Welcome to Choosing Leadership, and this is another episode of the “Visionary Voices” series with your host, Sumit Gupta.

In this dynamic new series of episodes, I am bringing you thought-provoking conversations with visionary leaders who have reshaped industries, challenged norms, and carved their own paths to success. In a world where leadership is a blend of art and science, where the ability to navigate uncertainty is as crucial as driving innovation, we’re diving headfirst into the minds of those who’ve mastered the craft.

In this enlightening interview, we sit down with John J Nance, a multifaceted expert with a remarkable career spanning aviation, law, and safety. 

With a warm and engaging demeanor, John shares invaluable insights into leadership, safety, and the power of human factors in high-stakes industries. 

His journey from an Air Force pilot to an acclaimed aviation analyst offers a unique perspective on the importance of trust, transparency, and continuous improvement in leadership. 

John’s wisdom extends beyond the cockpit, emphasizing the need for adaptable systems and open communication in any field. 

Tune in for a conversation that will inspire and equip you to navigate the challenges of leadership with newfound clarity and purpose.

 

You can find John J. Nance at the below links

In the interview, John shares

  • “I’ve spent the last almost 30 years now trying to translate these human factor elements from aviation and nuclear power generation to the medical profession.”
  • “Human beings are incapable of 100% perfection 100% of the time, and no matter how much you yell and scream as a manager, you’re not gonna be able to transcend that completely.”
  • “Blame is for the lawyers. They can figure that out later. What we wanna know is every single solitary thing that went wrong, large and small, that might have contributed to this accident because it’s not just one cause.”
  • “Quality and safety are not the same thing. They’re inextricably intertwined, but they are not the same thing.”
  • “You trust your people. You have deployed them correctly. If that’s the case, you don’t need to be out there in the lead telling everybody what to do when they already know the job.”
  • “You’ve gotta struggle constantly to find out what’s really happening on the front lines and to make sure that your system and your people are able to adjust to that.”
  • “If you’re gonna work in the company and be a part of the company, and the company is gonna care about you, you’ve gotta care about the company.”
  • “If you’re not living what you’re saying, you’re a fraud. People are gonna look at you as a fraud.”
  • “The most dangerous phrase in medicine, not just in America, but all over the world, is ‘this is the way we’ve always done it.'”
  • “Change is a change between a structure that is controlling things and a philosophy.”