Being the best is not always best
The first time I laid eyes on a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar aircraft is etched in my memory as if it were yesterday. It was the early 1980s. Commercial aviation in the United States was just a few years into a newly deregulated business environment that brought a more competitive marketplace. The Charlotte Douglas Municipal Airport (CLT) had just reached a milestone. With the addition of an Eastern Airlines flight, CLT had 100 commercial passenger flights departing (today, more than 700 flights will depart CLT).
My friend Chris Sanders is a pilot for FedEx today. When I first met Chris in sixth grade, he told me he would be a pilot one day. He was fascinated with flight. He remains so today. Recognizing the significance of the CLT milestone, he asked if I wanted to go over and see that 100th flight depart.
Late on a summer Sunday evening, Chris and I went out onto the roof of the passenger concourse at CLT, known then as the Observation Deck. Sitting at the first gate on the left was an Eastern Airlines “Whisperliner,” adorned in their trademark white over ribbons of soft light blue and bold dark blue. Some called the design a “hockey stick” since the ribbons flowed up the tail of their various aircraft to form that image. As soon as we walked out the door onto the Observation Deck, I was but a few feet from the biggest aircraft I had ever seen up to that point. And I was looking up at it.
Twenty-five years ago this week, Cindy and I were flying home from Dallas after attending the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting and investing an extra day sightseeing in the area. An inexperienced flyer at the time, I did not realize just how dumb it was for me to book a flight at the end of the business day on a Friday. After being put on standby when we first checked in, Cindy and I were two of the last three passengers to board an L-1011 packed full. It’s the only time I have flown on a plane with two aisles and a wide center seat section.
With these two experiences with L-1011s in the recesses of my memory, a story about the last of Lockheed’s commercial passenger aircraft I saw recently ignited my curiosity. That curiosity prompted me to read several more online articles about the L-1011 TriStar, which I have linked below.
To summarize those and other articles I've read, the L-1011 was a superior aircraft to its primary competitor, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. I was surprised to learn that the L-1011 flight system was so advanced that it could land the plane without human control. That was 50 years ago. “Over-engineered masterpiece” is the phrase one writer used to describe it. One pilot called the plane “the most intelligent airliner ever to fly.”
So if it was far superior to the DC-10, why was it not a commercial success? Why did Lockheed sell only half of the 500 planes they needed to make the aircraft profitable? Why did this great engineering achievement end Lockheed’s involvement in the commercial passenger airliner market?
The answers offer some words of caution to leaders.
Being the best is not always best. We typically regard the pursuit of superiority as wise. We often associate superiority with a competitive advantage. However, the advanced avionics, new bonding agent for the fuselage, design amenities, and the quiet engines drove Lockheed’s costs so high that they never came close to making money on the plane. Delays that resulted from their pursuit of superiority also allowed McDonnell Douglas to get their DC-10 to market two years ahead of the L-1011.
Whether manufacturing a consumer product, serving food, or developing a fundraising campaign for a nonprofit, striving to be the best may put us at a disadvantage with others vying for the same customers, clients, or supporters.
Pursuit of excellence is a good strategy. A wise leader never wants their company, church, or professional practice to produce junk or come off as less-than-credible. However, the intelligent leader needs to know when enough is enough to do what we need to do well without the pursuit of perfection causing us to lose momentum in pursuing our ultimate mission.
The failures of others can doom our efforts. The most significant setback to Lockheed came from its relationship with engine supplier Rolls Royce. Lockheed engineers designed critical areas of the L-1011 around the unique configuration of the Rolls Royce engine that would power the aircraft. Late in the plane's development, Rolls Royce’s financial troubles hobbled them. Rolls Royce’s woes become Lockheed’s delays. This one factor led to the DC-10 beating the L-1011 to the market eager for these new wide-body jets. Lockheed never overcame that setback. The DC-10 outsold the L-1011 by 55%.
When we identify suppliers, partners, or providers, wise leaders make those assessments carefully. Their failure, misjudgment, or questionable practices may bring a devastating setback to us.
What about you? Do you know when enough is enough? Or does the tendency toward superiority threaten the achievement of your mission? As you consider others that your professional practice, nonprofit, or team are relying on, have you carefully considered just how reliable they are? What is the potential risk your mission faces from their failure?
Sit down with a trusted friend and explore these questions as you seek to lead more effectively.
Enjoy your weekend!
https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/22928-lockheed-l-1011-too-good-to-be-true
https://avgeekery.com/the-l-1011-was-an-over-engineered-masterpiece/
The views and opinions expressed in my Thursday Thoughts on Leadership are my own. They do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina or any affiliated churches.