When Captain Chesley
“Sully” Sullenberger piloted US Air Flight 1549 aloft one January morning in
2009, he had no idea that in a few short minutes, he would become an
internationally known hero. That morning he used the skills and leadership
abilities developed over a lifetime to shine in this crisis to safely land the
damaged passenger airplane on the Hudson River without a single loss of life.
Normally
reserved and analytical by nature, Sullenberger decided to use the fame and notoriety thrust
upon him for the greater good. He determined to advance the cause of safety in
aviation and serve as an advocate for the piloting profession.
In the
process he learned about leadership and decided to profile a number of current
leaders to showcase how they demonstrated leadership and courage. The result is his
entertaining and instructive book Making
a Difference. The following are some of the people he profiled who lived
out leadership in trying circumstances.
Admiral Thad Allen earned almost universal praise
for his leadership in response and recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill.
John C. Bogle – one of the pioneers in the mutual
fund industry.
William Bratton-- the transformational leader in the
NYC police force in the 1990’s.
Lt. Col. Tammy Duckworth who lost both legs and the use of one
arm when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Iraq. Her advocacy for
improved treatment of wounded veterans led her to become a top administrator in
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Jennifer Granholm served as the Democratic governor in
the predominantly Republican state of Michigan during a period when this state
of 10 million people lost 850,000 jobs. She campaigned tirelessly to bring new
industries into the state to use the well trained workforce. As a summary of
her leadership tenure she quoted a Chines proverb: “Sometimes leadership is
planting trees under whose shade you will never sit.”
Michelle Rhee, the polarizing educational reformer,
who resolved to break down obstacles in the way of upgrading
education for children in Washington D.C. She became an uncompromising change
agent.
Sue Sheridan worked tirelessly to get simple,
proven medical practices restored to use – procedures that would have saved her
son from a lifetime of extreme medical care and her husband from death.
Gene Kranz, the iron willed leader of Mission
Control during Apollo 13 and other Apollo missions. “Ego is a leader’s enemy,” said
Kranz. “ Virtually everything worthwhile that’s to be done these days is done
as a team. As a leader – as an
individual—you have to learn to check your ego at the door every day when you
come to work.”
Tony LaRussa, the Hall of Fame baseball manager,
who piloted his teams to the third-most wins of all time, including World
Series championships with the St. Louis Cardinals. LaRussa said, “Pressure
comes from caring and wanting to do something for the team. It comes from your sense
of being held accountable.”
Jim Sinegal, former CEO and current board member of Costco, was one of my
favorites. While government leaders have been campaigning to get the Walmarts
and McDonalds of the world to pay a living wage, Sinegal has been doing that
for years for Costco employees. No one
forced him to do it, he just knew it was right. Walmart has an employee turnover
rate at 60 percent, and many fast food places have 250% turnover. Costco’s hovers around 10%. “Management is at
least 90% teaching,” he says. “Not teaching in a classroom setting, but interacting
with people, getting their feedback, giving them feedback and displaying the
little things like picking a scrap of paper off the floor to keep the place
clean.”
Sully
concluded his book by summarizing key traits that he saw in successful
leaders. Here’s the top seven:
·
Continuing
self-improvement and learning
·
Realistic
optimism
·
Willingness
to lead by example
·
Maintaining
a long-term perspective
·
Nurturing
other leaders
·
Having
clear priorities and focusing on what’s important
·
Ability
to learn from failures and move on.
·
Creating
an environment in which everyone can do his best work.
