What is “a good CFI”?
Lesson #5: Admit Your Mistakes
Have you ever worked with a person who was so stubborn that he/she would vehemently defend a fact or a point-of-view when it was clearly incorrect? This happens no matter what industry you work in. As it pertains to flying and flight instruction, there’s no place for egocentrism in aviation.
As I work with people who are aspiring CFIs and Captains, a common question I ask them is – what kind of CFI (or Captain) do you want to be? The psychology of leadership can be multi-faceted, but it doesn’t have to be complex. The way I see it, there are two types of leaders: the leaders who demand respect and the leaders who earn respect. Which one do you think is more effective?
Both can be effective depending on the leader’s goals. But as it pertains to flight instruction, “a good CFI” creates an environment that allows his/her students to learn effectively. An environment where feedback is not only given but received well & acted on. The leaders who demand respect earn a superficial version through force, coercion, and intimidation; immediate results may be achieved, but they typically don’t last. Those who earn respect have followers that will back you no matter what. They’ll be more receptive to your guidance, coaching, and instruction. One component of earning respect as a leader involves self-reflection, being honest with yourself about how you don’t know everything, and admitting your mistakes, when applicable.
Admitting your mistakes sounds counterintuitive to some people because they see it as a weakness, and why would you want to put your weaknesses on display as a leader? For most students on the receiving end, however, it actually breeds trust & open dialogue. It cuts tension in the classroom, and more importantly, in the cockpit. Remember: a tense cockpit is an unsafe cockpit.
We’re human and we make mistakes. What matters is that you learn from them, make changes, and move forward. Consider this benign example: you’re about to taxi to the active runway with your student on his first day of flight training. When attempting to call ground control you accidentally call the tower (we’ve all done this before, admit it). You’ve clearly made a mistake in front of your new student. Don’t try to hide it or claim that ForeFlight listed the frequencies incorrectly or something along those lines. Your students aren’t going to buy it; don’t insult their intelligence. Admit you entered the wrong frequency, make the change, and move forward. And later, when you’re self-reflecting and/or debriefing, try to understand why the mistake was made so you can learn from it and avoid repeating the same mistake in the future. Did you feel rushed? Did you not double-check the frequency before communicating? Did you simply turn the radio knob one extra click or “fat-finger” the touchscreen?
The radio frequency example is a rather harmless mistake; there are definitely more consequential mistakes that can be made in aviation, but the same rules apply. And the overall point is by admitting your mistakes, you earn credibility with your students. You are perceived as a CFI with integrity and honesty. It fosters trust & open dialogue between you and your students. This is an important element of safety and imperative for learning & development. Denying or rationalizing after you’ve clearly made a mistake when you’re in a leadership position, such as a being a CFI, will cause your students and those around you to think you’re full of you know what. I’ve been doing this for a while now, and I’ve found that people respond better to those leaders whom they think are genuine and confident with a dash of humility. Keep that in mind the next time you make a mistake.
So as this series progresses, continually ask yourself – what kind of CFI do you want to be?
I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy writing them. If you have any questions or feedback please send The Flight Attitude a message via our contact form: https://www.theflightattitude.com/contact-us/
