During World War II my grandmother worked with the RAF. Her job was to profile pilots based on their personalities, risk appetite, and temperament.

She used to say there were three buckets:

Fighter pilot, Bomber pilot, and Bomber navigator.

The fighter pilot profile was young, arrogant, quick decision-maker, and big risk-taker. 

The bomber pilot profile was older, calm under pressure and deliberate. Someone who would stay the course and complete the mission, make small adjustments, listen to his navigator, complete the mission and protect his crew. 

The bomber navigator profile was cool as a cucumber, unemotional and precise. When all hell was breaking loose around him, he would continue to deliver the coordinates and guide the pilot.

After the war ended she regularly used these profile tools whenever she met someone. Think about this next time you interview someone or are deciding whether to trust them. What do you need them to do and what type of airman are they?

(As I was writing this I think the one trait that all these pilots possessed in spades was courage and bravery.)

Photo by Renan Araujo on Unsplash