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Two weeks ago if we had asked you what a
“double bird strike” was, what do you think your answer
would have been? In light of last week’s NFL playoffs,
perhaps you might have thought of two Baltimore Ravens
sacking Ben Roethlisberger. Or maybe it was the long
touchdown pass from Cardinals quarterback, Kurt Warner to
Larry Fitzgerald.
On January 15th at 3:31 pm we all learned what a double bird
strike was and the catastrophic effect it could have on an
airplane. The odds of a plane being hit by a bird are 1 in
10,000 . The odds of being hit by two birds? Safety experts say
less than one in several million.
So
when Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger left for work on
that fateful day, we would venture a guess that a double bird
strike was not something he was concerned about. He was probably
thinking about routine things, the maintenance of his aircraft,
his crew members, the weather, etc. Ninety seconds after leaving
the runway at New York’s LaGuardia airport, at 3200 feet,
Sullenberger can be heard on the black box recorder issuing a
“mayday” and indicating “a double bird strike,” while reporting
that both engines had been lost simultaneously.
In
the span of 30 seconds Captain Sullenberger was facing the
biggest challenge of his life with the lives of 155 passengers
and five crew members in his hands. While no leader ever wishes
to face this type of situation, it is where your years of
training and experience are put to the test. We all know the
outcome of Captain Sullenberger’s test – he has been hailed a
hero and will forever be remembered as the leader in the
“Miracle on the Hudson.”
While there are many things we can learn from Captain Sully, we
have six lessons we want to share with you.
Strive for excellence, not
perfection,
Peter B. Stark
and Jane S.
Flaherty
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| Leadership
Lessons from Captain Sully
1. Being well
trained really helps. In flight
simulators, Sully and first officer, Jeffrey B.
Skiles, had been well trained, practicing repeatedly
landing a plane that loses one or two engines, or
worse, landing a plane in the water. The additional
training Sully gained in the U.S. Air Force and as a
glider pilot was also invaluable in this situation.
National Transportation Safety Board member, Kitty
Higgins said, “These pilots had more than 20 years
experience and they knew what they were supposed to
do and they did it.” As a result, not one life was
lost. The last few years have been financially hard
on the airline industry. Thank goodness, someone at
US Airways still values great training for pilots
and crews.
The lesson for the
rest of us - Now is not the time to be
cutting your training budget. Managers need to be
trained as leaders and associates need to be trained
to be even stronger contributors, both technically
and in the art of serving customers.
2. Stay calm. Robert
Benzon, the NTSB’s chief investigator stated the
cockpit recording revealed, “Very calm, collected
pilots who were matter of fact.” Kitty Higgins went
on to add, “I was more nervous than the pilots
appeared to be, listening to the flight recorder.”
Can you imagine the fear in the crew and the
passengers? It was reported that there was no
communication from the cockpit until the captain
issued the command, “Brace for impact.”
The lesson for the rest
of us - How much crisis and stress can you
handle in a situation…and still stay calm? Sully and
his crew have set a new bar for all of us.
3. In a crisis, make decisions
quickly. Immediately upon the loss of
power, Captain Sully took control of the aircraft
from first officer Skiles and lowered the nose in an
attempt to counteract the loss of airspeed. At this
time, first officer Skiles went through the
procedures to try and re-start the engines. Skiles
also began working through a three-page list of
procedures for an emergency landing. Normally, those
procedures begin at 35,000 feet. This time, he
started at 3,000. Higgins of the NTSB stated, “There
was very little conversation. These were both
experienced pilots and they knew what they had to
do.” Delaying a decision or indecisiveness at this
moment would have proven deadly.
The lesson for the rest
of us – accept control of your area of
influence within your organization. Take
responsibility to make the tough decisions, and make
them quickly.
4. Go with your guts.
Captain Sully thought the plane was “too low, too
slow” and there were too many buildings to turn
around and make an emergency landing back at
LaGuardia. The air traffic controller advised the
cockpit crew to fly the plane to Teterboro, an
executive and commuter airport in New Jersey, about
six miles away. Sullenberger did not think the
powerless aircraft could make it over the densely
populated neighborhood near Teterboro. He was quoted
as saying, “There could be catastrophic consequences
if we didn’t make it.” In a very short period of
time, Sully had to process his options, consider the
directions from air traffic control, and determine
what was best.
The lesson for the rest
of us – you can have tremendous training and
excellent experience and still find yourself facing
an unknown outcome. You are prepared, you are ready,
you are the one in the position to make a difference
– go with your guts.
5. Take total responsibility for
those you lead. Undoubtedly from his
military training, Captain Sullenberger was very
familiar with NMLB. It is the code of conduct that
affirms no man is ever left behind. After all
passengers were off the plane, Captain Sully made
two trips up and down the aisles just to ensure
there was not one passenger or crew member trapped
or left on board. He was the last one off the plane.
The lesson for the rest
of us – be familiar with your team members
and be aware of what’s happening in their lives.
Leave your office. Keep in touch. Ensure that every
employee is engaged and contributing on a daily
basis.
6. Be humble. Although
the unions that represent the flight crews asked the
crew not to speak publicly until the investigation
is finalized, Captain Sully could not refrain from
praising his crew, the team of rescuers for an
unbelievably quick response, and the passengers for
staying calm.
The lesson for the rest
of us – no one leads in isolation. Every
leader has a team of people that support him and
make him look good. Remember to thank those people
and acknowledge their contributions.
Need
help? Peter Barron Stark & Associates has
been building organizations where employees love to
come to work and customers love to do
business for more than twenty years.
Our Services Include:
-
Leadership Engagement
(Leadership Training, 360° Evaluations,
Coaching)
-
Employee Engagement
(Surveys, Training, Coaching)
-
Executive Engagement (
Strategic Planning, Meeting Facilitation)
-
Customer Engagement
(Surveys, Training)
-
Negotiation and
Persuasion Training
Please visit our
website,
www.pbsconsulting.com, contact us via email,
peter@pbsconsulting.com or call us toll free,
877.727.6468.
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