Cobec On Air

Cobec, Inc.

5.0 (3)
Entrepreneurship

Leadership is a journey, and there is always more to learn. On Cobec On Air, Hisham Jalil, CEO and co-founder of Cobec, sits down with fascinating leaders and people to explore what it takes to lead and the experiences that shape us. Candid conversations about challenges, mistakes, growth, success, and lessons we can all use to become better leaders.

6d ago

Leading When Safety Is on the Line | Former FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker

What does it take to lead the FAA when aviation safety, public trust, and high-stakes decisions are all on the line? In this episode, Hisham Jalil sits down with Michael Whitaker — former FAA Administrator and aviation leader — to talk about leadership, aviation safety, the FAA, and the future of aviation. They discuss building trust inside the FAA, handling the Alaska Airlines crisis under pressure, hiring strong teams and creating a leadership legacy, and the future of drones, air taxis, automation, and aviation technology. Michael also shares his career journey through the airline industry and FAA, why a clear mission matters in leadership, how leaders should approach difficult safety decisions, and why hiring people smarter than yourself can make an organization stronger. This is a conversation about leadership, aviation safety, FAA, mission, technology, airlines, and drones — with practical insights on decision-making, relationships, public service, team building, and leading organizations through complex challenges. IN THIS EPISODE 00:00 | Trailer and Introduction to Michael Whitaker 02:54 | His Career Journey and Return to the FAA 08:06 | Building Trust and Putting Aviation Safety First 15:08 | Handling the Alaska Airlines Crisis Under Pressure 22:28 | Hiring Strong Teams and Leaving a Leadership Legacy 29:25 | Public Service, Purpose and the Whitaker Report 37:26 | The Future of Drones, Air Taxis and Automation 49:31 | Leadership Lessons and Building Strong Relationships 01:00:48 | Turning Your Mission and Values Into Action ABOUT MICHAEL WHITAKER Michael Whitaker is the former Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and previously served as FAA Deputy Administrator. His aviation career has included leadership roles at TWA, United Airlines, InterGlobe/IndiGo, and Hyundai Motor Group’s advanced air mobility business. His experience spans aviation safety, airline operations, regulation, technology, air traffic modernization, and leadership. ABOUT HISHAM JALIL / COBEC ON AIR Cobec On Air is hosted by Hisham Jalil, CEO and Co-founder of Cobec. The podcast explores leadership through conversations with people from government, industry, labor, and business, focusing on the experiences, challenges, mistakes, growth, and lessons that shape effective leaders. CONNECT WITH COBEC ON AIR Website → https://www.cobec.com YouTube → https://youtube.com/@Cobec2007 LinkedIn → https://www.instagram.com/cobec2007 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/cobec2007 CONNECT WITH MICHAEL WHITAKER Website - https://whitakerairspace.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-whitaker-aviation/ Substack - https://whitakerairspace19.substack.com If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, like, and share it with someone interested in leadership, aviation, the FAA, aviation safety, or the future of air transportation. #Leadership #Aviation #FAASafety #MichaelWhitaker #CobecOnAir#FAA #Aviation #AviationSafety #FAASafety #MichaelWhitaker #AlaskaAirlines #Boeing737MAX #737MAX #AirlineSafety #AviationLeadership #Leadership #LeadershipLessons #CrisisLeadership #LeadershipUnderPressure #AviationCrisis #AirlineIndustry #AviationIndustry #SafetyCulture #PublicSafety #FlightSafety #AircraftSafety #AviationNews #AirTrafficControl #AirTravel #AviationTechnology #FutureOfAviation #AviationInnovation #FAAAdministrator
Sep 15

