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209 Seconds -- Are you Ready?

Nov



Today I recalled an article I wrote 13 years ago while in uniform, and I just tweaked it slightly to "civilianize" it. I believe in these principles so strongly I want to share with you. Please comment and let me know what you think as this is my first LinkedIn Article.


Having recently read the memoirs of Captain Sullenberger, the US Airways pilot who safely landed Flight 1549 in January 2009 when both engines were lost due to a bird strike, I was struck by his incredible ability to avert disaster and save 155 lives when faced with very poor odds.  But more than that, I couldn’t help but notice that here was a man with 40 years of experience flying military and commercial aircraft, yet his legacy was defined by events that started and ended in just 209 seconds.


It took me awhile for this concept to sink in and realize that while Captain Sullenberger took just 209 seconds to use every skill he’d ever learned to successfully seize the moment, he had in fact been preparing his entire life just for this event.


Whether it be critically examining his skills to better his craft or studying rules, regulations and mishaps, Captain Sullenberger ensured that he was ready when the time came to answer his call to duty.  It wasn’t just those 209 seconds that defined his legacy.  It was 40 years of hard work, preparation and devotion to duty that ensured he was ready to successfully execute his mission when he was most needed.


And so I ask you: Are you ready to answer the call when your time comes?


Such calls are more common place than you may think.  In the cybersecurity field, we must be prepared to our answer the call to defend, and if necessary, respond and recover from an attack. In the medical field the call is probably present nearly constantly.  There will be many more “calls” that one in just about any career will facer.  No matter your position, successfully navigating each requires that you constantly prepare yourself in all facets of leadership.


This preparation isn’t just to be ready to handle an emergency, but it is to also ensure that you’re ready to assume increased leadership roles.  Leadership may call on you someday to assume greater positions of authority and responsibility.  You must constantly prepare to assume these roles.  Successful team mates will take time to not only reflect upon their current responsibilities, but also to reflect upon their supervisor’s roles.  In doing so, you’ll begin to mold your skills so that you’ll be able to assume that higher position of responsibility when, for example, you’re your supervisor retires suddenly, and you’re thrust into assuming that role earlier than you may have thought.


Being ready to answer the call requires you to embrace education. Your education must also include knowing your job inside and out.  Captain Sullenberger, in his memoirs, impresses upon the reader that he spent many hours learning the intricacies of his aircraft’s systems, above and beyond what was required.  This extra effort was key to him understanding how to navigate the emergency successfully on that fateful day.  As he did, understand not only the “what”, but also the “why” in the information you absorb.  Dig into that next layer, and then the next, on down to the point where you’ve truly synthesized the information needed in your duties.  Your goal should not be to relish for long in what you “achieved”, but to focus on the act of “achieving” a state of continuous improvement.  You may not need this knowledge for years, but rest assured, someday you will be needed at a critical time.


In preparing yourself now, have confidence that when your 209 seconds arrive, that extremely short time to answer the call call and define your legacy, you will leave a mark that will reflect greatly on you.


So, again, I ask you: Are you ready?

By Ian Schneller

Keywords: Business Strategy, Leadership, Management

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