On Saturday, February 20th, 2020, Flight 328 carrying 238 passengers and 10 crew members took off from Denver International Airport headed to Honolulu, Hawaii. Then, an engine caught fire. Just 20 minutes into the flight, a passenger pointed their cell phone out the window and captured the terrifying footage you can see below.
The great new is the plane didn’t crash! The pilot recognized the problem, followed training and protocol, turned the plane around and landed it safely. What a great ending to a horrifying story.
There’s a lesson here. The story can be horrifying, but the ending doesn’t have to be.
The pilot could have said: “I’ve got the talent to fly through this.”
The pilot could have said: “What will people think if we turn around so early in the flight?'“
The pilot could have said: “This is not my fault! I’m moving forward!”
The pilot could have said a lot of things, but what he said was: “Mayday, mayday, we have engine failure.” Then, he listened, then he followed direction, turned the plane around and landed safely where he had begun the journey moments before, at the Denver airport.
As a leader, there has been more than one occasion when I looked around and recognized an engine was on fire. Something was wrong. Not with the environment around me, not with the control tower, not with the folks I was leading, but with me.
One of the differences between a leader who completes the mission they’ve been given and those who crash is the self-awareness to recognize something is wrong, seek direction and follow it.
Let me go a step farther: the difference between those who finish the calling and those who crash is not whether an engine catches fire or some like issue develops, it will! The difference between those who succeed and those who crash is a pilot who recognizes and acknowledges issues, and then seeks and accepts help.
I woke this morning thanking God for the times I’ve been spared when I could have crashed. Times when my attitude, my ego, or my ability to listen was on fire. The individuals who led me and the individuals who I led saw it, so did my friends, and thankfully, consequently, so did I.
As a leader if something is wrong, if an engine is on fire, land the plane and get help! Even if it means you have to start over. Even if it means you have to change direction. Even if you’re only 20 minutes into the flight! No problem is too big unless it is ignored.
Turn around and land the plane! At this point, the question is not whether or not the flight you’re on is going to be diverted, it is. There is no greater diversion than a crash. The question is whether you and the people you lead will able to fly again. There are plenty of people willing to help, but they can’t unless you let them!
There are no problems too big, unless they are ignored!
Again, did I say this already? Land the stinking plane! Get counsel, follow it, and enjoy your next flight!
Peace,
Brian
