TONE AND HABIT

'Miracle' is a modern parable

When US Airways Flight 1549 belly-flopped in the Hudson River, you had to be moved by the story, even watching for the 10th time on CNN. Everyone lived. It was good news, and this is one of those years when we need to hear more good news.

The mind likes to make metaphors, so it was easy to find a little parable of America in the "Miracle on the Hudson." America's economy is on a not-so-graceful glide path down. We hit a few geese — toxic mortgages, credit derivatives, etc. — and they mangled the jet engines of our financial system. Maybe we all went a little crazy with the borrowing, and now we're losing altitude.

Things will be OK, I think. This is a great country, and we're a great people. We'll stay afloat, use our heads, watch out for each other, and take care of the children first. You might take a moment and ask yourself, what you are personally going to do to help?

Here's what a few of the people on Flight 1549 did:

A man sent his wife a text message that read, "Planes on fire love you and the kids." A young woman gave a soft kiss to her fiance. When things look bad, you remember what is most important.

A man sitting in the exit row did exactly what a man in his position is supposed to do: He read the safety card instructions for the exit door and figured out how to open it.

The Airbus A320 did what it was designed to do — it floated. The crew activated a special ditching switch that sealed the valves and ventilation ports, making a watertight seal and giving people time to get out. Thank the manufacturers and the engineers for that, because they didn't have to make the plane that way. It probably cost more, but it was the right way to make it.

People were nervous after the landing, maybe close to panic, but they took care of each other. A mother cradling her 9-month-old son struggled over seatbacks trying to get to the exit, until someone shouted "Get the baby out!' and a man picked them both up in a bear hug and hustled them to the door.

They weren't all heroic, but they pulled together. One woman tried to get her luggage out of the overhead compartment until someone dissuaded her. One man lugged his garment bag out onto the wing with him. There was plenty of elbowing out on those cold wings, but when the New York Waterway ferries arrived, people made sure the children got on board first.

They had the right leader in the pilot's seat, too. As his passengers moved to the wings, Capt. Chesley Sullenberger III walked the aisles of the sinking plane to make sure none was left behind. As they boarded the boats, he held a metal clipboard and ticked off the names on the manifest, using the wheelhouse radio to get a count from the other vessels. A newspaper account described him later standing calmly in a waiting room at the New York Waterway terminal, gray hair unruffled, the tie of his navy blue pilot's uniform still straight.

It's a good parable, the Miracle on the Hudson, so I'm hoping that the national media will be riding this story for a while longer. Capt. Sullenberger should overcome his natural modesty and talk to us, because our leaders need role models like him. America should reflect on this story, because it's a parable that might teach us a little about how we get through the next couple years.

America's economy has lost 2.6 million jobs. We're running on a deficit of a trillion dollars. National Economic Council Director Larry Summers admitted Sunday on "Face the Nation" that the economy is probably going to decline for some time to come, no matter what we do.

It would be too easy right now to hunker down and say "I got mine, you worry about yours," and trample the weak. That reaction would be, maybe, our easy instinct.

I don't think we'll react that way. We're good people, and we're Americans. If things get worse, we'll know what to do, just like the passengers and crew of Flight 1549.

Originally published in the Tallahassee Democrat at http://tallahassee.com/article/20090120/OPINION05/901200311/1006/OPINION

What you need, and why you need it now

If there is a book for communications professionals to read in 2009, and read again and again, it is Peggy Noonan’s Patriotic Grace: What It Is and Why We Need It Now. “Being able to persuade, to explain, to elucidate, and to lead truthfully, matters,” Noonan writes, and bless her for reminding us.

Noonan’s book, published before the outcome of the 2008 election had been decided, is an argument for greater unity in a nation that is facing turmoil.  It’s a call for calm, wisdom and maturity, and a roadmap for credible and effective governance.

 

We’ll be inaugurating a new president soon, and he’ll be leading a nation that is still divided in thought and spirit.  I’ll be learning from what he says and how he says it, because the content and manner of his communication will inspire many to heroism, just as it will infuriate many others.

 

Watch the effects on people, and make note of the emotional triggers for their varied reactions, because there will be lessons for you in how you communicate in similar situations.  We’re not all responsible for leading a nation, but your business, city or neighborhood can be just as divided and difficult.  The simple lesson, too often forgotten:  we are stronger when we work together.

 

Noonan writes, “So:  we have much to do.  And it all starts with a greater civility, a greater respect, both a higher – and deeper – tone to our political conversation.”

 

We can start today.

Golf, confidence and coping

These are not hypothetical questions, on the golf course or in life:  How do you cope with stress, and how does confidence affect your perception of the world?

(Also not irrelevant questions today.  I saved a brutal day at Seminole Golf Course yesterday with a sweet par on No. 18.  Solid drive, 3 wood from the fairway to get me in striking distance, a nice 8 iron onto the green about 15 feet from the pin, then a solid two putt to get out with par.  Don't ask about the other 17 ...)

Golfers who play well are more likely to see the hole as larger than their poor-playing counterparts, according to a recently released study mentioned in Science Daily.  "What athletes say about how they see the hole and how well they play is true. We found golfers who play better judge the hole to be bigger than golfers who did not play as well," said Jessica K. Witt, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University who studies perception in athletes.

Which suggests, no surprise, that confidence in your own ability can positively affect your perception of the world.  No word on whether confidence affects your perception of conceptual challenges as well as spatial challenges, but that certainly wouldn't be a stretch.

I found that study linked to another possibly more useful, on how high level golfers successfully cope with stress.  You can find it here at Science Daily:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050617235448.htm 

A study of 18 of Ireland's best young international male golfers showed some interesting differences in times they coped well under stress, and times when they coped badly.

"In general, effective coping involved gaining a sense of control, while ineffective coping involved the golfers trying to force their play," said co-author Dr. Nick Holt, a professor of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta.

During effective coping golfers maintained a positive mindset by using positive self-talk, blocking negative thoughts, and focusing on the next shot (rather than on past shots). They stayed physically relaxed by using deep breathing exercises and stretching. Finally, they sought advice from their caddies, and were sure to follow their playing routine.

All of which are practical strategies that may find application well beyond the golf course.

The science of leadership

Leadership Tallahassee Class 26 kicks off on Tuesday, so it was timely this week to see a cover story on leadership in the latest issue of New Scientist, a very readable magazine from England that I recommend to anyone.  Evolutionary social psychologist Mark van Vugt explores the evolution of leadership from 2.5 million years ago to today -- from hunter-gatherer bands to Toyota's corporate structure, and everything in between -- but some of his most interesting insights aren't into leadership.

He also asks the question, why be a follower?  Why would you subordinate yourself when it puts you at a clear disadvantage in terms of power, status and resources?

Well, first, by observing good leaders, you prepare yourself for future leadership.  Also, the disadvantages of following can be offset by the benefits of belonging to a well-led group.

On the flip side, distributed leadership -- delegated decision making, and even letting subordinates choose their own executives -- is gaining more currency today.  Shared goals and interdependence can transform alienated and self-interested employees into "committed collectivists," van Vugt suggests.

In the end, the most useful insight may be that leadership strategies must be different based on the situation an organization faces.  It's much more like jazz than conducting a symphony sometimes.  But no matter what kind of music you're making, it is vitally important that the band leader actually listen to the band.  If not, you're just lost in the dissonance.