By Jim Hinshaw
By now we have all heard of the Southwest airline flight in April that had an engine explode, sending shrapnel into the body of the plane, shattering a window and nearly sucking a passenger out that same window. She later died from her injuries, despite the efforts of other passengers and crew members who administered first aid.
But what you may not know is the back story, how the pilot showed remarkable courage and calm in the face of unexpected disaster. We can learn several elements of leadership from Tammie Jo Shults, a former Navy fighter pilot.
She had a vision early on in high school. She attended a lecture given by a retired male colonel on aviation in her senior year, she was the only one present. The colonel even asked if she was in the right room. She said she certainly was and intended to become a pilot. He scoffed, told here there are no women professional pilots (this was 1979). She became a Navy Lieutenant commander, and ended up flying for Southwest, much to the delight of 140+ passengers on her flight that day. So the first lesson, it may seem like there is no easy path, maybe not a path at all. The true leaders know that you will find a path or make one, easy or not. Tammie followed her dream even when others said it could not happen.
Tammie said that when the engine exploded, she praised her co-pilot, Mr. Ellisor, for being easy to work with.
He described the moment of the explosion, telling ABC the plane banked to the left. “We were passing through about 32,000 feet when we had a, a large bang and a rapid decompression,” he said. “The aircraft yawed and banked to the left, a little over 40 degrees and we had a very severe vibration from the number one engine that was shaking everything.
“And, that all kind of happened all at once.”
They had to work together (and fast) to get the plane down quickly.
The control tower reported that she was amazingly calm during the crisis, no drama from her at all. Here is part of the dialogue with the control tower as she was in a rapid descent: Air traffic control: “Injured passengers, OK. And is your airplane physically on fire?” Shults: “No, it’s not on fire. But part of it is missing. They said there’s a hole and that someone went out.”
I know that even dogs sense emotion, and can read your tension right through the leash. The other people involved, customers or employees, will read your emotion as well, and will mirror back what you show, calm or excited. So the second lesson is to not let the situation take control over your emotions. We really do not know what the day may bring, and certainly cannot control the future. What we can control is our response to the events of the day.
Tammie followed the same path of compassion that Sully showed when he landed his plane in the river outside of New York. He went back thru the plane to be sure everyone was off, he was last off the aircraft. Tammie went back to speak to each passenger personally, thanked the control tower for their help. She genuinely cared for the people that were on her flight. True leaders show compassion, here is why that is critical today. Studies have shown that two thirds of the employees feel that their boss doesn’t truly care about them. They begin to feel like their job may not be that important, what they do may not matter at all. They may feel like they are done at the company. It may be that their bosses really do care, but just don’t show it or even know how to show it.
Finally, Tammie showed that she had a leadership position based on personal power, not her title. When you have a leader who cares about the team and the customers, it shows in times of crisis rather than when things are going well. Tammie was quoted as saying that being a pilot is an “opportunity to witness for Christ on almost every flight”. She showed her caring side on this flight.
How does this apply to us? First, get a vision firmly in mind on what you want your company to look like in the future. Share that with employees, vendors and yes, even customers. Then work hard to make that vision a reality. Second, let everyone on the payroll know that they are a part of that vision, and what that do matters. Thank them for their efforts, help them when they are challenged, celebrate victories. A call on a Friday afternoon can do wonders for morale and can help glue that customer to you.
Most importantly, don’t react in fear when something unfortunate and unexpected happens. Keep calm, consider the possible outcomes, put together a plan to get past the opportunity. And realize this was only one of dozens of opportunities that you will have to cope with in business. As the Seals say: No easy days! My apologies to the Navy if I got that saying wrong, but the message is accurate. Trust this, we will all be tested, both in business and our personal lives. That is why Tammie’s faith in God was a critical part of her life and one key to her success as a great pilot. She put first things first.
Thanks for listening, we’ll talk later.
About the Author
Upon graduating from the University of Missouri at Rolla, Hinshaw started his career in the air conditioning industry. Hinshaw’s background include positions as a manufacturer’s rep, President of one of the oldest and largest air conditioning companies in Arizona, residential start up specialist for the Carrier Corporation, and an officer in a Carrier owned service agency. Hinshaw enjoys training sales, technical, and management team members with companies that want to increase profits and grow to the next level. He has worked in all areas of the industry: manufacturer, distributor, contractor and now consultant. He has worked with companies that have sales in the billions per year and family owned businesses with only two employees. He can help with sales, organizational issues, marketing, how to set up the company for improved profitability, all phases of the business.
He has provided high results training for clients from Calgary, Canada to Adelaide, Australia. Hinshaw retired from the contracting business in 1999 when he formed his own training company, Sales Improvement Professionals, dedicated to bring his real world experience to help enhance your sales and marketing efforts.
Hinshaw can be reached at 602-369-8097, or email jimhinshaw@siptraining.com.
And now as an author: “For those who might be interested, he has a collection of writings from the last 10 years. Stories of how one person can ruin a relationship with a customer, and how one can repair it! Stories of the loss of service in American, and you can improve customer service today. Go to this link for full details on how to make this collection yours!” – first 15 pages are free, sample before you buy!
For more information please contact him as Sales Improvement Professionals Inc., 1281 E. Magnolia, #D-145. Fort Collins, CO 80524. Office Phone:970-635-5675. Cell phone: 602-369-8097 or visit www.siptraining.com or on Facebook: Sales Improvement Professionals Inc.