Miracle on the Hudson River: Mastery in Action
By Bob Moore, CMC, MCC, The Effectiveness Coach®

The story of U. S. Airways Flight 1549 has many lessons for all us. The media reports inform of the many heroes involved in this near disaster. Over these past few days, have you asked yourself the question, “What would I have done?” Consider what these cast of characters did.

The pilot:
A 57-year old veteran pilot who has spent his professional life becoming an expert in safety. He is a glider pilot, a military pilot, and an airline pilot who was prepared to make a quick decision. In less than a minute or two, he had to decide whether to attempt to land at the Teterboro, NJ Airport or on the Hudson River. How do you prepare yourself to be able to respond like that?

The co-pilot:
In the process of leaving the plane, he gave his shirt to a man who, apparently had given his coat to a woman without one. Where did that compassion come from? From the manual?

The flight attendants:
Calmly prepared the passengers for the hard landing they were about make on the river and then directed toward the exits. Do you suppose the countless hours at training school contributed to their actions?

Those on the river:
There were ferryboat captains, police and Coast Guard boat operators who converged upon the plane in minutes, rescuing every passenger who ranged in age from 9 months to 85 years. There were also divers jumping from helicopters and boats positioned to prevent the plane from sinking. How did that coordinated effort happen? You really don’t practice for that, or do you?

What are the positive lessons we can glean from this "Miracle on the Hudson?" I call it Mastery in Action; executed with courage, compassion, discipline, and team work.

On the flip side of the heroes involved, consider the ducks or geese, whatever they were, that brought down a multi-million dollar airplane putting 155 people in peril. What destructive forces or habits are in your life that could do you harm or bring you down?

Lastly, what do you make of the story of a passenger who insisted that she be able to take her carry-on luggage with her before leaving the sinking plan? Is there anything that you are hanging on to so strongly that you would not release it even in the face of a crisis?

I encourage you to give thought to how you can prepare yourself for the unexpected. Today is the first day of the rest of our life. Regardless of your politics, could this be the beginning of a new era in American history with a new president calling for all us to be more personally responsible.

Enthusiastically,

Bob

Bob Moore, CMC®, President
Effectiveness, Inc/The Effectiveness Coach®
Aligning Human Capital with Strategic Objectives

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