Aircraft Or Spacecraft?

Even after many decades of travelling by air, a few intriguing aspects of the experience have stayed with me.

One, the announcement of the name of the Captain, with a specific mention that “he/she is in charge of this flight” and followed by the name of the First Officer (a designation that is not only miles ahead of being called co-pilot, but sounds even better than a mere Captain). Every airline does this, and one wonders if this is statutory. It is not as if we recognise all the names, and passenger(s) can’t choose to get off the flight because they are not great fans of that particular Captain or First Officer.  

None of us can even recall the names once the flight is on its way. As a passenger, what do we use this information for?

As an act of telling us who the “BOSS” is and establishing the hierarchy on who will have the last word on this journey, this procedure is unexceptionable.

When in the midst of crisis and conflict situations in companies, one has often wished for an announcement on the PA system that will remind us of the name of the Captain (and the co-pilot as back-up) and let us know who is in charge of this hell-hole. What a relief that would be!

Two, that age-old announcement on “In case of fall in cabin pressure, individual masks placed overhead will drop down automatically. Pull the mask, place it over your nose and mouth, and breathe normally.” Then the clincher: “Before helping others, put on your mask.” This is a tremendous piece of life-long advice, stated so casually. Fascinates me every time.

One can extrapolate this to mean that we need to quickly get to living our lives so well that we can create the capacity to help others with their lives.

Calls for introspection, and ways to speed up the journey to where we want to be!

Three, the various ways in which the airlines urge you to ‘enjoy the journey’, ‘sit back and relax’ or immerse yourself in their ‘award winning service’. Till about a decade ago, Cathay Pacific had a by-line, ”Arrive In Good Shape”. Again, wonderful suggestions to be used everyday in all our journeys, both long and short.

Try this – make a conscious effort to arrive in good shape every morning at work. Sounds like a short-cut to magical beginnings!

 The parallels are sharp and stark, between what an airline is trying to do to their passengers, who have evolved over the years, and what organisations do to their employees. The company is trying hard to make the experience magical, get the right people to take ownership (“I am the Captain”), the good ones (with the oxygen masks on) to form, build and help teams that will learn from each other, and for all of them to arrive in good shape, every day and with every project.

In an environment where there is a constant shift in the balance of power between the employer and the employee, there is an increasing stridency in demands made from work, and the workplace. There are complaints about employees (especially those with higher/rare skills) feeling entitled, and therefore, want to be ‘serviced’ by the organisation they have agreed to work for.

Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian philosopher and sociologist said, “On a Spaceship, there are no passengers. All are crew.”

 Therein may lie the answer. We need to elevate our workplaces from airborne aircrafts to functioning spacecrafts. If all are crew, there is no one idling. The roles are clear, and all of them are equally important. Everyone is in, on the mission. No service demands, no service providers.

 To start with, let each Team Manager in our companies ask, and honestly answer this question: “Is your team an Aircraft, or a Spacecraft?” Do you have people who expect ‘service’ from others? Or, is everyone on to their stations, know what they ought to do, and are focused on the success of the mission?