This week’s conversation on professionalism begins with the news that retired four-star Navy Admiral Robert Burke was found guilty in a bribery scheme involving directing a government contract to a private company in exchange for a job after his military retirement. He is the most senior US military officer found guilty of a federal crime while serving on active duty. But while this conviction is unique, lapses in professionalism happen at all levels in every organization, aren’t always punished, and often aren’t even caught. Tony’s three decades of research into human behavior and his interest in history shaped his unique insights into the evolution of craftsmanship into professionalism and the descending trajectory of the latter in our modern world. Join us for the historical origins of professionalism, his assessment of its current state, and his recommendations for improving the situation, regardless of your rank, sector, or industry.
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25:47
Rogues, “Minor Gods,” and Maladaptive Sociopaths
In this week’s episode, Tony follows up on last week’s conversation with Sara Hammel by delving deeper into one of the topics they touched on: the dangerous rogue operators. The clinical term for this type of person is maladaptive sociopath, and Tony’s research into one example—the pilot Bud Holland, who crashed a B-52 during a Fairchild Air Force Base airshow in 1994—uncovered some common characteristics of these rogues that he described in the book, Darker Shades of Blue. While these traits often become obvious after an accident investigation, they are also tendencies all of us can struggle with from time to time. Join us for this examination of the 12 things we must look out for to recognize and avoid trouble with those who believe themselves to be “minor gods.”
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31:11
Exposing Aviation’s Dark Underbelly (ft Really Special Guest Sara Hammel)
A majority of those working in aviation are ethical professionals, but it’s also an industry that developed in the “Mad Men” era of predatory male-dominated power imbalances. Many of the resulting challenges and hierarchies remain to this day—and are sometimes still exploited. Award-winning investigative journalist and bestselling author Sara Hammel (follow her on Substack) joins us on the podcast to expose this dark side of the aviation industry, people who lead double lives, and the kinds of improvements that must be made. While preventing sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation is a critical goal itself, this issue also has major implications on safety and “just culture” within the industry.
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47:39
The Nefarious Cradle of Complacency
The struggle with complacency is an ancient one rooted in human biology and our desire to find and follow the path of least resistance, likely developed as a means to conserve energy between meals. But just because there is an innate biological basis for complacency does not mean we must be slaves to it, nor to the “baddies” who manipulate and encourage complacency for their own reasons. Whether it be saving time or resources by not performing adequate safety checks on a factory floor or pushing convenient cures and fast fixes, there are many sources of complacency in our modern world that we all fall victim to at times. Fortunately, the antidote is just as accessible, and it starts with asking questions and sometimes choosing to do things the old fashioned, less convenient way—cook a steak instead of a TV dinner, read a real book instead of scrolling on the phone, or have a face-to-face conversation with someone.
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26:26
Confronting the Future of Leadership (ft. Special Guest, author Tom Casey)
We are confronted on an almost daily basis with a new report about so-called leaders who are removed from their positions for poor performance, scandalous behavior, or the ubiquitous “loss of confidence.” These stories occur so often it makes us wonder if the label “good leader” is an oxymoron, if the art of leadership is dead and gone, and perhaps most importantly, what the future looks like if this is the case. Today’s podcast guest is Tom Casey, a leadership expert, advisor, and author whose latest book on the topic is called “Leadership’s Future—Confronting Not Condoning!” Tom and Tony discuss the traits that expose poor leaders, the qualities that elevate good ones—many of which are unfortunately lacking in today’s corporate, military, and political leadership—and finally, share their expertise on shaping future leaders to be curious, empathetic, and accountable.
About Only Human – News, Analysis, and Insights from the World of Human Performance
Over the last few years, we’ve pursued the goal of bridging the gap between who you are today and who you are capable of being by focusing on reducing human error and improving human performance from a mostly philosophical stance. Starting today, we’re centering practical application and real-world scenarios through the lens of the strategies and techniques we’ve been discussing. In this episode, Tony reviews an altercation between on-duty air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Airport, the experiences shared recently by the astronauts who were stranded on the International Space Station for
Listen to Only Human – News, Analysis, and Insights from the World of Human Performance, Law of Attraction Changed My Life and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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