He Knew

A deeply profound part of Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's interview with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes last evening was when Couric asked the pilot what was going through his mind as he prepared to land Flight 1549 in the Hudson. He shared his thoughts about being comforted by the knowledge that the flight attendants would get the passengers off the plane if he landed it safely. Couric said, "That's a big if."

Sully replied to Couric, "I knew I could do it."

He knew he could do it? Wow.

Such confidence in the midst of a dangerous crisis is profound. He did not say he would try to land the plane. He knew he could land it.

Sully described having to keep his cool. "The physiological reaction I had to this was strong, and I had to force myself to use my training and force calm on the situation," he said.

Without using the term, Sully described the essence of Emotional Intelligence (EI) throughout the interview. His awareness of his own emotions and reactions, trust of the crew, understanding of how his emotions would impact 155 people--all are related to EI. EI has been somewhat of a buzzword in recent years, but it is the essentials of it which separate true leaders from those with fancy titles. Sully embodies it. From the reaction of his family and friends, he embodies it all the time, not just in a crisis or in the spotlight. Sully is the type of leader most wish to become.

Learning from him, perhaps we can all hone our abilities so we could perform as well in a crisis. Perhaps we could all become better leaders who know we can do whatever it takes to do our jobs the best.

He just knew, and so can we.



(The link to the 60 Minutes interview and story: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml)