Sullenberger Competence
Submitted by webadmin on December 15, 2009 - 9:37pm
On January 15th, the supreme competence of Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 inspired me and kept me glued to news reports.
Captain Sully, dubbed "Hero of the Hudson," is now famous around the world for his emergency splashdown in the Hudson River between the shores of New Jersey and New York. He safely landed his US Airways jetliner in the Hudson when three minutes after taking off from LaGuardia Airport, he hit birds that were sucked into his two engines, making him lose power immediately. This was unique from the standpoint that in most cases where birds fly into airplanes, it is usually just one engine. Seldom are both engines taken out.
In a calm, matter-of-fact way, Sully set down the plane gently enough to keep it afloat and steady enough to keep the wings from tipping and dipping into the water. Keeping the plane upright was a bit of a miracle and showed phenomenal presence of mind and exceptional skill.
The miracle unfolds even more. The craft landed right where ferries cross the Hudson, carrying working people between New York and New Jersey. When the ferries saw the disaster unfolding, they were in close enough proximity to offer immediate help to the passengers standing in freezing water on the wings of the plane.
Experienced Crew
National Transportation Safety Board member Kitty Higgins said in a post-event briefing that the pilots and crew knew what they were supposed to do and they did it. As a result, none of the 150 passengers plus the five crew members on board lost their life.
Every member of the five-person crew on board Flight 1549 were veterans, each having worked for US Airways for at least 22 years. The pilot, Sullenberger, 58, had 19,663 hours of flight experience and flew F-4 Fighter jets in the military. The First Officer, Jeffrey B. Skiles, 49, who flew the plane until Sullenberger took over after the engine failures, had 15,643 hours of flight experience.
Likewise, the experienced and professional flight attendants who helped evacuate the plane were definitely more than women hired to serve sodas and hand out snacks. They were knowledgeable women, skilled at doing their jobs.US Airways identified the attendants as Sheila Dail, 57, Doreen Welsh, 58, and Donna Dent, 51.
This success and example of individual and crew competence will be studied for years to come.
Competence
"No man was ever so completely skilled in the conduct of life, as not to receive new information from age and experience."
~ Jonathan Swift, the author of
the world famous book, Gulliver's Travels
~ Jonathan Swift, the author of
the world famous book, Gulliver's Travels
This quote sums up one definition of competence: know-how and proficiency gained over many years of experience. Webster describes competence as the ability to do something well when measured against a standard, especially the ability acquired through experience or training.
Our chaotic world market requires exceptional skill and competence collectively, as an organization, and individually. It demands "Sully" competence at all levels of the organization.
Investing in the professional development and thus improving the experience and competence of each employee is a critical process for today's organization seeking to remain viable this world where all news predicts a dismal year.
Miracles will happen in your organization when an employee who has acquired competence through experience and training becomes a hero and rescues you with such actions as:
·Making a tough decision that changes the direction of your organization
·Taking a calculated risk with an innovative marketing idea
·Making a bold decision to cut a certain low-profit margin service or product
·Analyzing with success the cost versus benefits of adding a feature to your product
Our economic times demand "Sully" competence. The time for heroism is today. Are your employees ready? If so, let them step forward with the confidence to say, "I was made for this moment" and you will have a profitable and safe landing at the end of your fiscal year.
Tips for Individual Competence
Do I Demonstrate "Sully" Competence?
I get hives if I think a deadline I have been assigned is going to be missed or in some other way I will fall short of an expectation set for me. And even though I try hard, sometimes I fall short.
This week Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III inspired me to keep going down the path toward improved competence and increased ability. Jonathan Swift also said,
"Although men are accused of not knowing their own weakness, yet perhaps few know their own strength. It is in men as in soils, where sometimes there is a vein of gold which the owner knows not of."
~Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels
Captain Sully when called upon dug down deep into his internal soul and came up with gold...the gold of competence and had the confidence to say: I am trained. I am competent. I was made for this moment in history.
I encourage you to increase your knowledge, experience and skills in 2009. You'll find gold!
