This week’s issue of Newsweek features an essay written by Chelsey B. “Sully” Sullenberger, the US Airways pilot who executed that miraculous landing of Flight 1549 in the Hudson River last month.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/184605
All I Wanted Was to Talk to My Family, and Get Some Dry Socks
I am among the millions of people who have watched this graceful man accept adulation, admiration and appreciation from every corner of the world. And as I watched him and his crew (who must not be forgotten in the immediate focus on Captain Sullenberger), gamely making the rounds of various media outlets, I wondered how they withstood it. So much attention, so much need to be “on” for the public, so many recitations of their moment of horror. These people had been just about as close to death as anyone who gets to survive and tell the tale. And they had responsibility for 150 other people. I can’t imagine how many times Capt. Sullenberger must have wanted to turn his back and run into the embrace of his family, ministering to their own personal trauma from what could have been.
For me, the Newsweek essay reveals the authentic essence of the Captain in a way that the multiple television interviews did not. His view of leadership, stated so simply and woven throughout the essay, provides an example for each of us. This portion, in particular, stood out to me:
“[W]e followed our training, and our philosophy of life. We valued every life on that airplane and knew it was our responsibility to try and save each one, in spite of the sudden and complete failure of our aircraft.
“We never gave up. Having a plan enabled us to keep our hope alive. Perhaps in a similar fashion, people who are in their own personal crises – a pink slip, a foreclosure – can be reminded that no matter how dire the circumstance, or how little time you have to deal with it, further action is always possible. There’s always a way out of even the tightest spot. You can survive.”
Having a plan. Being clear about your values, priorities and philosophy of life, so you can adjust your plan along the way. Having faith in your ability to survive.
That pretty much sums it up.
One other observation about Capt. Sullenberger: despite the steadiness he conveyed in his various television appearances, he could not hide his discomfort with the hero worship being heaped upon him. He could not view himself that way. Yet in his essay, he expresses his evolution about his new public role, and its value to other people:
“My family and I are trying hard to remain true to ourselves and not let this change us, but there’s a steep learning curve. The trajectory of our lives has changed forever. And we’re determined to make good come of this in every way that we can.”
The words of an authentic leader.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Quote Of The Day
"Worry is not preparation."
Love this. If anyone can give me the origin of this quote, please share. It may be C.S. Lewis; I'm happy to attribute proper credit.
Love this. If anyone can give me the origin of this quote, please share. It may be C.S. Lewis; I'm happy to attribute proper credit.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Letting go: Another view
Yesterday I let go of a friend. I fought it all the way.
Yesterday my friend was buried after a short but extremely ferocious battle with cancer. We were the same age.
Sandee had passed away one week before. None of us were ready. Not her sister, nor her father, nor the extensive network of friends she had accumulated during her extraordinary life.
And certainly not her son, the light of her life, the infant she'd adopted as a single parent when he was three days old. How could 12 short years with her prepare him for her absence?
Sandee was nutz about her son. She radiated love for him, in every look and in every conversation. Yet his addition to her life only magnified the light Sandee beamed out every day.
Sandee had enjoyed a successful career as a journalist before moving into the world of Public Relations. She sought a lifestyle with better hours and more stability. The transition was part of her preparation for the role she knew she was destined to embrace: Mother.
She saw no greater calling. And not just for herself. This woman of boundless, centered faith created a ministry at her church to support caring adults who were drawn to adopt African American children, especially boys. She knew that there were all kinds of families who could nurture children and raise them to reach their potential.
Sandee and son were quite a team. Her love was unconditional, and she loved him enough to set boundaries and expectations. Her confidence in his future was unlimited.
At the beginning of his eulogy, Sandee's pastor did something I'd never experienced before. He asked the congregation to rise and "give God a hand" for blessing us with the life of Sandra. The applause went on for almost two minutes. The catharsis was immense.
And in that moment of celebration, in an environment filled with light and love, an environment that was so authentic to the spirit of my friend, I let go of my anger at the loss of her physical presence. I let go of the Sandee I had known. I realized that her spirit would stay with all of us. She would never let us go.
Yesterday my friend was buried after a short but extremely ferocious battle with cancer. We were the same age.
Sandee had passed away one week before. None of us were ready. Not her sister, nor her father, nor the extensive network of friends she had accumulated during her extraordinary life.
