Welcome to the era of the 'Top Gun' CEO

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

«One of your company members went out to do reconnaissance and was shot down. Now you're going to rescue your teammate and bring them home.» Boucousis, a former fighter pilot, is CEO of an organization called Afterburner, which promises to teach «the same precision and accuracy as elite military aviators» to corporate clients. His firm has worked with Nike, Pepsi, Bank of America and many other brands. These businesses aren't struggling to save teammates shot down by enemy squadrons. Their problems? Market competition, shareholder pressures, employee turnover. Some corporate executives find it thrilling, though, to spend a few hours feeling less like C-suite dwellers and more like Tom Cruise. Even for a significant cost: Afterburner's «Top Gun Experience» training starts at $10,000 for a small team and can climb to $100,000 for a larger one. «If you lose sight of the airplane you're fighting against, you lose the fight,» Boucousis said. «We use that as a metaphor — if you lose sight of your business objectives, you're not going to achieve them.»

US regulators to unveil plan for banks to build cash reserves

There are a lot of metaphors at work in this growing field: The office as battlefield. Landing the plane in a tough quarter. Rallying the troops for a product launch. Work is war — or it can feel that way to certain CEOs. To meet the moment, it's the era of «Top Gun»-style leadership training. Many business leaders responded to the past few years of uncertainty — workforce churn, return-to-office struggles, economic flux — by bringing softer, more emotional conversations into boardrooms. Some encouraged open discussions of employee mental health in the office. One CEO, drawing backlash, even