Something I’m Learning
At a recent retreat, our CEO told a story that has stayed with me. Once, during a long international flight, she was woken up suddenly by a loud BOOM and a bright flash of light. Looking around, she saw everybody looking apprehensive and scared and, for many of them, their first thought was that a bomb had gone off. She then noticed the nearest flight attendant looking most unconcerned: he stayed in his jump seat and she saw him examine his nails, yawn loudly, lazily check his watch, and so on. As nothing seemed to happen after that, she and the other passengers also relaxed back into their seats.
Soon, the news filtered around that the plane had been struck by lightning, which explained the noise and the light.
Later, someone asked the flight attendant, “You were so calm during the lightning strike; does that sort of thing happen all the time?”
The flight attendant replied, “No, it’s only happened twice for me in many years. But we are trained to look calm and unconcerned. Those things you saw me do to seem normal was part of my training. Because here we are in a metal tube above the ocean and there’s nothing any of us can do. The plane is built to handle a lightning strike. But everyone is going to take their cues from us, so the worst thing we can do is to run around looking worried and taking safety precautions. That would just freak everybody out. And that’s of no use to anyone.”
I was impressed that airlines actually train flight attendants to aggressively show calm. What a great example of empathy in customer service.
Our CEO used this story to make a point about leadership in uncertainty. With some of my own garnishing, it goes something like this. We are in a year with huge consequences for the future of democracy: 60% of the world’s population live in countries with a national election this year - more than ever before - and authoritarians are projected to do very well in 2024. To that mix, stir in the worsening effects of climate change and add a generous helping of increasing disruptions wrought by AI. We’ve now got a rather spicy dish year on our hands. In order to ensure that we, as leaders, don’t cause further heartburn for our teams (am I overextending this metaphor?), we need to remember that they are watching us for cues for how to frame their own mindsets for the year. And while we may not credibly be able to yawn our way through it all, we could do a lot worse than projecting calm and striving for empathy.
Something to Consider
One way for it to all go wrong is if we communicate badly. Here’s what to avoid (it’s funny!) -
Something to Quote
Sometimes powerful, higher forces act on your life. At these times, you must try and be still, otherwise they cannot stay. You must step back and stay calm...and you must take time to see the sky.
- Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy (aka Dr. V), Quoted in Infinite Vision by Pavithra Mehta and Suchitra Shenoy
Excellent blog. One thing that I would add is that the U.S., in addition to countries abroad, are in danger of losing its democracy. Democracy is so fragile, and needs constant vigilance.