Fear and anxiety dominates the workplace. People are feeling depressed and scared. Those who have jobs are waiting anxiously for the next shoe to drop. Millions of people feel victimized by the economy. Others have given up on hope. The effect is lowering motivation and job productivity the world over.
Well–It is a good thing I don’t feel that way! I refuse to be pessimistic. The sky is not falling.
No matter if you are the President of the United States or the President of the local PTA; you have a tremendous opportunity to make difference in the lives of others. That opportunity is realized by the words we use and the attitude we choose.
If you are a leader—you have a higher calling – a responsibility to set a positive example for others to follow. Now more than ever, this world, this country and your business need optimistic leadership. The people you influence are looking for optimism and a positive direction to follow. This is what good leaders do.
In my own experiences I have learned time and time again—with the right leadership, people can do amazing things. Let’s sign an agreement to be more positive leaders. If we do, we will snap out of this recession much quicker.
A Hero Lies in Each of Us
The heroic actions demonstrated by Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and his magnificent crew on US Airways Flight 1549 is worthy of admiration. It comes with no surprise to appreciate the powerful response people associate with this incident. He made a perfectly executed landing in the Hudson Bay resulting in no loss of life.
If we dissect this event — each of us appreciate something different. There is not enough space and time for me to list all the aspects, but here are a couple that stand out in my mind.
Others come first. Once the plane was in the water Sully was the last to abandon ship. He did not get off until everyone was outside the plane. Even after Captain Sullenberger achieved his celebrity you still sense his humility — not selfishly seeking glory.
I believe Joel Barker’s definition of a leader best describes Captain Sullenberger. Barker says, “A leader is someone who takes you to a destination you will not go to by yourself.” That is certainly true in this incident.
We have grown callous by all the negative images we see in the media. Fallen titans motivated by corruption and greed and bombard us in the news media. Whether it is peanut butter, private jets, or golden parachutes we have grown skeptical and less trustful of others.
We tend to forget there are far more good people in this world than bad. Sullenber and his crew made us hopefull and proud again. That is a good thing.
If you would like to view the 60 Minutes interview with Captain Sullenberger, please go to my blog.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4784012n
