High-Stakes Leadership

High-Stakes Leadership: Lessons from an Air Traffic Controller

Common-sense leadership frameworks forged under pressure-for leaders and aspiring leaders

When you're responsible for lives on the ground and in the air, "good enough" leadership isn't an option. In air traffic control, every call matters, every second counts, and hesitation has consequences. This book takes that high-stakes reality and turns it into clear, practical leadership frameworks you can use in business, management, and organizational leadership at any level.

Drawing from decades in the tower, military environments, and complex organizations, Andrew Beattie shows how the habits that keep airplanes safe are the same habits that keep teams aligned, businesses moving, and missions on track. This isn't theory, trends, or buzzwords-it's common-sense leadership built on real pressure, tough decisions, and lessons learned the hard way.

Inside, you'll find:

• Concrete frameworks you can apply immediately to your own leadership, whether you're new to management or an experienced executive.
• Stories from air traffic control that illustrate how to make decisions under pressure, maintain situational awareness, and stay calm when everything starts moving at once.
• Practical guidance on communication, delegation, contingency planning, and succession-core skills for business leadership and business management.
• Tools to help you see around corners, avoid routine blindness, and spot small problems before they turn into crises.
• A direct look at ego, accountability, and the difference between looking like a leader and actually leading.

If you work in leadership or management, run a team, lead an organization, or aspire to step into leadership, this book is written for you. It's designed for real workplaces, real constraints, and real people-not perfection on paper.

High-Stakes Leadership will help you think more clearly, act more decisively, and build systems and cultures that hold up when the pressure hits-so you can lead with clarity when it matters most.