Leadership Traits of Dieter F.
Uchtdorf Bachelor of Science in
Aviation
AVIA 245 – B01
Matthew F.
Holley June 25,
2020
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LEADERSHIP TRAITS
ABSTRACT
There is a large amount of leadership traits that can be within any leader all at one point
or spread out over the lifetime of such a leader. The purpose of this paper is to look at a leader
from the past or present, in this case I have chosen Dieter F. Uchtdorf, and describe and analyze
two to three traits of that leader, a moral or ethical dilemma, and how these leadership traits lead
to them being able to execute authority, responsibility, and accountability. Using tools such as
journal articles, published books, and workbooks from our class I will be able to analyze and
discuss such leadership traits within my chosen leader. Throughout my research I have realized
that most prominent leaders such as the one chosen has a multitude of leadership traits and that
throughout life especially in a world such as today it is hard to not be met with a moral or ethical
dilemma as a leader.
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LEADERSHIP TRAITS
Dieter F. Uchtdorf is not only a leader within aviation but a leader within his church
which is why he stuck out to me, reason being is that he shows you can live a life within the
gospel while also having a career within aviation which is applicable to me and many others in
this class. Dieter Uchtdorf born in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, on November 6, 1940. He did not
live an easy life in his years as a youth since he lived during the time world war II was going on.
His father was enlisted into the German army, which left his mother to take of her family during
war. Dieter Uchtdorf’s mother moved them to Zwickau, Germany during this time. After some-
time the war ended and his father and mother packed them up and moved them to Frankfurt,
Germany. It was in Zwickau, Germany where Dieter Uchtdorf and his family were introduced to
the religion called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Dieter Uchtdorf has had a
love of airplanes since he was young. He served six years in the German Air Force where he
then was involved in a reciprocal agreement with the U.S government and entered fighter pilot
training school in Big Spring, Texas. His love of aviation did not end there. He went on to work
at Lufthansa, where at age 29 he made captain. In 1972 his was made manager of the 737 fleet,
1975 he became the director of the Arizona training school, 1980 chief pilot and head of cockpit
crews, and then senior vice president of flight operations in 1982. At the age of fifty-five Dieter
Uchtdorf retired from Lufthansa, as a 747 captain and check airman, to be able to serve his
church and teach the Gospel. As we can see Dieter Uchtdorf lived a life full of leadership
positions and I will analyze just a few of the traits he exhibited. I will analyze his self-
motivation, integrity, and responsibility. Throughout Dieter Uchtdorf’s life he has had many
opportunities to exercise authority, responsibility, and accountability which I will analyze as
well.
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LEADERSHIP TRAITS
From a young age Dieter F. Uchtdorf has the desire to be a pilot one day. When he was
eighteen years old, he made that happen. Uchtdorf joined the German Air Force and served there
for six years, but that was not enough for him. His self-motivation moved him to further himself
is this field of career he chose. He continued his training in the military on a joint venture with
the U.S. government, he went on to work Lufthansa and moved up in the ranks there. It was
never enough to just fly. He loved to share his passion with others and be a great leader for them.
Being the director of the Arizona training center and chief pilot of flight operations, he has had
many opportunities to share his love of aviation to other people within his career. He was always
willing to share about his aircraft with passengers when they came up to the cockpit while
working the 747. In Dieter Uchtdorf’s book “THE GOSPEL AT 30,000 FEET” he says “During
my professional life as an airline pilot, I sometimes had passengers visit the cockpit of my
Boeing 747. They asked about the many switches, instruments, systems, and procedures and how
all this technical equipment would help such a huge and beautiful airplane fly” (Uchtdorf, 2017).
He goes on to explain it simply to the passengers and enjoyed doing so. His motivation to share
his passion of flying permeated from him whether it was with other pilots or passengers who had
no desire to fly. To come so far as a leader you have other traits that help you on your way there
and one Dieter Uchtdorf has is integrity.
