The P.I.L.O.T. Method: The 5 Elemental Truths to Leading Yourself in Life!

by Elizabeth McCormick

Becoming a Black Hawkhelicopter pilot wasn't easy, and from that experience came the realizationthat pilots- rotary or fixed wing, military or civilian, have a differentthought process.  The rigors of flighttraining and the heightened state of awareness during flight changes who theyare. 
 
What makes pilotsdifferent?  Why are they revered as anindustry and looked up to by children with awestruck eyes?   And how can the lessons learned as pilotstranslate into personal leadership and high level performance?
 
The P.I.L.O.T. Method breaksdown the 5 elemental truths to being a better leader of yourself through theexperiences of pilots. 
 
P-  have potential, are you confident in that potential, and how toboost it.
 
I-    What are you doing with your potential, andhow to get more out of it.
 
L-  three pillars of leadership based on aviation principles and howthey apply to you.
 
O-    Are you living your best life?  Learn how you CAN be more, do more, and livemore.
 
T-   Never give up.  How to find that toughness within you.   
 
Through Elizabeth McCormick'sstories and those of her pilot friends, you'll learn how to FLY-  First Lead Yourself.
 

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jody KL · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate what the author was trying to do. I saw her speak a few years ago. Between how much I enjoyed her inspirational presentation at the time and the fact that she served our country, I finished the book out of respect. The stories she included from her time in the military were repeats of her speech.

Otherwise, it was riddled with typographical errors and had too many run-on sentences. I didn't like that instead of her talking about her personal experiences in detail--for example, being a single mom with a challenging divorce from her first husband, or the stalker experience, or bouncing back in life after the military--she instead mentioned all these unique experiences in passing, which left the reader jaw-dropped and confused.

She also chose to include other military people's random stories that didn't add anything to her narrative and were disjointed. While I haven't written a book or served in the military or flown a helicopter (black hawk!), I walked away disappointed at the end of the book because I felt like she preached and included random quotes over actually leading by example.

I've read many books like these, and this one needed lots of work to get it to a better spot.

[Laura Beck Nielsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her story rang a little too close to home in the beginning, so I kept reading. Her determination to overcome obstacles and create positive action out of despair were infectious. And then I kept reading. I tried to forgive the unnecessary capitalization and the occasional typo, but it read on as if no one edited the book and she didn't care about the writing (or reader), only to slap on some finger-wagging or She-ra type, over-capitalized, lesson at the end of each chapter. It's too bad because I think she meant well but somehow in the publishing of this book she didn't get the coaching, support, and professionalism she demands of herself and others in the book.

[Cathy Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book after hearing the author. She is a very inspiring speaker. It is a quick read and I finished it in 2 sittings. Parts of it were very good, and I was about sad because all of it could have been very good if she had a good editor. Most of the platitudes and inspiring quotes are familiar, but she was occasionally able to put a new spin on them. Her own personal story was interspersed through the book-mainly in the beginning, but then there were huge holes. She tells us she is pregnant, but skips over that to a toddler, then a five year old. A divorce appears seemingly out of nowhere with no details. This is in sharp contrast to great personal detail in the beginning. One of the reasons it is such a quick read is because there is so much white space with very wide margins and spacing between paragraphs so she really had room to add those,parts,of her story. I felt a little cheated after the details in the beginning. The last third of the book has stories from other pilots that were quite interesting, but sometimes hard to follow with a lot of technical jargon. In short, it was an ok book, but for all her talk of reaching your potential, this book fell woefully short of its potential.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and easy read. I think it’s always good to read about how to be a better person. This book hits obvious key points in accomplishing that but always a good reminder to look at yourself and see where you can grow. My dad actually sent me this book to read after seeing the author at a conference. He reported she was a great speaker and just from reading the book she has my respect and attention.

[Briana Sutherland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very quick read and the book has a great message behind it, especially for women. Hearing Elizabeth’s story is very inspirational and heartwarming, however, I found that the writing style and editing in this book were disappointing which lead to my rating.

[Julie]

Haven't finished it but want to.

[SJ Barakony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished reading in about a week while interspersing it with several other books in other genres ( my usual M.O. ) -- this is a very solid read, and the flow of the writing can appeal to a reader who is very new (or a veteran) to a self-directed education, leadership position/journey, or a course of time spent on professional/personal development. One crucial plus? The author is someone who had success and was taking her life story, and those stories from others whom she sought out to interview, and interspersing with simple tidbits which I've come across many times before, yet they never get old. Part and parcel in a true education is re-learning, and then paying forward what you've learned so well to others; books like this make this very doable.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled with the first chapter or two of this excellent book because of all the bold print and italicized statements. It felt like I, the reader, was thought too dumb to pick up the salient points. As I got more into the writer's stories and her leadership details that feeling faded.

This is a well written take on leadership skills with a true story to fill it out and give it substance. For those, like me, that want more than, "just the facts," this book is a keeper!

Broken down into sections on:

Potential,
Implementation,
Leadership,
Optimize,
Tenacity.

It will give you everything to check off as you make decisions on new challenges, perhaps as a helicopter pilot. I recommend it strongly!

[Chuck Cova · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about a female black hawk pilot. A good read about overcoming challenges. Couldn't wait to share it with my daughter. This was a good read on leadership principles, and believe it would especially resonate with women of purpose.

[Brandon Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. For me it mostly hit points I have already heard. But I enjoyed reading it in the light of a different author. Plus it never hurts to hear good principles over again.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, interesting story of her journey through the Army toward her goals. The book is filled with about a dozen or so nuggets, things we're most already familiar with just packaged differently.