From the Cockpit to the Boardroom- Leadership Lessons from a Combat Veteran
Kim "KC" Campbell, a former fighter pilot turned keynote speaker and best-selling author, shares the leadership lessons she has learned from her 24 years as a fighter pilot.
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As a senior military leader, Kim has led hundreds of airmen both at home and abroad in deployed locations, enabling them to succeed in their missions. She takes this experience and inspires so many more in corporate spaces to lead with that passion of leadership. She feels strongly that leaders earn trust by leading with courage and connecting with their teams.
In this blog post, we’re covering the following:
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1) Flying in the Face of Fear
Kim explains that when we hear the word fear we immediately jump to negative connotations like vulnerability or weakness.
“What I've realized looking back on my career is that there were many times that I felt fear. And that wasn't a negative thing. It was a normal reaction to a stressful circumstance.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
On the first day of Cadet training, Kim was nervous. She was scared.
“I was worried about what I was going to face. It was this fear of the unknown. But I still did it. I still walked up that ramp.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
Kim was one of 33 women in the entire air force. That’s less than 1%. She was scared that she wouldn’t meet expectations and that she would fail.
“We will face fear in our lives. That's okay. It's normal, even though it can feel not so great at the time, but it's all about what you do. What is that next step that you will take to face your fears? […] It's not the fear that matters. It's what we do when we are scared that matters.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
“The outcome may not always be what you want, but you at least make that effort. And I think you come out stronger on the other side because you've put in the work, you've put in the effort, you took that leap of faith for whatever it is. And I think that's what matters is that you do it scared, that you take that chance, you take that action, even in the face of fear.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
2) Preparing for Change
Kim finished her training at the end of 2001.
“Everyone's lives were changed on September 11, 2001. For me, that meant that I would then spend the next 20 years of my career deploying, and during a time of war. That put things into perspective for me.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
When Kim decided to be an A-10 pilot, it was before wartime. She had no idea of the impact she would end up making.
This translates to the corporate world as well - how do you respond when something doesn’t go as planned?
This is especially pertinent as we are seeing change as never before. Whether that be layoffs, war, or earthquakes.
How can you build resiliency to deal with these changes?
“That trust, that resiliency, it doesn't happen overnight. We can't wait for a crisis to happen and then hope that we have trust and hope that we have resiliency on the team.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
Kim shares some techniques she learned during her time in the Air Force to help build resiliency and trust to prepare for change.
1. Connection
“We've got to build the trust early. We don't wait for a crisis. We try to build those connections on our team. To me, we do that by just showing the human side of leadership. It is okay to be human. It is okay to let your team see who you are.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
2. Preparation
“You have to put in the work to prepare for those hard times. And that's just built over time in terms of having a process and a way to handle tough situations. It can be as small as a really important briefing, presentation, or negotiation. It can be as big as crisis-centered leadership. The bottom line is you put in the work to prepare, you do your homework, you do your research, you look at what has or hasn't worked in the past, and you talk about expectations and objectives.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
3. Practice
“And then you take the time to practice. For me, in the flying community, we used to visualize. [...] That concept of visualizing, rehearsing, practicing, I think is so key and is often a step that's missed, to be able to have a quick huddle with your team and talk through a difficult situation before you're going into it. And it helps you deal with the stress in the moment. It also just primes you for action when something difficult happens and ideally, it creates a positive outcome.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
4. Planning for Contingencies
“It serves us well to think about what could go wrong. [...] We're giving a presentation, what's the worst-case scenario? What are the tough questions we might get asked? You talk about them, you talk about how you will respond to them. And then you can let them go because you have a plan to deal with them.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
3) Building Trust
As a new leader stepping into a team, there is often a lack of trust. For Kim, the most helpful way to build this trust is by taking the time to listen.
“Talk to key leaders on the team, but also talk to people on a very human level. How are they doing? What work are they doing? Have them teach me a little bit about what they do.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
Not only does this show who you are as a leader, but it allows you to learn from the team and show them that you trust their expertise and value what they bring to the team.
Another piece of helpful advice Kim shares is to get input from the team.
“They're often closest to the problem, and they have these creative and innovative ideas. But they likely aren't going to share them unless you've created that environment of trust.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
This trust is built over time.
