Not too many articles about Command discuss the emotional aspects of undertaking a Command Course.
This line of though was brought about by a question I asked a Trainee the other day “What do you wish you had known before this Command Course started?” His answer – “I wish someone would have told be about the (emotional) highs and lows I’ve experienced, sometimes on the same day or even the same flight!”
You Are Only Human
You are human and therefore you are primarily an emotional creature. You are not logical and rational, but illogical and emotional – despite what you may think or believe. As pilots and especially as men, we get pretty good at disguising our emotions but they are bubbling away just below the surface none the less.
Be ready and prepared for this emotional rollercoaster of intense highs and deep lows. It will occur to everyone. If they say it doesn’t happen to them, they’re lying!
Embrace, enjoy and revel in the highs. The times when you feel on top of the game, when your Trainer praises you, when you recognise that you’ve done a good job, made a sound decision, displayed strong Command or Leadership skills and feel in control of the entire situation. Store this good emotional feeling in your long term memory bank and savour the exquisite pleasure of a job well done.
Have these highs stored away to buffer the inevitable lows you will also experience.
And sometimes all it may take is one bad landing, a teeth rattler, to kill all the good feeling that you may have built up throughout the flight or previous flights. We really can be our own worst enemy. As pilots we tend to focus almost exclusively on our faults, errors and mistakes and gloss over our triumphs, skilful flying and overall good Command and Leadership.
Be aware that you may eventually sink to deep emotional lows. Be prepared and ready for this. Your attitude towards mistakes and criticism, the training you are receiving and towards your job will determine how low YOU allow yourself to go.
If you have a good, healthy, positive attitude the lows will be minimal and manageable. If you have a bad, unhealthy, negative attitude you can plummet to deep lows – and this may affect your overall performance during the Command Course. Some pilots have been to known to dig a hole for themselves so deep that they have been unable to climb out.
Being able to recall the highs, the good feelings from your memory bank, acts as a buffer against these low feelings. You have got to look after yourself.
Those Closest To You
Your own personal emotional state usually also spills over into your personal life and can affect those closest to you, your significant other, spouse or kids. Whether they want to or not, they are also along for the ride on your emotional rollercoaster.
If you are depressed, moody, terse, irritable, sad, grumpy, angry or pissed off, chances are that they will reflect your negative emotions back at you. And your relationship with them will suffer.
If you are happy, pleasant, contented, smiling and at peace with yourself, they will also reflect these positive emotions back towards you and your relationship will prosper. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out which guy will perform better on a Command Course (or life for that matter).
Don’t under estimate the power of positive support from those closest to you. Treat them good and they’ll treat you good. That will assist you in getting through this Command Course.
Build Yourself Up
You can be your own worst enemy – don’t fall into the common trap of beating yourself up mentally over relatively minor mistakes or errors. You really should be focussing on the good things you do. You should be building yourself up, not tearing yourself down.
Think of it as another “Command” problem that you as the Captain and Leader have to deal with and manage. Be proactive, remember the highs, remind yourself that you are good and don’t let negative things adversely affect you. Don’t keep dwelling on past mistakes. Learn from them and push on forward towards an improved you.
Program days off during your training where you have absolutely nothing to do with your work, job or Training. Re-connect with your spouse, family or friends. Chill out, de-stress, relax, have fun and do something enjoyable. Often that “insurmountable” problem when looked at in the right context will in reality become a “minor” problem.
Recall the emotional highs to act as a buffer for the inevitable emotional lows. Build yourself up, don’t tear yourself down.
Keep your arms inside the car, tighten your safety belt and be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster of Command.
This line of though was brought about by a question I asked a Trainee the other day “What do you wish you had known before this Command Course started?” His answer – “I wish someone would have told be about the (emotional) highs and lows I’ve experienced, sometimes on the same day or even the same flight!”
You Are Only Human
You are human and therefore you are primarily an emotional creature. You are not logical and rational, but illogical and emotional – despite what you may think or believe. As pilots and especially as men, we get pretty good at disguising our emotions but they are bubbling away just below the surface none the less.
Be ready and prepared for this emotional rollercoaster of intense highs and deep lows. It will occur to everyone. If they say it doesn’t happen to them, they’re lying!
Embrace, enjoy and revel in the highs. The times when you feel on top of the game, when your Trainer praises you, when you recognise that you’ve done a good job, made a sound decision, displayed strong Command or Leadership skills and feel in control of the entire situation. Store this good emotional feeling in your long term memory bank and savour the exquisite pleasure of a job well done.
Have these highs stored away to buffer the inevitable lows you will also experience.
And sometimes all it may take is one bad landing, a teeth rattler, to kill all the good feeling that you may have built up throughout the flight or previous flights. We really can be our own worst enemy. As pilots we tend to focus almost exclusively on our faults, errors and mistakes and gloss over our triumphs, skilful flying and overall good Command and Leadership.
Be aware that you may eventually sink to deep emotional lows. Be prepared and ready for this. Your attitude towards mistakes and criticism, the training you are receiving and towards your job will determine how low YOU allow yourself to go.
If you have a good, healthy, positive attitude the lows will be minimal and manageable. If you have a bad, unhealthy, negative attitude you can plummet to deep lows – and this may affect your overall performance during the Command Course. Some pilots have been to known to dig a hole for themselves so deep that they have been unable to climb out.
Being able to recall the highs, the good feelings from your memory bank, acts as a buffer against these low feelings. You have got to look after yourself.
Those Closest To You
Your own personal emotional state usually also spills over into your personal life and can affect those closest to you, your significant other, spouse or kids. Whether they want to or not, they are also along for the ride on your emotional rollercoaster.
If you are depressed, moody, terse, irritable, sad, grumpy, angry or pissed off, chances are that they will reflect your negative emotions back at you. And your relationship with them will suffer.
If you are happy, pleasant, contented, smiling and at peace with yourself, they will also reflect these positive emotions back towards you and your relationship will prosper. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out which guy will perform better on a Command Course (or life for that matter).
Don’t under estimate the power of positive support from those closest to you. Treat them good and they’ll treat you good. That will assist you in getting through this Command Course.
Build Yourself Up
You can be your own worst enemy – don’t fall into the common trap of beating yourself up mentally over relatively minor mistakes or errors. You really should be focussing on the good things you do. You should be building yourself up, not tearing yourself down.
Think of it as another “Command” problem that you as the Captain and Leader have to deal with and manage. Be proactive, remember the highs, remind yourself that you are good and don’t let negative things adversely affect you. Don’t keep dwelling on past mistakes. Learn from them and push on forward towards an improved you.
Program days off during your training where you have absolutely nothing to do with your work, job or Training. Re-connect with your spouse, family or friends. Chill out, de-stress, relax, have fun and do something enjoyable. Often that “insurmountable” problem when looked at in the right context will in reality become a “minor” problem.
Recall the emotional highs to act as a buffer for the inevitable emotional lows. Build yourself up, don’t tear yourself down.
Keep your arms inside the car, tighten your safety belt and be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster of Command.
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