Fred Caldwell, CEO of Caldwell Companies, published his first book—"Flying Your Business"—earlier this year. Fred Caldwell, CEO of Caldwell Companies, published his first book—"Flying Your Business"—earlier this year.[/caption] When Fred Caldwell decided to write a book about leadership and what he has learned in his 25 years as a CEO and entrepreneur, he motives came from a greater place than his own personal gain. “My purpose in writing this book wasn’t at all for myself,” he said. “My hope is that people in all walks will use this book to become better leaders, and will try to help others discover their greater purpose for why they are here.” The book, “Flying Your Business: Leadership Lessons From the Cockpit,” is Caldwell's first. It was released in May with endorsements from former Shell CEO Jack Little and Rob McKee, retired executive vice president of Conoco Phillips. In it, Caldwell draws parallels between his experiences as a leader—as the CEO and founder of real estate and development firm Caldwell Companies—and as a private pilot. “It came to me 20 years ago, when I first began to fly, that the skillset in piloting is highly coordinated with leadership,” Caldwell said. “There are common themes in the decision-making when you’re flying a plane and when you’re leading people. You apply different strategies to achieve different missions.” As CEO of Caldwell Companies, Caldwell has led major development in the Cy-Fair area, including the master-planned community Towne Lake. The book addresses a variety of challenges from his real-world experience with issues such as communication, risk-taking, seeking counsel and connecting with the people you aspire to lead. The latter, Caldwell said, is one of the most important elements of being a leader, and an area where one must routinely self-evaluate. “I think it’s an area where we all can grow,” Caldwell said. “The ability and willingness to really understand the people we are called to lead—their passions, their gifts, their experiences—is a lot more than a simple skill set.” The importance of family and faith are running themes throughout the book, Caldwell said. Both served as critical motivators as a leader and in his own self-improvement, he said. “My family certainly was a foundational element in teaching me about what it means to relate to people,” he said. “That, through the years, helped hone my perspective on how to lead people and what it means to really follow after God in this life.” The feedback for the book has been positive so far, Caldwell said. The book’s publisher, Elevate Publishing, is in the process of arranging a book signing tentatively set for the end of July. More details will be posted online when announced. “What I hope people get out of the book is a perspective they hadn’t considered before,” Caldwell said. “My hope is for people to gain some additional perspective on leadership that incorporates elements like faith into day-to-day decision-making.”