Inspired by HBO’s The Rehearsal and real-life aviation disasters
What do plane crashes and boardroom failures have in common?
More than you might think.
HBO’s The Rehearsal is a quirky, brilliant show. But one moment stuck with me: Nathan Fielder interviews an NTSB expert and explores how communication failures—driven by hierarchy, deference, and silence—can lead to catastrophe.
It hit a nerve.
In aviation, the failure to speak up or clarify a misunderstood instruction can cost lives.
In business, it often costs livelihoods—or the business itself.
🚨 The Pattern is Familiar:
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A junior co-pilot notices something's wrong but doesn’t challenge the captain.
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A frontline employee sees a customer issue brewing but doesn’t flag it.
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A manager senses the strategy is flawed but stays quiet in the exec meeting.
Different industries.
Same dynamics.
Same human wiring.
✈️ So what can leaders learn from flight decks?
This series will explore the invisible forces behind communication breakdowns—and what high-reliability fields like aviation can teach us about preventing them in business.
From hierarchy to role confusion, from cultural silence to crisis misfires, we’ll unpack the true cost of unclear communication—and how to fix it.
If your organization has ever suffered from:
...stay tuned.
