Attaining the Unattainable Is Within Our Reach Captain William “T.” Thompson’s accomplishments are many: US Air Force pilot, Delta Airlines captain, lawyer, award-winning businessman, and professional speaker. But Thompson did not start out in life with any special advantages. In fact, being born and raised in segregated South Carolina meant that the difficulties he faced growing up were many. But realizing his aspiration to become a pilot and becoming the first African American from the state to be accepted into the prestigious United States Air Force Academy was just the beginning of a pattern of successes in a life that extended far beyond its origins. Thompson uses his life’s challenges and his personal story to prove that we can all accomplish much more than we previously considered possible—and that we should strive for things that we have even considered unattainable. It doesn’t take special gifts or talents either, the author insists. He credits his P4 System (Principles, People, Flight Plan, and Performance) as the foundation that enabled him to literally pilot his way to success and ultimately become a multimillionaire in the process. With an attractive and distinctive aviation motif, The Flight to Excellence inspires and instructs executives, entrepreneurs, and anyone with a strong desire to reach extraordinary heights on how we can each build a “Culture of Excellence” in our own professional and personal lives by applying his methodical process and concepts and our own discipline and hard work. The proof is in the captain’s own successes.

A hardcover bestseller now in paperback presents a management program that encourages employee leadership--which today's companies must have more of if they are to survive the coming decades.

There is much more to flying than just manual skills -- and therein lies the fun. In a book filled with anecdotal information and sound advice, Collins encourages pilots at all levels to strive for excellence in every phase of flight, to ensure a safer and more enjoyable experience.

Flight Paths to Success profiles the personal journeys of 33 women who have been, and continue to be, successful in aviation, space, and academia. Each woman was asked to select one question of several questions in five categories: personal career insight, work-life balance, mentorship/sponsorship, avoiding a career stall, and powering through challenging situations. Each woman shared her unique experiences about work-life integration, resilience, career changes, relocation, continuing education, and career advancement. While reading their stories, we saw that there were many flight paths to success and each woman navigated her own way by charting her own course and committing to it. Their stories were published as they wrote them-in their own words.

Inspiration, motivation and lessons learned... Flight to Success is the author's journey through eight airlines, seven type ratings, two master's degrees, and motherhood. Intertwined with her stories are those of others who share their successes, failures, losses, fears, hopes and dreams. They have all learned from their experiences. What drives people to phenomenal success? The secret correlates with many aspects of flight. If you apply these tips to your everyday life there will be nothing you cannot accomplish. Life is about choice. The choice now, is to open your mind and heart and begin to dream. This inspirational, motivational memoir will take you on a journey through the author's life, to assist you with yours. How did she do it? Why didn't she quit? Where did she find the time, courage, stamina, and strength to persevere during the most challenging times? The answers to these questions and many more will be answered.