Part 1 of 2: From Fighter Jet to Just Culture: What Business Leaders Still Don’t Get” | Mandy Hickson

“From Fighter Jet to Just Culture: What Business Leaders Still Don’t Get” | Mandy Hickson 

If fighter pilots can build a culture where mistakes are openly shared to save lives, why do so many business leaders still hide errors and destroy trust?

Episode Summary

What does it take to lead when the stakes are life or death? In this candid conversation, I sit down with Mandy Hickson, the first woman to fly the Tornado GR4 on the front line, a veteran of 45 combat missions over Iraq, and the bestselling author of An Officer, Not a Gentleman.

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We explore how she defied impossible odds, became a role model in a world where women weren’t allowed to be pilots, and turned cockpit lessons into frameworks for organizational culture. From resilience under fire to the birth of “Just Culture” in aviation, Mandy shows leaders how to build teams where trust and accountability are not buzzwords, but survival skills.

What You’ll Learn

• Why “success” for Mandy isn’t rank or medals, but creating impact and inspiring others. 

• How a single cadet saying “I want to be a pilot like you” shifted her entire career path. 

• What it means to chase an “impossible dream” when women weren’t even allowed to be pilots. 

• The brutal truth of failing the aptitude tests—twice—and what real leadership looks like when a middle manager challenges the system. 

• Why resilience sometimes means taking sideways steps, not straight lines. 

• How cognitive diversity (her course mates teaching her battle turns on bicycles) saved her career. 

• Why trust is built when teammates act selflessly, even at personal cost.

• How aviation moved from blame culture, to no-blame, to “Just Culture”—and why your business needs the same maturity. 

 

About Mandy Hickson

Mandy Hickson joined the RAF in 1994, became the first woman on the frontline to fly the Tornado GR4, and served on three tours of duty. Today she is a sought-after speaker, aviation ambassador, and author of An Officer, Not a Gentleman and An Officer and Her Gentleman. She translates lessons from combat and cockpit into frameworks for trust, culture, and leadership that elite organizations worldwide rely on. 

🔗 Links

Mandy Hickson: MandyHickson.com | An Officer, Not a Gentleman
Dov Baron: DovBaron.com

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The Big Questions We Tackle

• Are you learning in the way that works for you—or just the way you’ve been told? 

• How much trust have you really built in your team? Would they sacrifice their own advancement for you? 

• What happens to organizations that confuse “no blame” with “no accountability”? 

• Can business leaders build the same level of trust as fighter pilots who go to war together? 

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Why This Matters for Leaders

Every organization says they want trust and accountability. Very few know how to build it. Mandy’s journey proves that “Just Culture” is not theory—it’s life or death in aviation, and it’s the missing link in your boardroom. 

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Call to Action

If this conversation forces you to rethink leadership:

1. Follow the show for part two of this powerful dialogue.

2. Rate & review with the single insight that hit you hardest.

3. Share this episode with a leader who still thinks “culture” is HR’s job.

Apple’s algorithm rewards completions, shares, and fresh reviews. If you listen all the way through, you’ll understand why this episode deserves to be shared.

#MandyHickson #JustCulture #LeadershipLessons #FighterPilot #DovBaron