August 16th, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes)
A skill that worked yesterday may fail you tomorrow.
How do you stay up-to-date with industry trends without chasing every shiny object?
I learned this lesson flying the Super Hornet.
I had spent most of my fighter life in the F-14 Tomcat. I knew that airplane. I knew how it felt in the break, how it turned, how it slowed, and where it should put me abeam the carrier. That experience helped me. It also got in my way.
I came in at 400 feet and 500 knots. As the stern disappeared under the nose, I wrapped the Super Hornet into a hard 90-degree bank and hauled back on the stick.
In the Tomcat, that would have worked beautifully. The Super Hornet was not the Tomcat.
The flight control computers gave me the best turn the wing could produce. The jet turned tighter than I expected. When I rolled out, I was looking almost straight down at the Landing Signal Officer platform. That is not where you want to be. Very embarrassing.
I regrouped, landed, parked the jet, and went to debrief. The LSOs walked in grinning. The senior LSO was a Super Hornet pilot named Face. He had the look of a man who was about to enjoy himself.
“Captain, what the hell?”
Then he taught me.
He explained that I had to break the F/A-18 twice. Pull hard for the first 90 degrees, unload the jet, count “one potato, two potato,” then pull again for the final 90 degrees. Same carrier. Same pilot. Same mission. Different airplane.
The next day, I did what Face taught me. The jet put me where I needed to be. Lesson learned.
A skill I had mastered in one aircraft did not transfer cleanly to another. I had to stay humble enough to learn from someone younger than me who knew the new environment better than I did. That is how leaders stay current.
You do not keep up with industry trends by reading everything or pretending you understand every new tool. You stay current by staying teachable. Read the right material. Go where serious people in your industry are learning. Talk to customers. Listen to younger employees. Ask your team what they are seeing before the trend shows up in a report.
Then think. Not every trend matters. Some ideas are noise. Some are expensive ways to look modern while weakening the mission. But some trends are the future making its first pass over the ship.
You need people around you who can see it coming. Build relationships with mentors, advisors, customers, and team members who will tell you the truth. Give them permission to say, “Sir, that old move does not work in this jet.” That takes humility.
Yesterday’s logic may have served you well. It may have built your career. It may have made your company successful.
Stay curious. Stay close to your people. Keep learning before the mission demands it. The world will change. The leader has to keep learning.
Lead to Win Principle
A leader stays current by staying humble enough to learn when the environment changes.
The Question
Where are you still using yesterday’s logic in a situation that has already changed?
Next Week: Great leaders manage complexity by keeping the mission clear and the team aligned.
Want more powerful leadership lessons from Mike?
- Begin leading from the heart: Order Learn How to Lead to Win | The Manazir Maxims | Leadership Study Guide for Manazir Maxims
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P.S. Know someone trying to build up their people and lead with heart? Forward this to them. It might be the encouragement they need to keep going.
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Let’s lead to win together,
Mike Manazir
Retired Navy Rear Admiral | Bestselling Author | Keynote Speaker | Executive Coach