Ditching the plane was just the beginning. How Capt. Chesley “Sully†Sullenberger forged a new life as a leader after saving 155 people
On Sunday, in The New York Times, Capt. Chesley “Sully†Sullenberger wrote a column attacking pundits who mocked Vice President Joe Biden for his speech. The article didn’t pull any punches, neither did the headline: “I Once Stuttered, Too. I Dare You to Mock Me.â€
“I dare you.†It was 11 years ago this month that Sully first realized he could — “had an obligation to,†as he told me — speak with clarity on topics important to him. His conversion happened shortly after he landed his Airbus A320 on the Hudson River in what is now referred to as the Miracle on the Hudson.
Most know the story, if not from the news, from the Hollywood movie: Shortly after taking off from NYC’s LaGuardia, Sully’s plane collided with a flock of Canada geese, disabling both engines. Sully quickly assessed his options and realized that ditching US Airways Flight 1549 in the river that separates Manhattan and New Jersey was the only choice. I remember craning to see the plane from the Midtown highrise where I worked — the flashbacks to 9/11 robbing the air from the room — as Sully lowered himself into the frozen water. Just 3.5 minutes after the birdstrike, it was over: Sully had saved 155 lives, including his own.
And, as Sully soon realized, he hadn’t just saved his own life, he’d drastically changed it. Calls came quickly from journalists, from the airline, from investigators. His wife, Lorrie, said other letters and calls and outreach came, too: from people around the world who wanted to tell their own stories, of losing people, of being happy to see a hero. She said it took her some time to realize that they needed Sully to serve a bigger role.
In the years since the crash, the pilot has become an outspoken speaker on safety and political leadership. We talked about the turning point in his life in a recent #ThisIsWorking interview. Sully said the change was never something he wanted, but he also realized that a fork in path had appeared and he had no choice but to follow it. “It was drinking from a firehose, times a thousand. My family and I had to learn very quickly how to live this new, very different life.†he said. “I never sought the limelight.â€
Sully has now testified in front of the House and Senate, taken on Boeing over its fatal 737 Max, penned op-eds and, a former stutterer, travelled the world giving talks. Career consultants often talk about developing “transferable skills.†I’d be surprised if any of them would have seen the cockpit skills Sully had spent a lifetime perfecting — â€I was on the work until I die program,†he told me — allowing a smooth pivot into that of an outspoken public figure.
What struck me when I was talking to him was how easy it would have been for him to simply make a profession of recounting the “miracle.†People love hearing it (I certainly did). But Sully had trained himself to be a leader since his days in the US Air Force. And so he trained himself how to speak and found the issues where he wanted to make a dent. And then he used the Hudson landing to open the doors he needed to get his voice out there.
"No matter what station in life one has, no matter what title you have, for each of us, there is some part of the world that we can affect, we can control,†he said in our talk. “And I think each of us has an obligation to use our influence over that part of the world. And when you choose to try to make your part of the world bright, just, good, safe, you can affect what happens there. And if each of us does that, in aggregate, it can make a big difference.â€
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4 å¹´Profound! An authentic, genuine, gut/heart guided hero. Amazing interview. Thank you for this
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5 å¹´Great interview! In just a few minutes I got to know Capt. Sully and it sparked my interest to know more about him. Thank you. Very well done. At the end of the interview Capt. Sully's words are very inspiring and I really like it when he says it's - a choice - of each of us to do the right thing.?
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5 å¹´Greetings.My name is Mahoro Oliver. I am 30 years old. I am from Kigali, Rwanda, Africa. Currently I live in Bangalore, India, to suppport the worldwide launch of our program. In the Young World Leader Program I am a Primary Continent Leader for Africa.My local mission is to be a voice of hope. My aim is to unite people into a peaceful and joyful community. To accomplish this, I work with the Voice Of Hope organization which works from Kigali, Rwanda. We compose songs. We visit patients at different hospitals. We help people in need of shelter. We facilitate transformational programs and we deliver speeches aimed to inspire our community. Through these activities I learned how joyful activities can help overcome suffering.?In 1994 more than a million people were killed in Rwanda. I have never met a big part of my extended family. I saw my dad, his right body severly paralyzed. I saw children taking care of other children as their parents had died. I saw children, burdened by trauma, being completely on their own as no family was left to take care of them. I realized that it was people's sense of separation that caused the genocide. I vowed to use my life to make sure this will never happen again.In the year 2012, I joined the National University of Rwanda. I joined hands with the Voice of Hope organization. Seeing people with tears of joy in their eyes, I realized the potential of their work. Widows, orphans and others expressed heartwarming testimonies on how grateful they were. They now have hope for a better tomorrow. Seeing people from different tribes unite as one family gave me the hope that we can have a united and peaceful country.On the 26th of January 2018 I started my training in the Young World Leader Program. Using 9 programs for Radical Transformation I am learning how to create value in my community and how to co-facilitate critical mass actions to inspire non-violent heart centered living.?On Monday July 7th 2025, in Empowerment Camp 7, 750 Young World Leaders will start facilitating a first 6 week long global critical mass action in the Buddha Maitreya Pyramid at 1:30 Sidereal time. This will start shifting the global collective consciousness for 1 hour per day over 6 weeks time.?On Saturday October 4th 2025, through Worldwide Interactive Events on our online Empowerment Platform, 1.596 Young World Leaders will start to be in unity consciousness for 1 hour per month with 0.1% of the world population, inviting these 8 million people 'Participating Audience' to live a non-violent heart centered living.?By Saturday September 4th 2027, through Worldwide Interactive Events on our online Empowerment Platform 10.000 Young World Leaders will start to be in unity consciousness for 2 hours per week with 1% of the world population, inviting these 80 million people 'Participating Audience' to live a non-violent heart centered living.?The raise in consciousness will result in millions of people 'Participating Audience' taking inspired action. Their objective is creating communities that work for all. This is the start towards the fulfillment of VISION 2050 - a world that works for ALL people.?My name is Mahoro Oliver. My vision is a world where people smile happily each and every day.If you are inspired by my mission and if you would like to support me in achieving my mission, please contact me Mahoro Oliver,?email: mahorooliver14@yahoo.comPhone/WhatsApp : +919513249576LinkedIn: Mahoro Oliver.Facebook link:https://m.facebook.com/mahoro.oliver.3?ref=bookmarksTwitter: @mahoro-oliverFor more information about the Sustainable World Project please visit our website which is www.sustainableworldproject.com .The link to our vision 2027:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gJAPiDfJWPoThe link to the video on how we will achieve our goal: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QMSAvk44-MQThank you for the good work you are doing.Looking forward to hear from you.Sincerely,Mahoro.
Experienced Office Administrator | Skilled in Customer Service & Organizational Management | Passionate About Humanitarian Work & Underprivileged Support
5 å¹´Wonderful