The president and CEO of Applied Science Fiction credits his leadership skills to the time he spent in Vietnam as an Air Force pilot. Any executive who wants a refresher course in management could follow Dan Sullivan's example and learn to pilot an airplane.
Stress is self-induced.
Now, even if I completely screw up, nobody dies. Having served as an Air Force pilot in Vietnam, he also leverages his military-style organizational skills, which proved especially helpful while trying to attract venture capital. Assign action items, and then get out of there. He believes that during the funding process, it's important for executives of early-stage companies to demonstrate the business savvy to protect their intellectual property. Get the patents, trademarks and copyrights.