Skydiving at the 50-yard line is an unusual way to get to a football game.

As a West Point senior on the sports parachute team, I joined several classmates who jumped from a helicopter and landed inside Michie Stadium with the game ball.

At the academy, I got hooked on jumping out of airplanes—Huey and Blackhawk helicopters, Twin Otters, Cessnas, and even the ramp of a giant Air Force C-5 transport plane. I did more than 450 jumps over four years. After all, those experiences helped prepare me for a career where I have repeatedly parachuted into a new role, great challenge or unfamiliar environment.

After leading an Army platoon in Afghanistan, I taught at the Naval Academy (deep behind “enemy lines”), worked on a presidential campaign, and served in the Pentagon. I moved into the tech industry in my early 30s, first at a startup, then at Meta, then as a corporate advisor. I started my current role as chief of staff at technology pioneer Coherent (NYSE: COHR ) this year.

These transitions can seem jarring. In fact, they are anything but. Throughout my career, I have intentionally sought opportunities to build different skills, knowledge and relationships to prepare yourself for greater responsibility and influence.

But that has required mastering the art of skydiving — landing in new roles and unfamiliar territories. Here's how I've learned to make the most of those shifts and what others might take away from the experience.

Related: What my near-death experience revealed about resilience

Fear is inevitable. Get used to it

There is nothing natural about jumping out of an open airplane door and plummeting through space at 120 mph. In paratrooper training, even some of the toughest guys froze in sheer terror… only to get a boot in the back from the instructor. My fear of heights made skydiving a particularly unlikely passion – but this is consistent with my view that the best way to conquer a fear is to look it in the face.

Changing roles, whether it's at the same company or moving to an entirely new industry, can be just as daunting. After all, career is our life. They are our financial backbone. They are often closely related to our sense of self. It can be terrifying to stand on that ledge and jump into the abyss.

But it's worth facing that fear—and getting comfortable with it. So what are some concrete guidelines for leaders and entrepreneurs about fear?

• First, a shift in perspective is critical—from seeing change as a deviation to a constant. Like Elon Musk endnoteS“Some people don't like change, but you have to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.” Most people will now switch roles more than a dozen times in their lives, so all of us should feel comfortable diving into something new.
• Another key step is to remind yourself of times when you've been scared and overcome challenges in the past. This type neural reconnection can be an effective antidote to fear.

You get a 15,000-foot view: Take advantage

Most afternoons, I would do some practice dances with the team after class. As any ex-cadet can attest, it's an extremely busy time and just getting through the day often seemed like a huge challenge.

But putting on my parachute gear, dangling my feet over the helicopter skids and getting away from ground work always changed things. I was able to leave my worries below as we climbed higher above the Hudson River Valley. Then, the free fall to the ground: it lasts only a minute, but time seems to both condense and expand.

Something similar happens every time I prepare to dive into a new role. I see my work life and its opportunities with fresh eyes.

Practical questions you can ask to reach that “15,000-foot” moment of clarity during transition include:

• What will success look like? The experts I recommend “starting with your why” and creating an image of what you want to achieve.
• How can I bring my existing experiences and skills to bear in an unfamiliar situation?
• What do I hope to take away from this next challenge?

Related: What is resilience and why is it vital to your success?

Preparation is essential

No matter how short a jump is, that minute or so in the air requires intense preparation. During basic parachute training, otherwise known as “Air School,” at Fort Moore, Georgia, we had two weeks of ground training for the week of five jumps that would make us paratroopers.

Sport skydiving takes that obsession to another level. We spent several months packing and unpacking parachutes, rehearsing safety protocols and practicing landings from a platform before our first tandem jump. A year of training in my competition culminated in four jumps and 40 seconds of footage recorded at the collegiate championships. By the time I started an acrobatic sequence, I had visualized myself doing it hundreds of times, with AC/DC's “Thunderstruck” as the soundtrack.

That same level of preparation can help when transitioning to a new role at a company. In practical terms, business leaders and entrepreneurs can take the following steps to prepare for a transition:

• Explore the possibilities for lateral movement in your body. The experts on Google emphasize the power of internal movement to gain access to new managers, a new network and new ideas. This can help you test the waters.
• Identify gaps in your skill set and look for resources to improve your skills. As the saying goes, the best time to prepare for a new role is when you already have one.
• When deciding on a role to pursue, get to know a colleague in a similar position, either by talking to them or shadowing them on the job. from Richard Branson to Robert Herjavecleading entrepreneurs attest to the power of mentoring to accelerate your professional learning curve.

Stick the landing

Ironically, the main challenge of an Army paratrooper is not jumping; is sitting down. The standard version Army parachute is shaped to drop straight down, minimizing the risk of crashes but leaving little room for finesse. A standing landing is not possible, so you do a five-point landing, leaving you bent like a shrimp. This improper maneuver is where skydivers often get injured, with ankle injuries causing some 60% of disasters.

For anyone changing roles, the first few days, weeks and months on the job require staying down as well. This is where you'll make it or break it.

My advice: Have a boundless appetite for learning and cultivate a beginner's mind that combines openness, curiosity and humility. Of course, your past experience is valuable, but it shouldn't blind you to new ways of doing things. You also have to be willing to put in the extra hours at the beginning, when it really matters. Be open to new responsibilities, no matter how daunting they may seem. And don't be afraid to delve into a new subject area and all its intricacies – as I did with materials science, data transmitters and lasers in my first year at Coherent.

The transition won't always be smooth, so expect the inevitable awkwardness. As clumsy as it may seem, this five point reduction will hopefully get you through. Get up and keep marching.