Minute With Mallon: The Cockpit! 🛩️

Jun 4

Welcome to Minute with Mallon!

Something I Taught:

A seasoned airline captain was once asked by a young first officer, "You've flown this route hundreds of times. Why do you still go through the entire pre-flight checklist every morning?"

The captain smiled and said, "Because the plane doesn't care how many times I've flown it."

That story stuck with me.

The most experienced pilots in the world, people with tens of thousands of flight hours, never rely on memory alone. Not because they're forgetful. Because they understand that overlooking one small thing can create a very big problem.

Your day is a lot like a flight. Whether you realize it or not, you're the pilot.

Every morning you climb into the cockpit without a plan for the day, you're relying on memory and good intentions.

Unfortunately, memory isn't always reliable.

It won't remind you about the 2:00 call you promised a key client.

It won't bring to mind the conversation you need to have with your operations manager before another week slips by.

And it certainly won't protect the 30 minutes of thinking time you keep telling yourself you need but never seem to schedule.

The leaders I've seen struggle the most aren't struggling because they lack talent or drive. They're struggling because they're reactive.

They show up each morning and let the day decide what's important. Emails, interruptions, emergencies, and whoever walks through the door first become the agenda.

They're talented people, but they're letting circumstances fly the plane.

The leaders who make the greatest progress do something different. Before the day begins, they decide what matters most.

They know their meetings.

They know their priorities.

They know the one conversation they've been putting off.

And they know the personal commitments that help them stay healthy, focused, and grounded.

The best part?

It only takes about five minutes.

Before you finish work today, make tomorrow's list.

Then show up tomorrow knowing exactly where you're headed.

You'll be amazed at how much smoother the flight becomes. ✈️

Something to Ponder:

“When you were born, you look like your parents. When you die you look like your decisions.

James DuBose (through my friend Mark Eiken)

Something I Learned:

I was listening to the Exponential Wisdom podcast recently with Peter Diamandis and Dan Sullivan, and they discussed a concept that really stuck with me: agency.

Agency is the belief that you are not simply reacting to life — you have the ability to influence it. People with a strong sense of agency believe their actions matter. They take ownership, look for options, and focus on what they can do rather than what they can't. People with low agency often feel like life is happening to them. Circumstances, other people, or bad luck become the explanation for why things aren't working.

As I thought about it, I realized that much of leadership comes down to agency. The leaders who make the biggest progress aren't necessarily the smartest or most talented. They're the ones who consistently ask, "What can I do about this?" instead of "Why is this happening to me?" They look for their part in the situation and take responsibility for it.

One insight from the podcast was that people with low agency often don't realize it. They simply have a lot of explanations. The next time you find yourself frustrated by a situation, try asking: "How might I be contributing to this, and what can I do to improve it?" That question moves you from victim to leader. And the more often you ask it, the more influence you'll have over your career, your business, and your life.