This week on Leadership and Learning with On Target, we're doing something a little different.

Sam and Mike were guests at the Brisbane Safety Differently Book Club: a room full of safety and leadership professionals who came ready to ask hard questions. No script, no slides. Just an hour of genuinely candid conversation about what aviation gets right, and what every other industry is still getting wrong.

They cover why root cause analysis is where learning goes to die, how military debriefs actually work, the CACA framework for turning lessons identified into lessons actually learned, and what it felt like to be 300 feet from another fast jet with half a second to react.

Recorded live. A little raw. Worth it.

Also available on YouTube — link in show notes.

The conversation delves into the exploration of an F-16 crash report, understanding the context and behavior of the pilots, routine violations, the human factor in decision-making, leadership, and learning from normal behavior, and practical takeaways for leaders. Key takeaways include the normalization of behavior, learning from context and behavior, and recognizing early warning signs.

Takeaways

• Normalizing behavior
• Learning from context and behavior
• Recognizing early warning signs

Chapters

• 00:00 Exploring the F-16 Crash Report
• 06:04 Routine Violations and Normalization of Deviance
• 13:01 Leadership and Learning from Normal Behavior
• 30:11 Practical Takeaways for Leaders

The conversation covers the reflection on a previous project, limitations of software, feedback and lessons learned, observer roles and time pressure, accident investigation and hindsight bias, the F-35 fighter jet incident, decision-making and conditions, supporting good judgment, reflecting on success and conditions, and practical tools for learning. The key takeaways include learning from success and failure, and the impact of constraints on decision-making.

Takeaways

• Learning from success and failure
• The impact of constraints on decision-making

Chapters

• 00:00 Reflecting on the Last Project
• 08:09 Accident Investigation and Hindsight Bias
• 13:09 Decision-Making and Conditions
• 19:19 Reflecting on Success and Conditions

In March 2023, a Beech Baron 58P crashed shortly after takeoff in Lubbock, Texas.
The cause seemed simple, the fuel selector for one engine was off. But the real lessons go far deeper.

In this episode, Sam Gladman and Mike Mason from On Target explore how normal behaviour can quietly turn into risk, and what this tragedy reveals about leadership, culture, and system design.

🎯 Key takeaways:

• When “normal” becomes the true hazard (and how to spot it)

• Designing systems that expect distraction, not deny it

• Why language like “failure to” stops learning before it starts

• How leaders can move from blame to curiosity

Whether it’s a cockpit or a company, failure rarely comes from one person’s mistake, more often it comes from systems that make small lapses invisible until they matter most.

🎙️ On Target: The Leadership & Learning Podcast — where lessons from aviation, human factors, and high-performance teams meet the realities of leadership and organisational life.

📬 Want a 1-page episode summary or discussion guide? DM us on LinkedIn or email info@ontargetteaming.com.

In May 2023, an F-15 fighter jet overran the runway at Kingsley Field after a hydraulic failure. The pilot survived — but the official investigation left behind lessons far beyond the cockpit.

In this episode, we unpack how the language of blame (“failed to”) can shut down learning, how rule-breaking is often a symptom of system design, and why ambiguous communication continues to derail both flight decks and boardrooms.

Drawing on the Kingsley Field report, the On Target co-founders explore how leaders can shift from judgement to curiosity, move beyond compliance, and build a culture that learns from mistakes rather than hides them.

🎯 Key themes:

• Why “failed to” thinking kills learning

• What the F-15 investigation teaches about system design and decision-making

• How aviation’s approach to standardised language improves safety and performance

• Practical ways leaders can turn errors into insights

Whether you’re leading a squadron or a sales team, the cost of missed learning is always higher than the cost of the mistake itself.

🎙️ Hosted by On Target — building leaders and teams that perform under pressure.