From Employee to Owner: The Part Nobody Prepares you for

What really changes when you go from an employee to the owner? In this episode, Hisham sits down with Bob, Managing Partner at Evans Incorporated, for a candid conversation about small business ownership, leadership, succession, employee trust, and the difficult decisions that come with being responsible for an entire organization. Bob shares his journey from joining Evans early in his career to eventually becoming a 50/50 owner of the company. He explains what made that leadership transition work, how he and his business partner divide responsibility, and why having an equal at the top can make difficult decisions easier to navigate. But ownership also brings a different kind of pressure.The conversation gets into what it feels like when employees depend on you for their paycheck, how leaders communicate during contract cuts and layoffs, and why transparency becomes even more important when you don't have all the answers. Bob talks about how Evans navigated a period that saw significant reductions in both revenue and headcount while trying to preserve trust, stability, and empathy across the organization. They also discuss the lessons that come from pursuing growth in the wrong direction. Bob explains why Evans eventually stepped away from a commercial expansion strategy that wasn't working, despite years of investment—and why knowing when to refocus can be just as important as knowing when to grow. Later in the episode, the conversation moves into company culture, pay transparency, performance management, AI, strategic planning, and leadership development. Bob explains how Evans benchmarks compensation, uses ongoing performance conversations instead of relying only on annual reviews, and plans around a rolling three-year strategy rather than an overly rigid long-term roadmap Timestamps 00:00 - 00:50 | Trailer: Shared Leadership and Difficult Decisions 00:50 - 01:47 | Guest Introduction, Sponsor Message, and Show Introduction 01:47 - 02:28 | Host Welcomes Bob and Opens the Conversation 02:28 - 06:20 | Bob’s Background and Early Career at Evans 06:20 - 10:41 | Career Growth, Company Culture, and Core Values 10:41 - 16:26 | Taking Ownership and Preserving the Founder’s Legacy 16:26 - 18:52 | Sharing Responsibility Through an Equal Leadership Partnership 18:52 - 25:56 | Balancing Business Leadership, Family, and Personal Wellbeing 25:56 - 31:02 | Commercial Expansion and Knowing When to Refocus 31:02 - 39:32 | Leading Through Contract Cuts, Layoffs, and Uncertainty 39:32 - 45:25 | Maintaining Empathy and Optimism During Difficult Times 45:25 - 50:38 | Small Business Perceptions, Employee Experience, and Growth Challenges 50:38 - 54:48 | Evans’ Future: New Markets, Leadership Transitions, and AI 54:48 - 56:47 | Pay Transparency and Fair Employee Compensation 56:47 - 59:24 | Making Performance Management an Ongoing Conversation 59:24 - 01:02:23 | Defining Success Through Family, Community, and Meaningful Work 01:02:23 - 01:03:04 | Planning Ahead With a Rolling Three-Year Strategy 01:03:04 - 01:08:22 | Communicating Change Clearly and Preparing Managers to Lead 01:08:22 - 01:17:12 | Building Scalable Systems, Developing Leaders, and Closing Reflections If you're a small business owner, founder, executive, government contractor, manager, or emerging leader, this episode offers a grounded look at what ownership really demands—from growth and succession to layoffs, culture, compensation, and building an organization people actually want to stay with. #Leadership #SmallBusiness #BusinessOwner #Entrepreneurship #Management #CompanyCulture #BusinessPodcast #LeadershipPodcast #GovernmentContracting #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessGrowth #EmployeeExperience
Jun 17

Kim Coplen- Leading Toward Happiness

Kim Coplen's career in the FAA began by chance, and became a robust career of successful, respected leadership. She started out in Oklahoma City at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center working in various positions, then came to DC and has been a key mentor to many at the FAA. Kim and Hisham discuss their philosophies as leaders who put their people first, and how to prioritize finding the right path for yourself, and your employees.
Jun 11

Trevor Bron- The Leadership Lie

Today on the Podcast Hisham sits down with Trevor Bron. Trevor is a leadership coach and author of The Leadership Lie: & The Six Secrets of Great Leaders. They discuss how Trevor got into his career as a coach, whether leaders are born or made, and of course some of the foundational leadership lies Trevor covers in his book. Buy The Leadership Lie: & The Six Secrets of Great Leaders: here.
May 27

Angela McCullough- Succeeding in Public Service

Angela McCullough's experience spans the United States government. She got her start in the Air Force and retired as a Senior Executive at the Federal Aviation Administration. As Angela rose through the ranks, she compiled her lessons learned and sought out more from her colleagues. She and Hisham discuss all this, and how she synthesized her stories, and those of others, in her most recent book: Beyond Gender and Ethnic Stereotypes: How Women of Color Redefine Public Sector Leadership. Buy Angela's book: https://shorturl.at/Rdqsx
Apr 2

