Each year, we hear of heroes built out of common men and women by a catastrophic situation. An ice skating party plunges into the water and strangers create a human rope to pull them to safety. September 11, 2001, we saw hundreds of police and firefighters automatically move into hero mode.
January 15 was a hero making day. By now, we have all heard of Chelsey Sullenberger III and his crew. We saw them at the Super Bowl halftime show, heard them on 60 Minutes, and read, heard, or saw them in many other places. But given this impressive case of leadership, I want to emphasize some of the key elements that made this event a success.
Most heroes are leaders. Responding either from deep experience and training or timely intuition, the leader takes action, sometimes with only seconds of deliberation.
One minute into a routine take-off and everything changed. The predictable world flipped into chaos. It sounded like a clap thunder and the pilots and flight attendants immediately feared it was a bird strike. The smell of burning poultry and violent vibrations confirmed their fears.
Chelsey took the controls with a sharp command, “My aircraft.” Now both Chelsey and his co-captain, Jeffrey Skiles moved expertly and automatically. Jeffrey tried to restart the engines and Chelsey considered his options at the speed of light, return to LaGuardia, land at a New Jersey airport, or on the Hudson River. Quickly the alternatives narrowed as they rapidly lost altitude and Chelsey informed the air traffic controllers, “We’re gong to be in the Hudson.”
Everything had to be perfect for a success. With no forward thrust, he had to keep the nose up and maintain a certain decent rate and speed. Two minutes after the bird strikes, they skidded to a halt in the ice-cold river water. Amazingly, all 155 people survived.
Let’s review the contributions to this success. First, Chelsey stayed calm throughout the ordeal. When asked by Katie Couric if he thought he could actually land a plane on that river, he said, “I was sure I could do it.” He was confident and his voice showed it. I have found that well-trained leaders usually stay calm during an emergency. They do what they have practiced.
As soon as they heard the thunder of engines disintegrating, their training kicked in. Chelsey took the controls and analyzed options with the control tower. Seconds passed and the decision was made. The flight attendants were notified and orders given to the passengers, “Brace! Brace! Head Down! Stay Down!”
Here is where good followership helped the situation. Most passengers obeyed and left the plane in an orderly fashion rather than responding to the panic in their chests.
You’ve heard of the captain being the last person off the ship. Chelsey really was. He walked the entire cabin twice to make sure no one was left behind. His most important obligation to himself was the safety of every passenger. Calmness, deliberation under pressure, and self-sacrifice are all characteristics of heroes and leaders. In Chelsey’s words, “This is what I have been training for, for 40 years.”
I believe athletes and movie stars are not heroes. They are well-trained performers who are due respect for their skills. Heroes are people who through extraordinary effort create or attempt to create positive outcomes for others. Chelsey Sullenberger is a true hero.