or Patron by clicking the "Support the show" link above or by going to:
https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated, but listening, following, sharing and providing feedback are equally valuable.

CONNECT WITH BOB JUDSON

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

Website:
https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

X:
https://x.com/JudsonBob

It was an absolute pleasure to interview the effervescent and award winning Liz McConaghy for this week's episode.  Author of the outstanding autobiographical book "Chinook Crew Chick", Liz is the longest serving female Chinook crewman, and during her 17 year RAF career, she completed an unbelievable 2 flying tours in Iraq and 10 in Afghanistan.  She accrued some 3000 hours in the Chinook and flew in some incredibly tough roles, including a lot of Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) work, recovering injured and sometimes dead soldiers from the battlefield.

Liz's story really only starts with her time in the RAF though.  Once she left, she suffered very significantly from post traumatic stress and ultimately attempted to take her own life in 2020.  She talks extensively about this dark chapter of her life in the podcast and provides a huge amount of great advice for dealing with mental health challenges both personally and with those around you.  It is an incredibly inspirational story and Liz's work now focused on helping others to understand and handle mental health challenges in all walks of life. 

Without doubt, this is one of the most important podcasts I have done and I am sure you will find what Liz has to say, valuable, emotional and inspirational in equal measure.  I cannot recommend her book highly enough - it is a really great read!


You can find Liz on here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-mcconaghy-84a46822/

Twitter / X:  https://twitter.com/chinnychick


In this episode we cover the following topics (starting time in brackets):

• Liz' career journey (00.02.53)
• Operations in Afghanistan (00.04.22)
• Early motivations (00.16.06)
• Advice to a school age Liz (00.21.33)
• Leadership as a Chinook crewman (00.23.19)
• Role models (00.26.59)
• Liz' mental health story (00.30.17)
• Retraumatisation and "opening the box" (00.40.24)
• Mental health coping strategies (00.50.05)
• Highs and lows (00.57.13)
• Most significant achievement (01.01.19)
• Career low point (01.02.47)
• Emptying the bucket! (01.06.43)
• Reflections on the RAF (01.09.27)
• Most memorable event (01.16.05)
• Most difficult question (01.17.32)

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What stood out for you in this episode? I would genuinely welcome your thoughts, experiences and suggestions for future programmes. Use the “Send me a Text Message” link above or leave a comment on YouTube.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow Leading 4 Life “Stories” on your podcast platform so that you receive future episodes automatically. Sharing it with someone who might find it valuable is also one of the best ways to support the show.

SUPPORT LEADING 4 LIFE “STORIES”

If you value the content and would like to help me continue producing the podcast, you can become a Supporter, Champion or Patron by clicking the "Support the show" link above or by going to:
https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated, but listening, following, sharing and providing feedback are equally valuable.

CONNECT WITH BOB JUDSON

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

Website:
https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

X:
https://x.com/JudsonBob

This episode is being published on Easter Sunday 2024 so an interview with a senior figure in the Church of England seemed highly appropriate, and I am delighted that my guest for this episode is Bishop Graham James, the former Bishop of Norwich.

Bishop Graham and I first met back in 2001 when I had the privilege of flying him in a Jaguar from RAF Coltishall, where I was the Officer Commanding Number 6 Squadron at the time.  He is a really lovely and very inspirational man who has had a fascinating life journey and I am sure you will find his story extremely interesting.  Not only does he describe his own journey as a leader with great candour, but he also offers some terrific insights on a wide range of issues along the way.  Enjoy! 

In this interview we cover the following topics (starting time in brackets):

• Bishop Graham's career journey (00.03.04)
• Early motivations (00.13.01)
• Advice to a school aged Graham (00.18.05)
• Changes to leadership style (00.24.54)
• The Church & politics (00.37.45)
• Leadership traits and values (00.41.01)
• Role models (00.47.10)
• Highs & lows (00.50.35)
• Work : life balance (01.02.58)
• Challenges for the Church of England (01.07.37)
• Most memorable event (01.15.15)
• Most difficult question (01.17.41)
• An Easter message! (01.19.16)

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What stood out for you in this episode? I would genuinely welcome your thoughts, experiences and suggestions for future programmes. Use the “Send me a Text Message” link above or leave a comment on YouTube.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow Leading 4 Life “Stories” on your podcast platform so that you receive future episodes automatically. Sharing it with someone who might find it valuable is also one of the best ways to support the show.

SUPPORT LEADING 4 LIFE “STORIES”

If you value the content and would like to help me continue producing the podcast, you can become a Supporter, Champion or Patron by clicking the "Support the show" link above or by going to:
https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated, but listening, following, sharing and providing feedback are equally valuable.

