Foresight Lessons from an Emergency Landing

This was one of those occurrences that makes for a perfect analogy. Flying home after a conference just over a week ago, I got to experience an emergency landing of our plane.?

The emergency procedures?

Just as we took off from OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg, on our way to Cape Town, someone in the crew noticed what appeared to be a damaged tyre at the back of the plane. The captain came on to make the announcement, after we had been flying for some time, to explain that there could be a problem and for the sake of security we were going to turn around and return to OR Tambo. He explained that there shouldn't be a problem, as there were two wheels on each side of the plane at the back, and of course we could land without the one that may have been damaged. He explained that we would, however, need to burn off some of the fuel so that when we landed the plane would be a little lighter and make for an easier landing. He explained that he and the cockpit and cabin crew were all trained for this, that they had been communicating with the teams at the airport and that they all knew what to do in this situation.?

He then explained that for the sake of security, we passengers would also be prepared. The cabin crew then started a series of preparations that included us removing sharp objects, putting away potentially dangerous objects and practising the brace position. Reminders were made of all the security features and emergency exits and all the things we normally don't quite pay attention to any longer if we fly often.?

Then the captain explained we would be doing a fly-by of the control tower at the airport so that they could do a visual check on the tyre. Communication throughout was constant, calm, clear and repetitive.

After all of that preparation, it was finally time to land. We took our brace positions and the crew were, um, insistent on our compliance with those instructions. The captain gave us one additional message of encouragement and then we approached the landing at a remote runway.?

And we landed.?

And there was applause. And relief.?

And then the tyre blew.?

That part was unexpected, at least for us in the cabin, and the plane shuddered and there was smoke but we were already slowing down and eventually came to a halt.?

No fear

I had taken this early flight to get home sooner after a week of meetings and travelling. I was tired and a little emotional from the days before. But not once during that flight did I feel afraid or scared. Not a single bit. I was annoyed by some of my fellow passengers who hammed up the experience to tell their loved ones. “You won’t BELIEVE what I have just had to go through!!!” I was annoyed by other passengers who experienced an inconvenience in their privileged lives as the worst kind of personal insult. But I did not experience fear.?

Practical foresight?

So here is where the analogy finally plays out.?

On the ground, long before anything could go wrong, the various teams learned how to deal with different emergencies. Learning from real situations in the past, they have worked out how to avoid problems, which problems are concerning and which are desperately concerning. They have learned how to deal with the most flammable and dangerous components on a plane - the passengers. They have learned and practised communication, scripts, and commands. They have installed and practised using emergency equipment.?

They learned. They anticipated. They installed procedures. They prepared scenarios and rehearsed the actions and consequences. And they got the plane down and the passengers out without any real incident at all. And knowing this meant that I didn’t need to be afraid.?

All of this is a future thinking skill set. It is practical foresight.?

In fact it was a bit of a non-story. All disasters that never happen are non-stories. We don’t talk about companies that avoided going out of business. We don’t talk about people who learn new skills and can find alternative employment.?

The non-story is not thrilling or sexy, but it means that people go on with their lives and their work because someone, somewhere anticipated the future and put measures into place to avoid those disasters.?

When we get onto our umpteenth flight and listen to what sounds like the emergency announcements drone, we aren’t interested because we don't think this disaster will happen to us. When there is a threat that it will, then we pay attention.?

We can prepare in the same way for our businesses and our careers. We can learn, anticipate, prepare scenarios and move because of them, into new opportunities and away from potential disasters. It may not be sexy, but then, neither is going out of business because we don’t know how to land our plane and keep our people safe.?

Kudos to FlySafair air and the teams at OR Tambo International.

#FuturesThinkingForEveryone #FuturesAlchemist #PracticalForesight