What business learns from a fighter pilot

Helen Seymour speaking at Mission Business

I recently attended Mission Business, an event organised by Paul Green and Debbie Nichols at the Prince William of Gloucester Barracks in Grantham.

The event brought together people from business, defence, local government and the wider military community, with a strong programme of speakers covering innovation, leadership, business growth, AI and the value of military experience in civilian life.

As someone without a military background, some of the terminology was a bit jargony to me, but the wider messages were clear: good leadership depends on trust, preparation, teamwork and the ability to remain calm when circumstances change.

Performing under pressure

The keynote speaker was Helen Seymour, the RAF’s first female Typhoon fighter pilot.

Her presentation began with the unmistakable opening music from Top Gun (goosebumps!), which immediately set the tone for an engaging and memorable talk.

Helen shared stories from almost 24 years in the Royal Air Force, including flying Tornado and Typhoon aircraft, operational missions, training other pilots and leading teams through highly pressured situations.

The scale of the responsibility was difficult to comprehend, decisions had to be made quickly, often with limited information, and could affect not only the success of a mission but the lives of everyone involved.

However, her talk was not really about aircraft. It was about people, preparation and performance.

One of the strongest messages was that success under pressure rarely comes from suddenly producing something extraordinary. It comes from having practised the fundamentals so thoroughly that, when pressure arrives, you can rely on them.

As Helen put it, when the pressure is on, you do not try to do something clever or different. You get the basics right.

That applies just as much to business as it does to aviation.

Plan, brief, execute and debrief

Helen explained that every mission followed a clear process:

Plan. Brief. Execute. Debrief.

The connection with my own work in branding and design was immediate.

A successful design project should begin with a clear understanding of the objective. What are we trying to achieve? Who are we trying to reach? What does the audience need to understand or do?

That thinking then needs to be turned into a clear brief so that everyone involved understands the direction and their responsibilities.

The work can then be created and delivered, but the process should not end there.

The debrief is equally important.

What worked well? What caused difficulties? What could be improved next time?

Helen made the point that businesses are often so busy moving on to the next project that they fail to learn properly from the previous one.

That is an easy trap to fall into. Once a brochure, website, campaign or event has been completed, attention quickly moves elsewhere. But without taking time to review the outcome, valuable lessons can be lost.

Good design is not simply about producing something attractive. It is about developing a process that delivers consistently strong results.

Trust within a team

Trust was another theme running throughout Helen’s presentation.

As a pilot, she depended on the people around her to provide the right information at the right time. Other pilots also needed complete confidence in her decisions.

That trust did not appear overnight. It was built through preparation, honesty, shared standards and the willingness to discuss mistakes openly.

Helen described the importance of creating a debriefing environment where people could admit what had not gone well without being ridiculed or blamed. That honesty allows everyone to learn.

The same principle applies in business relationships. Clients need to trust the people they work with, and suppliers need to feel able to raise concerns, challenge assumptions and recommend a better approach when necessary.

The best results usually come when people work as one team rather than as separate organisations protecting their own position.

Who is your wingman?

Helen finished by talking about the importance of having a “wingman”. Hers was Nic 'Rosie' Steevenson her partner at On a Mission.

In the air, pilots depend on one another to see what they cannot see themselves. In business, a good wingman is someone who supports you, challenges you honestly and has your back even when you are not in the room.

Her question to the audience was a strong one:

Do you have a wingman, and who can you be a wingman for?

It was a fitting conclusion to a talk centred on trust, leadership and the strength of a good team.

AI, trust and misinformation

Another talk that stood out came from Scott Linfoot of Tekh, who spoke about artificial intelligence and the potential threats created by synthetic information and deception. AI presents enormous opportunities for businesses, but it also makes it easier to create convincing false content, manipulate information and undermine trust.

His presentation was a useful reminder that businesses need to think beyond simply how AI can save time. They also need to consider how information is verified, how employees are trained and how reputations are protected.

Once again, trust was at the centre of the conversation.

A valuable business event

Mission Business successfully brought together military experience and practical business thinking.

The speakers covered very different subjects, but many of the same themes appeared throughout the morning: preparation, resilience, innovation, trust and the importance of strong teams.

Helen Seymour’s presentation was the highlight for me. Her experience may come from an environment far removed from graphic design, but the lessons were directly relevant.

Understand the mission. Build strong foundations. Trust your team. Get the basics right.

Learn from every project.

They are simple principles, but they can make an enormous difference to the way a business performs.