Talethia Thomas- Bloom Where You Are Planted

In this episode Hisham sits down with Talethia Thomas, former FAA Vice President and Current CEO of E2T2 Resources. They talk about Talethia’s trajectory from Intern to Executive and how careful observation, allyship, and courage makes for great leadership. Shoutout to Talethia for this great interview and reminding us all to bloom where we are planted.
Feb 18

Nick Fuller- Excellence in Operations

Today on the podcast Hisham sits down with Nick Fuller. Nick serves as Acting Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Organization. Nick has been in Air Traffic and safety for his entire career- beginning as an air traffic controller in the United States Navy and working all the way up to the Senior Executive Service. Nick's journey is marked by determination, setting and achieving big goals, and a commitment to excellence. He and Hisham break down how Nick works with the FAA’s extensive workforce and how he leads at that scale; they discuss the routines and habits help Nick deliver for his teams, and many more important leadership lessons he learned along the way.
Feb 9

Brigadier General Shawn Campbell- Service With Purpose

Today on the podcast, Hisham sits down with retired Brigadier General Shawn Campbell of the United States Air Force. Over the course of his career, General Campbell rose from enlisted airman to senior officer and most recently played a key role in standing up the U.S. Space Force as one of its early human capital leaders. Today, General Campbell brings his deep experience in leadership, organizational culture, and talent development to the private sector. He currently serves as a Director at Victory Strategies and an Executive Partner at Gartner, where he works with C-suite leaders and organizations to build high-performing, resilient teams. He is also the bestselling author of The Mission of Leadership: The Character, Courage, and Conviction Leaders Need for Mission Success. Thank you for joining us, Shawn. Order the book here: https://shorturl.at/faEBC
Jan 29

Michael Huerta- Lifetime Leader

On this episode, Hisham sat down with one of our most esteemed guests yet. Michael Huerta, former FAA Administrator, stopped by the studio to discuss his incredible career. His tenure at the FAA was the safest period in U.S. aviation history. Michael is the 2026 recipient of the Glen A. Gilbert Memorial Award, the highest honor given by the Air Traffic Control Association. In celebration of his award, Hisham and Michael chatted about what it means to be a leader at the highest levels, how showing up matters, and lessons learned along the way.
Jan 12

Chris Wilbanks- Mission Driven Discipline

In this episode, Hisham sits down with Chris Wilbanks, Vice President of Mission Support Services for the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization, for a thoughtful conversation on discipline, humility, and the personal standards that support mission success. Chris reflects on the role of self-awareness, physical readiness, and strong relationships in sustaining effective leadership. This episode offers a grounded look at how personal discipline and habits strengthen mission support, build trust, and help leaders show for their teams and in service of something bigger than themselves.
12/22/2025

Dave Spero- Serving the Workforce

In this episode, Hisham is joined by Dave Spero, President of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union, for a candid conversation about labor leadership, trust, and advocacy. Dave shares his journey, what it means to represent the aviation safety workforce, and how strong, principled labor leadership protects both workers and the public they serve. This episode offers a clear, grounded look at leadership from the labor perspective, and why putting people first is always a good decision.
12/08/2025

Tash Durkins: Fiercely Joyful

Cobec’s first-ever podcast is taking off! Listen in to Cobec On Air, the podcast where our CEO and Co-founder Hisham Jalil interviews people focused leaders from government, industry, labor and more. Hisham helped build a people-first company that employees love, and now he is sitting down with leaders who share that same people-centered philosophy. In Episode 1, former FAA Deputy Assistant Administrator, Executive Leadership Strategist and friend of Cobec, Tash Durkins dives into her book, her personal journey, and the leadership principles that have shaped her success. Purchase Tash's book, Fiercely Joyful, here: https://amzn.to/3KmOqPV

12 Episodes

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

Leadership is a journey, and there is always more to learn. On Cobec On Air, Hisham Jalil, CEO and co-founder of Cobec, sits down with fascinating leaders and people to explore what it takes to lead and the experiences that shape us. Candid conversations about challenges, mistakes, growth, success, and lessons we can all use to become better leaders.

Creator

Cobec, Inc.
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

12
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Cobec, Inc.