Those who know me well know that I love to plan, to aspire, and to hopefully accomplish. I remember planning at age 10 for my profession, at age 20 for my parenthood, and at age 30 for my "retirement" years. I've always had the philosophy to "plan your age": that is, if you're 25 years old, plan...

"You are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with. – Jim Rohn"

When I think about the past, present and future of the aerospace industry, I keep coming back to innovation as the common thread. And while we all know about the great innovations of the past, the crucial question to answer for tomorrow is: How do we inspire continued innovation into the future?

One American military leader, already having lost most of his many battles, persisted in driving his troops to attack in situations that everyone else regarded as lost causes. A leader destined to go down in history as a failure? Hardly. It was George Washington.

"A superior leader is a person who can bring ordinary people together to achieve extraordinary results." Many years ago, an entrepreneur told me that. He was right.