CONNECT WITH BOB JUDSON

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

Website:
https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

X:
https://x.com/JudsonBob

I feel immensely privileged to have had the opportunity to interview John Volanthen for Leading 4 Life "Stories".  His name might not be immediately familiar to you but I am sure that the cave rescue of the 12 children and their football coach from a flooded cave in Northern Thailand in 2018 might ring some louder bells. 

John, together with his dive partner Rick Stanton, were the first to find the children and their coach, when hope was fading that they would survive, and both men were subsequently instrumental in the successful rescue of all 13 a few days later.  It is a remarkable story and John is a remarkable man.  Incredibly modest and self effacing, he makes light of his extraordinary achievements but is also incredibly honest about some of the challenges he has faced when he discusses the highs and lows of his life so far.

There are a plethora of great pieces of leadership advice in this interview and I really hope you enjoy it.  If you have not already done so, I would also urge you to watch the documentary made about the Thai cave rescue entitled "The Rescue".  I found it to be a gripping watch and it sheds yet more light on the remarkable achievements of John and the very large team that collectively worked to rescue the "Wild Boars" football team and their coach.

You can find John on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jvolanthen/

In this interview we cover the following topics (starting time in brackets):

• John's career and diving journey (00.03.39)
• Insights into cave diving (00.10.33)
• Stress management & personal resilience (00.14.25)
• Leadership traits (00.23.28)
• Role models (00.29.51)
• Working with youth organisations (00.32.24)
• The 2018 Thai cave rescue story (00.38.43)
• Highs and lows! (00.53.30)
• Work : life balance (01.00.42)
• Dealing with fame and the media (01.02.29)
• Most memorable event! (01.09.41)
• Most difficult question! (01.11.02) 

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What stood out for you in this episode? I would genuinely welcome your thoughts, experiences and suggestions for future programmes. Use the “Send me a Text Message” link above or leave a comment on YouTube.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow Leading 4 Life “Stories” on your podcast platform so that you receive future episodes automatically. Sharing it with someone who might find it valuable is also one of the best ways to support the show.

SUPPORT LEADING 4 LIFE “STORIES”

If you value the content and would like to help me continue producing the podcast, you can become a Supporter, Champion or Patron by clicking the "Support the show" link above or by going to:
https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated, but listening, following, sharing and providing feedback are equally valuable.

CONNECT WITH BOB JUDSON

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

Website:
https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

X:
https://x.com/JudsonBob

Flying has been a huge part of my life and career and in this personal stories episode I do my best bring some elements of that to life for those that have never had the good fortune to experience military flying in any form.  

It's very much my personal recollections of what I have flown, where I have flown and some of the specific flying disciplines that I think are of particular interest.  I talk about low flying, supersonic flying and formation flying in some detail and, because I got a bit carried away with those elements, some of the things I mentioned up front in the episode, didn't actually get covered due to time - sorry!!   Consequently, I will cover the more tactical aspects of military flying (including air combat, evasion training and weapons employment), and flying the historic aircraft of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in future episodes.

I'll be really interested in your feedback on this episode please.  Specifically, if this is something you want more of, please let me know and I will happily oblige - after all, military pilots never get bored with talking about flying! :-) 

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JOIN THE CONVERSATION

What stood out for you in this episode? I would genuinely welcome your thoughts, experiences and suggestions for future programmes. Use the “Send me a Text Message” link above or leave a comment on YouTube.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow Leading 4 Life “Stories” on your podcast platform so that you receive future episodes automatically. Sharing it with someone who might find it valuable is also one of the best ways to support the show.

SUPPORT LEADING 4 LIFE “STORIES”

If you value the content and would like to help me continue producing the podcast, you can become a Supporter, Champion or Patron by clicking the "Support the show" link above or by going to:
https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated, but listening, following, sharing and providing feedback are equally valuable.

CONNECT WITH BOB JUDSON

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

Website:
https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

X:
https://x.com/JudsonBob

This week's episode was a real joy for me as it is an interview with fellow fast-jet pilot and former RAF Officer, Mandy Hickson. 

Mandy was one of the very first women to go through RAF flying training and was the second female Tornado GR4 pilot.  She had an extremely active 17 year RAF career, and is now the bestselling author of "An Officer, not a Gentleman", and a highly acclaimed motivational speaker whose talents are in demand all over the world.

Unsurprisingly, Many and I have a great deal in common given our shared RAF flying experiences, and this was a hugely enjoyable conversation which covered a lot of ground, but which also touched on a wide range of important areas of leadership.  I really hope you enjoy listening to it as we did making it.

