Jeff “Odie” Espenship isn’t shy about acknowledging his
failings.
As a commercial pilot, airshow pilot and former fighter
pilot, not to mention motivational speaker and author, you might not think
Espenship is prone to failings. But there it is, in the first chapter of his
book: Espenship tells of how he once skipped one of the steps in the pre-flight
safety inspection as he and his brother John tried to beat a storm in his
vintage WWII plane.
While nothing happened as a direct result, he believes his
action might have influenced his brother to do the same thing six months later.
John and friend and fellow pilot Craig Morrison were killed when the plane
crashed.
crashed.
“As the owner of an air show business, I ask ‘Was there
something I did that explained his behavior? A shortcut that cost him his
life?” asks Espenship.
But from failings come inspiration, and when Espenship took
a long, hard look in the mirror, he decided to acknowledge his failings and
rebound from them. More than that, he decided to try to help others avoid such
pitfalls.
Target Leadership is the title of his book and his
website. He believes target leaders emotionally inspire others.
“It’s not preachy,” he says of the book. “It’s just
examples, techniques for fixing things.”
Those things can range from stories about flying – his
lifelong passion – to berating his daughter for driving while talking on her
cellphone. Something he had to admit he himself did.
While the book may have just been published in June of this
year, Espenship has been working on it for three years. “I thought it might
take a year,” he says with a laugh.
Like so many others, Espenship says he had friends tell him
he should write a book. But unlike 98 percent of those who are told that, he
buckled down and actually did it.
He says that has helped him build his corporate speaking
career.
“If someone calls (for a potential speaking engagement), the
fact that I’ve written a book and gotten reviews is a plus,” he says.
He also features the book on his site, both for sales and to showcase his expertise.
In addition to his increased credibility, Espenship says the
speaking engagements also build sales. “I’ve had corporations call me and want
to buy them when I speak.” he says. “That’s where a lot of sales come from.”
And as the book has been available such a short time,
Espenship believes his success will only increase.
“It’s educational, and it’s entertainment,” he says, referring
to his motivational presentations. But he could also be referring to his book.