And certainly not her son, the light of her life, the infant she'd adopted as a single parent when he was three days old. How could 12 short years with her prepare him for her absence?
Sandee was nutz about her son. She radiated love for him, in every look and in every conversation. Yet his addition to her life only magnified the light Sandee beamed out every day.
Sandee had enjoyed a successful career as a journalist before moving into the world of Public Relations. She sought a lifestyle with better hours and more stability. The transition was part of her preparation for the role she knew she was destined to embrace: Mother.
She saw no greater calling. And not just for herself. This woman of boundless, centered faith created a ministry at her church to support caring adults who were drawn to adopt African American children, especially boys. She knew that there were all kinds of families who could nurture children and raise them to reach their potential.
Sandee and son were quite a team. Her love was unconditional, and she loved him enough to set boundaries and expectations. Her confidence in his future was unlimited.
At the beginning of his eulogy, Sandee's pastor did something I'd never experienced before. He asked the congregation to rise and "give God a hand" for blessing us with the life of Sandra. The applause went on for almost two minutes. The catharsis was immense.
And in that moment of celebration, in an environment filled with light and love, an environment that was so authentic to the spirit of my friend, I let go of my anger at the loss of her physical presence. I let go of the Sandee I had known. I realized that her spirit would stay with all of us. She would never let us go.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
My Mistake
Our new president has completed his second full week in office. And although he still enjoys approval ratings upwards of sixty percent, I'm guessing that he's glad to have day 14 behind him.
President Obama arranged to make himself available Tuesday for a series of interviews with the news anchors from the major broadcast television networks. The appearances were part of a plan to build support for his economic stimulus plan. He also wanted to highlight his ongoing bipartisan outreach efforts, illustrated by his choice of a Republican senator to fill the post of Commerce Secretary.
That was the plan when all that network airtime was scheduled.
The president did get to talk about his stimulus plan and his Commerce appointment. But only after he had to account for the withdrawal of two other major cabinet appointments due to their tax problems. And this came on the heals of the new Treasury Secretary and his tax mea culpa.
Mr. Obama acknowledged his embarrassment, and how these lapses in the vetting process could look to the Americans who voted for him to bring change to Washington.
"I screwed up," he said. The president said "I screwed up." Again and again, interview after interview, to be played again and again on various newscasts.
Observers have likened Mr. Obama's popularity and celebrity to that of a rock star. Even rock stars make mistakes. Will make mistakes. Guaranteed.
Leaders may be measured more by their performance in the face of failure than success. Can they admit error? Learn from their mistakes? Make corrections mid-course? Do they demonstrate the dynamic flexibility required to handle the unexpected?
In the continuum of unexpected presidential challenges, the tax problems of a few potential cabinet members won't seem like much down the road when compared to military incursions, natural disasters or environmental threats. But maybe Tuesday provided some insight into how this president will respond when the Next Big Thing lands unannounced on his desk.
President Obama arranged to make himself available Tuesday for a series of interviews with the news anchors from the major broadcast television networks. The appearances were part of a plan to build support for his economic stimulus plan. He also wanted to highlight his ongoing bipartisan outreach efforts, illustrated by his choice of a Republican senator to fill the post of Commerce Secretary.
That was the plan when all that network airtime was scheduled.
The president did get to talk about his stimulus plan and his Commerce appointment. But only after he had to account for the withdrawal of two other major cabinet appointments due to their tax problems. And this came on the heals of the new Treasury Secretary and his tax mea culpa.
Mr. Obama acknowledged his embarrassment, and how these lapses in the vetting process could look to the Americans who voted for him to bring change to Washington.
"I screwed up," he said. The president said "I screwed up." Again and again, interview after interview, to be played again and again on various newscasts.
Observers have likened Mr. Obama's popularity and celebrity to that of a rock star. Even rock stars make mistakes. Will make mistakes. Guaranteed.
Leaders may be measured more by their performance in the face of failure than success. Can they admit error? Learn from their mistakes? Make corrections mid-course? Do they demonstrate the dynamic flexibility required to handle the unexpected?
In the continuum of unexpected presidential challenges, the tax problems of a few potential cabinet members won't seem like much down the road when compared to military incursions, natural disasters or environmental threats. But maybe Tuesday provided some insight into how this president will respond when the Next Big Thing lands unannounced on his desk.
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