You can find Mandy on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandyhickson/

In this interview we cover the following topics (starting time in brackets):

• Mandy's career journey (00.02.40)
• Early motivations (00.07.12)
• Being at the front end of female aircrew in the RAF (00.11.53)
• Leadership issues! (00.23.05)
• Advice to a school age Mandy! (00.44.16)
• Giving back as a leader (00.46.46)
• Learning from military transition (00.49.21)
• Role models (00.57.40)
• What would Mandy have done differently? (01.02.11)
• Career high point (01.07.35)
• Career low point (01.10.12)
• Work : life balance (01.14.48)
• The world of motivational speaking ((01.18.51)
• The next steps for Mandy Hickson! (01.24.45)
• Most memorable event! (01.26.34)
• Most difficult question! (01.28.36)

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What stood out for you in this episode? I would genuinely welcome your thoughts, experiences and suggestions for future programmes. Use the “Send me a Text Message” link above or leave a comment on YouTube.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow Leading 4 Life “Stories” on your podcast platform so that you receive future episodes automatically. Sharing it with someone who might find it valuable is also one of the best ways to support the show.

SUPPORT LEADING 4 LIFE “STORIES”

If you value the content and would like to help me continue producing the podcast, you can become a Supporter, Champion or Patron by clicking the "Support the show" link above or by going to:
https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated, but listening, following, sharing and providing feedback are equally valuable.

CONNECT WITH BOB JUDSON

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

Website:
https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

X:
https://x.com/JudsonBob

In this thematic episode I address the vitally important topic of "Hearts & Minds"!  This is such a crucial element of leadership, as without the support of, and proper engagement with your team, you will always struggle to succeed as a leader.

I cover a wide range of topics that I believe are important to the establishment and maintenance of great relationships with the members of your team.  These range from the simple act of saying "thank you" for a job well done, through to examples of how you can really inspire loyalty with those that work for you.

The phase "hearts & minds" is often used but, in my experience, not as often properly considered in respect of overall team cohesion.  It's vitally important for leaders to walk the walk as well as talking the talk in this area and, in this episode, I hope I help to shed some light on ways you can do this. 

I really hope you enjoy it; please subscribe and review if you can and I'm always open to direct feedback as well!

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JOIN THE CONVERSATION

What stood out for you in this episode? I would genuinely welcome your thoughts, experiences and suggestions for future programmes. Use the “Send me a Text Message” link above or leave a comment on YouTube.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow Leading 4 Life “Stories” on your podcast platform so that you receive future episodes automatically. Sharing it with someone who might find it valuable is also one of the best ways to support the show.

SUPPORT LEADING 4 LIFE “STORIES”

If you value the content and would like to help me continue producing the podcast, you can become a Supporter, Champion or Patron by clicking the "Support the show" link above or by going to:
https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated, but listening, following, sharing and providing feedback are equally valuable.

CONNECT WITH BOB JUDSON

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

Website:
https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

X:
https://x.com/JudsonBob

During both my first command tour as a flight commander on Number 54 (Fighter) Squadron (covered in Episode 27), and subsequently during my squadron command tour as the Officer Commanding Number 6 Squadron, I spent a good deal of time flying on operational reconnaissance missions in the No-Fly Zone north of the 36th parallel in Iraq.

This episode is very much a personal account of that operational flying and consequently contains rather less leadership tips than many of my previous episodes.  However, I hope it is of interest to many, as the flying we did over that time was without any doubt the most exhilarating and challenging that I did during my whole career.

I cover a lot of ground in the episode and so it is a little longer than all of my previous individual podcasts, but I make no apology as I don't think making it shorter would have done justice to the task!  I seek to cover some of the training we did to prepare for operations as well as giving a fair amount of detail about the nature and the flying missions, and providing some background to life at Incirlik Air Force Base where we were all based.  I really hope you enjoy it!

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What stood out for you in this episode? I would genuinely welcome your thoughts, experiences and suggestions for future programmes. Use the “Send me a Text Message” link above or leave a comment on YouTube.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow Leading 4 Life “Stories” on your podcast platform so that you receive future episodes automatically. Sharing it with someone who might find it valuable is also one of the best ways to support the show.

SUPPORT LEADING 4 LIFE “STORIES”

If you value the content and would like to help me continue producing the podcast, you can become a Supporter, Champion or Patron by clicking the "Support the show" link above or by going to:
https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated, but listening, following, sharing and providing feedback are equally valuable.

CONNECT WITH BOB JUDSON

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

Website:
https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

X:
https://x.com/JudsonBob