January 15 marks the 10th anniversary of 'Miracle on the Hudson'

Happy Anniversary! On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 after the plane collided with a flock of geese and the engines stopped shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport. Sullenberger, co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles and all 155 passengers aboard survived.

I have spoken about this incident many times from the perspective of Leadership at Times of Crisis and the skills a leader needs to be successful. What where the skills that made Captain Sullenberger triumphant? Here are five skills that great leaders under pressure exert:

1. Be Aware: Take a moment to gain situational awareness and figure out what's going on.

• Start with the basics: take a deep breath.
• Acquire situational awareness: What is going on?
• Then, take charge, develop a plan of action, give clear assignments, and establish the next meeting time. Sound familiar? This is the background for the Incident Action Plan (IAP) process of the Incident Command System (ICS). The IAP is one the of most important hallmarks of ICS. This process helps to impose order on a chaotic situation.

2. Be Decisive: Make a decision and move forward. Act promptly, not hurriedly.

• A leader must provide direction and respond to the situation in a timely fashion. Make a decision and keep moving forward. Moving too quickly, however, will likely make people anxious.
• A good leader responds to a crisis situation by providing leadership in a timely fashion.      
• During subsequent meetings with the team, a leader discusses the direction and sets specific timeframes for implementation. Legendary coach John Wooden once advised, "Be quick but don't hurry."

3. Communicate: Communicate frequently and manage expectations. 

• Communication is key. Set realistic expectations. Communicate early and often.
• Emergencies or crises take much longer to resolve then we like or we think they should. Everyone wants to get on with their lives. Remember the words of former BP CEO Tony Hayward after the Gulf oil spill: “I want my life back.”
•  Disasters take time to recover from and a quick resolution is often not possible. It falls to the leader in charge to address the size and scope of the crisis.
• Don't be an alarmist, but don’t be afraid to speak to the magnitude of the situation.

4. Lead: Execute the strategy and exhibit control.

• When things are happening quickly, no one may have actual control of the situation, but a leader can assume control. In other words, you can’t control the disaster, but you can control the response. Assume the mantle of leadership and, well, lead!

5. Be Flexible: Things will change. Stay loose; be flexible.

• A leader can never afford to lose composure. A leader must adapt rapidly.
• By its nature, a crisis changes quickly. Your first response will likely not be your final response. In crisis situations, a leader cannot be wedded to a single strategy. She/he must continue to take in new information, listen carefully, and consult with the frontline experts who know what's happening.

These are the critical skills that we must develop in ourselves as well as support those in charge during the crisis. And every time I get into a plane (which is quite often), I am hoping that the woman or man behind the wheel is a Captain Sullenberger!