“Trust first. It's hard to be vulnerable and share that but jumping in as a leader and showing them that you trust them a lot of times creates trust in return.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
Kim shares that she hasn’t always gotten this right. When she first became a leader, she thought she needed to show everyone a tough exterior and that she knew what she was doing.
“That is not what my team wants, they want authentic, they want real, they want honesty, they want you to be able to admit if you don't know things, that you don't have all the answers. And when you make a wrong choice, or you make a mistake, you make a bad call, then you step up and own it.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
4) Cultivating a Wingman Culture
Kim learned this early on in her time as a military officer.
“We realized very quickly that we were not going to succeed on our own, the only way we were going to succeed was by working together as a team.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
Kim explains that the idea of a wingman is to provide mutual support. Only when Kim started flying did she really understand what being a good wingman meant.
“One of the primary roles of a wingman is to check the six o'clock position, which is the position behind an aircraft where you can't see on your own. It's this whole idea of having someone's back. We use it in the air, but I think it's very applicable on the ground. If a teammate is struggling, do you have their back? Are you able to let them know that you're there to help and that you can provide that mutual support?” - Kim "KC" Campbell
Kim shares that in combat when she was overwhelmed by an emergency, her wingman was there helping her see the bigger picture, providing mutual support, and giving her the awareness that she didn't have.
Upon reflection, Kim explains that these things are so valid in any organization.
“As a leader, it’s ensuring that people on your team understand the role that they play, how their role is critical for shared success. It is that idea of lifting others, having their back, which then elevates the performance of the team.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
You may have a big bold vision and mission as a company, it might be so strong that everyone feels it, but if your team doesn't understand the role they play towards that mission, it becomes hard for them to be a good wingman. They don't realize the part that they're playing towards the mission.
It can be lonely being a leader. Who is your wingman?
To this Kim says to look for someone on your team who has your back. Who can tell you if something came across the wrong way or that people don’t understand something. This may not exist on all teams and in that case, a coach or mentor can help.
“It is about setting yourself up for success as a leader because you want to have people around you that will give you that honest feedback. I also think some of that can come from your team if you have an environment of trust.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
5) Navigating Failing Forward as an ‘Only’
When Kim first walked into that fighter squadron as one of the only few women, she felt something that I think so many who identify as an “only” may be able to relate to.
“I felt if I made a mistake, or if I failed, these are my words, that I would ruin it for all the women that followed me. I put that pressure on myself.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
To deal with this pressure she put on herself, she flipped the narrative and tried to remove the gender piece.
“I'm a new person in the unit, and I'm going to have to prove myself like everyone else.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
You will most definitely make mistakes, but what matters is how you deal with them.
“Did you wallow in the mistake and kick yourself over and over? I've been there and I've done it and it is not healthy and it is not effective. My performance did not improve at that point.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
Rather, Kim suggests figuring out the root cause of the mistake and what you can learn from it.
“What I realized is that our instructors, the leadership in the unit, was really watching just to see how you would respond. They know you're going to make mistakes, you're a new pilot, you're a new person in the unit, you're going to make mistakes. So they're really looking to see what's your mindset? How do you deal with those mistakes? Because what they're looking for is someone that will get back up, dust themselves off, and then give it another go.” - Kim "KC" Campbell
Kim explains that after each mission they would do a debrief. They talk about what went well, but also about the mistakes that were made. This helped them to normalize mistakes and see them as a part of learning.
To hear the full conversation, scroll all the way up and tune into episode 68.
About The Hosts: Archita And Olivia
ARCHITA
Archita Sivakumar Fritz is the Host and Producer of the Embracing Only Podcast. Archita is a MedTech and Life Science Strategist. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice for her insights into product strategy and nonprofit management, and the creation of inclusive cultures that champion a 'speak up' philosophy.
Following a successful 19+ year corporate career she now helps C Suite across organizations as a Fractional Product Marketing Leader through her company Ready Set Bold.
She works with individuals with 10+ years of corporate experience to find new paths away from toxic or underappreciative environments, enabling both personal fulfillment and broader organizational impact.
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Olivia Grant Cream is the host and producer of the Embracing Only podcast. Nothing makes her happier than providing a platform to women who are changing the world.
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