Welcome back to Tools of Fighter Pilots — where lessons from the cockpit meet leadership, sport, and life.
In this episode, I sit down with Tamara Miles, researcher, leadership professor, and co-author of Meaningful Work, to explore how we can build purpose-driven teams and careers. Together, we dive into the Three Cs that make work truly meaningful:
✨ Community → Feeling that you belong and that your voice matters
✨ Contribution → Knowing that what you do makes an impact
✨ Challenge → Being pushed to grow, learn, and develop
We connect these to the Five Non-Negotiables of Fighter Pilots, being on time, being prepared, structure and checklists, assertive communication, and controlling the controllable, and show how these principles apply to high performance in the air and in the boardroom.
If you’ve ever wondered how to turn work into something more than just a paycheck, this conversation will give you a practical framework backed by research, lived experience, and tactical lessons.
Key takeaways from this episode:
✈️ Why meaningful work is less about what you do and more about how you experience it
✈️ How leaders can create trust, connection, and impact inside their teams
✈️ Why community, contribution, and challenge are the building blocks of engagement and performance
✈️ How fighter pilot principles translate into business, leadership, and sport
🎧 Tune in now to learn how to design a culture where people don’t just work, they thrive.
📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ToolsofFighterPilots
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/toolsoffighterpilots
📰 Subscribe on Substack: https://toolsoffighterpilots.substack.com/podcast
👇 Connect with Tamara Miles:
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaramyles/
👇 Connect with TC:
🌐 Website: https://tommasocartacci.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommasocartacci/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tri_coach_tc/
📅 Book a call: https://calendly.com/tommaso-cartacci/30min