Leadership Effectiveness At 38,000 ft And 600 mph

Octavian Pantis

Emotional Intelligence is a lot about how we deal with outside stimuli. Can we keep our emotions under control when the environment is unfriendly? This is a key skill for everyone, whether they are leaders in a meeting with their unengaged staff, salespeople trying to close a deal that doesn't seem to work, people on a new role discovering the challenges that come with it, and so on. We've probably all been guilty of not reacting in the right way in some instances, of letting emotions take the better of us.

Aviation has a lot to teach us about remaining calm and effective, no matter what happens inside the plane or outside of it. How do captains deal with the responsibility of taking a 200-million-dollar plane and something way more valuable – the lives of hundreds of people – and flying them for hundreds of miles, up in thin air, through storms and winds? Could you carry that responsibility?

Here are three practices from aviation that make it reasonable for people to deal with such a responsibility in a calm and effective manner. As leaders and HR professionals, do we have these practices in place for our people?

One reason that captains can keep their emotions in check is that, in their words, "we're surrounded by professionals." Everyone who touches the plane is very good at what they do and maintains very high standards. Whether it's the people who refuel the plane, or the mechanics who check it, or the ones who load the cargo, they all know what they need to do and how to do it and they're very careful. So, when they sign the forms confirming the tasks performed, as a captain you know they've done a great job. The possible dangers just got smaller.

Then there are the people in the towers along the route, the cabin crew, the copilot. They have all been trained to the highest standards. They all go through regular checks. No one in the crew is there just to be there. They have clear responsibilities and they're fit for them. The captains themselves go through extensive training and rigorous examinations. They're well briefed and well-rested.

So, everyone knows they're part of a high-standards team and with this knowledge, it's easier to face today's mission. The confidence is there, and the risk of an emotional meltdown is smaller.

What happens in companies? Do all people get all the right training? Or just "the talents," the managers, the salespeople? What about those in customer service? "Well, the turnover there is very high, you can't really get them to the highest levels of performance because they leave." What about those in finance, in IT? Do they know how to treat their colleagues as valuable customers or do they just come across as arrogant, ruining everyone's mood?

We all know that the strength of a chain is given by its weakest link. Aviation cannot afford weak links. Neither should companies.

When you do something important for the first time, of course, you're nervous. Of course, emotions take over. And not only that, but things can turn out bad. Most pilots have never been - and most never will be - in an emergency with an engine in flames, landing during the night, in complete fog, on the short runway of a remote airport they don't know. But because such a thing can happen, they simulate the situation so they're ready for it.

In today's modern FFS - Full Flight Simulators, which look exactly like a cockpit and that can simulate movements and weather conditions and technical configurations just like in a real cockpit - pilots try out everything. All the special case scenarios that can possibly happen - from landing on a river, to engine fire, to aborted take-off, to incapacitated co-pilot, smoke in the cabin and many, many others - are being practiced.

Twice a year, every pilot is in the FFS to practice and then to be examined. During a period of three years, all special cases are practiced. They even practice situations that never happened and could only happen in theory. Some situations - such as emergency evacuations - they practice at every single visit to the simulator.

In every flight, they wish for a "dark cockpit" - the aviation term for when everything goes smoothly - but they're ready for when all lights and bings go crazy.

Can you imagine the level of confidence they gain from all this practice? How prepared they are? How well do they know what every situation requires?

This is the second reason they can stay calm and on top of their emotions. They know they're surrounded by professionals - that's the first. And if something happens, they have trained for it, they have practiced it. So, there's no need to panic.

What is the level and frequency of simulations in companies? Do we rehearse the important meetings? Do we practice for the delicate 1:1 talks that we need to have? For the negotiations? What's very damaging to performance and to emotion management is when you hear people say things like "come on, this is not my first rodeo." Neither is it the pilots' first rodeo, yet they practice it and practice it.

One more method pilots use in order to stay in control and to keep their cool is checklists. Of course, they know what to do at every stage of the flight, they've been flying for 10 years, or 15 or 20. But they don't want the stress of relying on memory or habit. They have checklists. Printed, available next to their seats. One of the pilots reads the items on the list and the other one confirms the proper action, status, or configuration.

On departure, there is a Before Start checklist. Then there is an After Start checklist. Then, Before Takeoff and After Takeoff checklists. On arrival, there is an Approach checklist, a Before Landing checklist, then After Landing, Parking and, finally, a Securing the Aircraft checklist. All these are for normal operation. For abnormal or emergency situations, there are more checklists.

What are some benefits of using checklists? Please find them here, in aviation terms. As you read them, is there one benefit that you don't find valuable in a corporate environment? All are essential both in the cockpit and in our companies:
 

In his book, The Checklist Manifesto, Atul Gawande makes a compelling case for the value of checklists in hospitals, as well as in other areas of life.

We all know it from our private lives as well: how many times did we forget something when going on a vacation with our dear ones and just thought "I need to make a list next time"?

Checklists bring calm. Checklists are our suit of armor that helps us deal with what we need to do. Does your company use checklists? If not, start a checklist today. Involve your people in doing so.

In conclusion, a good reaction to outside stimuli does not occur when people happen to have a good day. You need to build the muscle for it, to train your reactions and to anticipate or even tame the stimuli.

We demand a lot from the people in our teams. Let us make sure they are all well trained and equipped for what's ahead of them. Let us use these three practices for the benefit of everyone, so we can get better results and enjoy life more.