In a powerful meeting of minds two pioneering RAF veterans shared insights that revealed how diverse experiences drive successful business transformation.
When military precision meets business leadership, powerful transformation happens. This was the core message at a recent Cognizant-hosted event, From Fighter Pilot to Leadership Expert, in London – delivered in partnership with Salesforce – where two remarkable female leaders shared insights on driving business innovation.
"Leadership is not a title; it's an action," declared Mandy Hickson, recounting her experience as one of only five women to pilot the Tornado GR4 fast jet – an extraordinary £35 million fighting machine. Drawing on missions in an almost three-decade career, where split-second decisions meant the difference between success and failure, Hickson shared how combat flying demands extreme adaptation under pressure.
Alongside her, Kim Moran-Hogg, Salesforce's AVP for the Public Sector in the UK and Ireland, described her journey from RAF radar engineer to business leader. "Success is about empowering teams and fostering innovation," she explained. This philosophy drove significant achievements in her career, including major technology transformation initiatives.
Their combined insights yielded seven crucial lessons for business leaders:
1. Embracing change through purpose
"Change must be driven by purpose, not just process," Hickson said. Moran-Hogg built on this theme: "That has made me a people-first leader. When dealing with transformation, you need your teams to understand what they're doing and why they're doing it." This purpose-driven approach has been shown to increase engagement and accelerate adoption of new technologies and processes.
2. Crisis decision-making for business
Hickson shared the T-DODO decision-making model (Time, Diagnose, Options, Decision, Operate): "Don't tell your team what you believe the problem to be -- ask them. If you've got diversity on your team, you might get different and better answers." This systematic approach has helped organisations navigate complex challenges, from market disruptions to technological shifts.
3. Building resilient organisations
"In any organisation, we often face technical challenges we never anticipated," Moran-Hogg reflected. "Resilience is key to working through the options and finding innovative solutions." She emphasised how this mindset helps teams adapt to rapid technological change while maintaining operational excellence.
4. Cross-functional collaboration
"Success is dependent on high-performing collaborative teams," Moran-Hogg stressed. "You need to find a way to build what it means to you in business, but do it together, not in silos." This collaborative approach has proven essential in today's interconnected business environment, where innovation often happens at the intersection of different disciplines.
5. Leading through transformation
During a mission in Iraq, Hickson led a formation that came under fire. When the mission required complete change, her superiors empowered her take control, despite being the most junior pilot. "What I learned was what leadership actually looks like," she reflected. "It's about empowerment." This lesson highlights that trust and adaptability are crucial for success, particularly in today's rapidly evolving business landscape.
6. Team-Centric Leadership
"Success in business means empowering your teams to innovate," explained Moran-Hogg. Her RAF experience shaped her perspective on leadership, focusing intensely on team development and performance outcomes. This approach has proven particularly valuable in driving digital transformation initiatives, where team empowerment leads to faster innovation and better results.
7. Building Future Leaders
"Empowerment's a two-way street," Moran-Hogg underlined. She described innovative mentorship programs where professionals can be both mentees and mentors, creating a continuous chain of support. This approach helps organisations build sustainable leadership pipelines while fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.
The event highlighted Cognizant's commitment to fostering diverse leadership perspectives, exemplifying the goals of the two employee networks at Cognizant that were instrumental in the fruition of this event – Women Empowered and the Veteran’s Network. The networks are a fundamental part of our dedication to supporting diversity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace while leveraging the unique skills women and service personnel bring to the corporate environment.
Azin Fathi, Enterprise Platform Partner Leader at Cognizant said “Our Women Empowered committee recognise that creating meaningful change isn’t something we can do alone. That's why, we collaborate with our software partners, clients, charities, and organisations that share our vision for a more equitable and inclusive world. This event was a testament to the power of collaboration and shared experiences.
It represented Cognizant's approach to inclusion and female advancement. We're creating spaces where diverse experiences and perspectives can drive innovation and transformation."
Looking ahead, we are expanding our reach, to drive external engagement, with a focus on technology, empowerment, and innovation.
