Chris Stricklin

Eight-tenths of a second. That is the margin by which Chris “Elroy” Stricklin’s story did not end on a desert airfield in Idaho on September 14, 2003. A United States Air Force Thunderbird Solo, flying Thunderbird Six at the “Gunfighter Skies” airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base, he commanded the F-16 to the very edge of its envelope, rolled the jet away from the crowd, and ejected one hundred and forty feet above the ground, 0.8 seconds before impact one of the most photographed and documented ejections in aviation history. The aircraft was destroyed. The pilot walked away. He has spent every day since asking the question that frames the rest of his life, what do you owe the second chance you were never promised?

The answer, for Elroy, is what he calls a survivor’s obligation, the responsibility to live with intention, lead with humility, and pour everything he learned in the cockpit back into the people and organizations he serves. It is the through-line connecting a small-town Alabama boyhood to the Pentagon, the White House, NATO command in Kabul, the founding presidency of a corporate university, and a national stage as an award-winning author and keynote speaker.

Selection to the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, placed him among a handful of pilots in the world trusted to fly with show-line precision in front of millions. He flew the demanding Solo position. He felt, before most leaders ever do, what it is to operate where excellence and consequence share the same heartbeat then he lived the moment that would redefine excellence for him forever.

A Second Career Built on a Second Chance, he built a career on what the near-death experience taught him. He chose to put his name on the lesson then keep teaching it. After hanging up his uniform Elroy began to spend time with others, mentoring them on their journeys of leadership, healing and growth. This grew into an acclaimed keynote, Living an Intentional Life, which details his airshow ejection just 140 feet above the ground after a routine maneuver went unrecoverable. That decision, and the years that followed, became the foundation of his work helping leaders close the gap between what they planned for and what actually arrives then how to live a more intentional life.

The Man Behind the Mission is a combat-decorated fighter pilot, Chris holds degrees and certifications in Economics, Strategic Leadership, Financial Planning, Management, Real Estate, Strategic Studies, and Operational Art and Science. He has lived the rare combination he now teaches, the synthesis of speaking, following, leading, managing, negotiating, continuous improvement, and driving and positive change. But ask him to introduce himself and the credentials come last. He will tell you he is a husband to Terri, a father of four, and a son of Alabama who got eight-tenths of a second more than the math said he would, and who has been trying to be worth it ever since.

Live with intention.

Lead with humility.

Pay the second chance forward.