Have you ever tried to taxi a plane out on the runway? It’s not super easy. I was in a very unique position to do that once when I was about 24. Keep in mind a few things. I’m not a pilot, I’ve never had any pilot training whatsoever. It wasn’t a jet, it was just a small, single engine plane.
At the time, I had no clue you steer the plane with the pedals while on the ground! But, my piloting mentor set me straight (who was also my boss…and still is!!!). Needless to say, I wasn’t very good at it. I kept overcorrecting, and eventually almost ran us off the runway. He had to take back over.
I don’t remember if he told me this then or a few years after that incident. He said when you taxi a plane out on the runway, if you focus on the lines and path right in front of you, you may correct in one direction to try to straighten up. But in a few more feet you may have to correct back in the other direction. And it keeps happening until you’ve overcorrected so much you’re no longer on the runway! You have to look at the end of the runway, where you want to be when it’s time to take off. If you keep that in sight, the adjustments needed will be smaller and easier to make. And you’ll eventually meet your destination.
The analogy he made was it’s just like leading a team. It takes great foresight and vision to lead a team to success. As a leader, if I’m focused only on what we need to accomplish today, I could make a decision that helps us out in the short term, but turns out to hurt us in the long term. I have to understand where we need to be in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years’ time. Then I can start strategizing and developing plans that will set us up for long term success. I have to keep our future success on the horizon.
Now, that’s a great analogy in itself. But over the years, I’ve added a few more ideas to it. As a pilot, you have to have a great co-pilot as well. Someone who will double check your thinking and calculations; someone who can step in for you and take over if something happens on that plane. As a leader, I need to be developing my co-pilot. Someone who I can bounce ideas off; who is willing to be candid with me; who I can trust; someone who can lead the team if I can’t.
It makes no sense to not develop your replacement. If you want to be promoted, someone around you has to be successful, promotable. If you really want the best for your team, you want someone to take your place, or heck, be even better than you!
The last item I’d add to that analogy is responsibility. What heavy responsibility pilots have in their hands. They have to safely transport hundreds of passengers a day, thousands of miles at 30,000 feet in the air. It’s a lot of pressure to have all those lives in your hands. While being a leader isn’t necessarily as much responsibility, you still have people’s livelihoods in your hands.
True, it is up to them to choose to perform. But everything we do can influence that choice. Are we giving them consistent, honest performance feedback? Are we holding them accountable to achieving their results? Are we celebrating their victories with them? Are we doing everything we can to help them be successful? That’s a lot of responsibility. Something no leader should take lightly or only be halfway committed to. To be a leader, you have to be all in.
Happy piloting!
The Tech Exec 