Artists, Engineers, and Entrepreneurs: Flight School with Justin “Hasard” Lee
Since he saw his first airshow when he was five, Justin “Hasard” Lee knew he wanted to be a pilot. While the path to achieving this dream wasn’t easy, today, Major Lee serves as the Chief of F-35 Training Systems for Luke Air Force Base located outside of Phoenix, Arizona. He also hosts a ‘2019 Top Podcast’ called “The Professionals Playbook” where experts at the top of their fields share insights based on credibility and experience.
In this episode of ae2, Major Lee shares advice for developing mental toughness for high-pressure situations and provides tips on how to use post-project debriefs to make strategic improvements for future projects. Since there are likely not many jobs more stressful than flying a fighter jet in combat, Major Lee knew developed a systematic approach to handling stress and critical thinking simultaneously. Today, he shares this strategy with fellow members of the military and civilians alike.
In this interview, he also discusses how he believes skills such as staying in the present moment and the ability to have positive mental self-talk even when mistakes are made can be learned and serve as the keys to success in high-pressure situations. Major Lee also touches on effective risk mitigation techniques and how to execute rapid decision-making using the proven process of perception, decision, and execution. He shares how he takes this process one step further by discussing how to make improvements with thorough debriefing.
To learn more about how Major Lee developed these tactics while flying 82 combat missions and how he teaches Cadets about the concept of not “wasting ‘brain bites’ on unnecessary stuff,” watch this episode of ae2.
ae2 is a web series from Hiller Measurements is a long-form interview-style program that explores thought leaders at the “business end” of companies, creative works, and research. In each episode, Hiller Measurements’ President Jeff Olsen explores the creative drive, personal motivations, and stories of perseverance of visionaries who are still “in the hunt.”
Through ae2, our aim is to find the business model in the engineering mind, the drive and technique a gifted artist is developing, and the impact for good that outweighs the personal risk taken on by bold business creators. Overall, the goal of our series is to inspire viewers to step out, build, and create.