Dieter Uchtdorf talks about self-control and he says “It isn’t until you come to a spiritual
understanding of who you are that you can begin to take control of yourself. As you learn to
control yourself you will get control of your life. If you want to move the world, you first have to
move yourself. To be honest and have strong moral principles you need to have self-control or
control of your life, put another way. To help keep his integrity he often surrounded himself with
moral and upright people. With integrity comes trust. The leaders above him trusted in him
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LEADERSHIP TRAITS
enough to be in many different capacities within in his company. Holding all these different
positions in his life he has been responsible for millions of people.
Responsibility can be a broad word when it comes in context with leadership. For Dieter
Uchtdorf there was few moments in his life he did not have a certain amount of responsibility
placed on him. Daniel York talks about responsibility and says this “When we get hired to a new
position it is our responsibility to learn all we can about the new job” (York, 2017). Uchtdorf
made captain in 1970 at the age of 29, when that happened he had to do exactly as York said,
learn all he can about the new job. The same thing when he became chief pilot of the 737 fleet,
the director of the Arizona training school, senior vice president of flight operations, and a leader
in his church. All new positions to him with all new responsibilities he had to learn. Now another
aspect of responsibility is the people he that are place in his care as pilot, leader, and church
leader. Often we are told in recurrent training and other times throughout the year that we are
responsible for the people in the back of our plane. We need to know and understand the plane
we fly and know the emergency procedures and be prepared for anything. When we should little
desire to learn and keep current our knowledge of emergency procedures it shows how little we
respect ourselves, family, and the passengers we fly. Uchtdorf learned his new responsibilities
well because he knew as a pilot he was responsible for the passengers, as a check airman he was
responsible for the pilot he is training, as a church leader with membership in the millions, he has
responsibility to them as well.
No leader is exempt from hardships that come from moral or ethical dilemmas. Uchtdorf
lived in a country where both moral and ethical upheaval were prominent. Germany was the
home to Uchtdorf as a youth and lived during world war II and the aftermath. The country of
Germany was split, Jews terrorized, families lost members, homes, and possessions. Dieter
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LEADERSHIP TRAITS
Uchtdorf experienced this all. What held him together and what he attributes to helping him
those difficult times and what helped make him the person he is today is his faith, faith in Jesus
Christ and the church that he joined. York states “If we will train for the unexpected and push
ourselves out of our comfort zone, we will be able to face turmoil and tragedy” (York, 2017).
Dieter Uchtdorf followed that and prepared himself for any future despair he may face by
following the teachings of Christ.
I have covered some of how Dieter Uchtdorf exercised responsibility, but what about
authority and accountability. “We need to have people in our lives who hold us accountable and
discipline us so that we not allow laziness, bad habits, or any immoral, unethical, or illegal
behavior- this protects us as leaders” (York, 2017). Dieter Uchtdorf showed authority
throughout his career and now as a leader within his church. He breads trust with all who works
with and become an accomplished leader in both aviation and his church. From my research of
Dieter Uchtdorf he holds himself most accountable to Jesus Christ, especially for all that he has
done for him and where he is because of his faith in Christ.
Dieter Uchtdorf lived a life he loved with both a career in aviation and in a church that
helped him become who he is today. Leaders have a myriad of traits and I covered only a few
that Uchtdorf had. Leaders will face turmoil at some point in their life and it is up to the strong
ones to be prepared to face whatever may come their way. Strong leaders exercise authority,
responsibility, and accountability in their own ways as we see from Uchtdorf’s life. “A strong
leader is someone who faithfully unites heart and mind in honorable, selfless action for the
betterment of others so as to effectively accomplish the mission” (York, 2017). Dieter Uchtdorf
took a step further in this direction when he left his career he cherished so much to share more
faithfully in his church.
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REFERENCES
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (n.d.) Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
https:// www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/meet-todays-prophets-and-
apostles/bio/dieter-f-uchtdorf?lang=eng
Uchtdorf, D. F. (2017). THE GOSPEL AT 30,000 FEET. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.
York, D. (2017). THE STRONG LEADER’S HAND. Ishpeming: BookVenture Publishing LLC.
