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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and golachieving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul

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<v Speaker 1>fella Aledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode six oh three. I want to start today

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<v Speaker 2>with a story from the cockpit. Back in the nineties,

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<v Speaker 2>when I first started flight school, it looked like the

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<v Speaker 2>perfect flying day. It was the middle of summer July, heat,

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<v Speaker 2>blue sky, no clouds, no wind. If you asked most people,

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<v Speaker 2>they would say that is exactly when you want to

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<v Speaker 2>fly a small airplane. It was calm, clear and predictable.

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<v Speaker 2>I remember pulling up to the airport thinking the same thing,

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<v Speaker 2>and then my flight instructor looked at the weather and

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<v Speaker 2>said something that caught me off today, density altitude is

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<v Speaker 2>going to matter. At the time, that phrase meant nothing

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<v Speaker 2>to me. The sky looked great, the airplane was fine,

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<v Speaker 2>the runway had not changed, and yet my instructor was

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<v Speaker 2>already adjusting expectations before we even touch the aircraft. Here

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<v Speaker 2>is what density altitude means in plane language. An airplane

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<v Speaker 2>does not care about how good the day looks. It

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<v Speaker 2>only cares about the air it has to work with.

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<v Speaker 2>Hot air is thinner than cold air. Thin air gives

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<v Speaker 2>wings less lift and engines less power. Even though the

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<v Speaker 2>airport elevation might be twelve hundred feet on paper, Hot

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<v Speaker 2>temperatures can make the airplane feel like it is operating

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<v Speaker 2>much higher than that same runway, same airplane, same pilot,

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<v Speaker 2>very different performance. The takeoff roll becomes longer, the climb

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<v Speaker 2>rate drops, the controls feel sluggish. The air planes still flies,

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<v Speaker 2>but it does not fly the way you expect unless

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<v Speaker 2>you account for those conditions. And that day taught me

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<v Speaker 2>an early leadership lesson I did not fully understand until

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<v Speaker 2>much later. Performance does not exist in a vacuum. Leadership

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<v Speaker 2>does not either. Many leaders judge themselves in their teams

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<v Speaker 2>as if every day should produce the same results under

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<v Speaker 2>the same effort. They forget that outside forces change the

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<v Speaker 2>environment we operate in. In leadership, density altitude shows up

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<v Speaker 2>in ways that are less visible but equally real. Think

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<v Speaker 2>about winter, short days, cold mornings, dark skies. You wake

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<v Speaker 2>up and everything feels heavier. Motivation drops, decision making slows,

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<v Speaker 2>energy feels limited before the day even starts. That is

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<v Speaker 2>density altitude. Think about walking into work and immediately encountering

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<v Speaker 2>someone who unloads their personal chaos onto you before you've

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<v Speaker 2>even put your bag down. Family issues, conflict, stress, drama.

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<v Speaker 2>That is density altitude. Think about external pressures from above,

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<v Speaker 2>budget cuts, staffing shortages, political noise, unrealistic expectations. None of

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<v Speaker 2>those things are written in your job description, yet they

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<v Speaker 2>change how you perform. That is density altitude. The mistake

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<v Speaker 2>leaders make is pretending these forces do not exist. In aviation,

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<v Speaker 2>ignoring density altitude is dangerous. Pilots who assume the airplane

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<v Speaker 2>will perform like it did last month or last week

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<v Speaker 2>put themselves at risk. They run out of runway, they

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<v Speaker 2>struggle to climb, they get behind the aircraft. In leadership,

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<v Speaker 2>ignoring outside forces creates the same problem. You start the

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<v Speaker 2>day assuming you will perform at full power, full clarity,

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<v Speaker 2>full speed, even when the conditions say otherwise. When things

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<v Speaker 2>feel harder, you blame yourself for your people, instead of

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<v Speaker 2>adjusting to reality. Good pilots brief the conditions before flight.

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<v Speaker 2>Good leaders do the same before the day begins. This

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<v Speaker 2>does not mean making excuses. Pilots do not cancel responsibility

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<v Speaker 2>because of density altitude. They adapt, They calculate for longer

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<v Speaker 2>takeoff distances. They reduce the weight, they adjust expectations. They

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<v Speaker 2>fly the airplane that exists today, not the one they

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<v Speaker 2>wish they had. Leaders need the same discipline. Some days

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<v Speaker 2>require longer runways, more time, fewer tasks, better pacing. Some

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<v Speaker 2>days require acknowledging that energy will be lower and clarity

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<v Speaker 2>may take more effort. Some days require protecting your mental

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<v Speaker 2>airspace from people who are flowed chaos onto you without permission.

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<v Speaker 2>High performing leaders are not immune to outside forces. They

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<v Speaker 2>are aware of them. They ask themselves questions like what

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<v Speaker 2>conditions am I operating in today? What external factors are

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<v Speaker 2>affecting my energy and focus? What adjustments do I need

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<v Speaker 2>to make so I do not overestimate my performance. This

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<v Speaker 2>awareness is not weakness, it's professionalism. One of the most

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<v Speaker 2>dangerous leadership habits is pretending every day should feel the same.

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<v Speaker 2>That belief leads to burnout, frustration, and poor decisions. Pilots

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<v Speaker 2>who fly that way do not last long. Another important

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<v Speaker 2>point from aviation density altitude affects everyone, including experienced pilots.

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<v Speaker 2>Hours do not make air thicker. Confidence does not change physics.

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<v Speaker 2>The laws apply. Whether you acknowledge them or not, and

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<v Speaker 2>leadership works the same way. Experience does not eliminate outside pressure.

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<v Speaker 2>Titles do not remove stress. Reputation does not cancel human limits.

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<v Speaker 2>What experience gives you is awareness. You learn to feel

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<v Speaker 2>when the airplane is heavy. You learn when the climb

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<v Speaker 2>will be slow. You learn when to stop pushing and

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<v Speaker 2>start adjusting. Strong leaders do not demand peak performance in

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<v Speaker 2>poor conditions. They manage conditions so performance stays safe, steady,

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<v Speaker 2>and sustainable. And here's the final lesson with this, Pilots

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<v Speaker 2>do not beat themselves up because density altitude exists. They

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<v Speaker 2>respect it, They plan for it, they brief it. Leaders

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<v Speaker 2>should do the same. Some days you will feel sharp,

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<v Speaker 2>fast and clear. Some days you will feel sluggish, distracted,

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<v Speaker 2>or overloaded. Both days count, Both days require leadership. The

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<v Speaker 2>goal is not perfect performance. The goal is adjusted performance.

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<v Speaker 2>When you recognize the conditions, you stop blaming your stout

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<v Speaker 2>self and start leading smarter. So tomorrow morning, before you

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<v Speaker 2>rush into your day, take a quiet moment and ask yourself,

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<v Speaker 2>what is my density altitude today? What conditions am I

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<v Speaker 2>flying in? And then lead accordingly. That small pause might

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<v Speaker 2>just be the difference between running out of runway and

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<v Speaker 2>lifting off safely. This has been this seven minute leadership podcast,

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<v Speaker 2>and I thank you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more Paul fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot

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<v Speaker 1>com