Keeping Calm at the Controls

When he was flying, legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager was known for breaking the sound barrier, and along with many other feats of altitude and speed, he was also known for his voice. In the classic account of the space program, "The Right Stuff," author Tom Wolfe describes Yeager’s manner of speaking as having "a particular down-home calmness that is so exaggerated it begins to parody itself (nevertheless!—it’s reassuring)."

You know this smooth and soothing style. It has been adopted by generations of airline pilots and symbolizes the kind of unflappable personality you want in the cockpit, especially when things get rough. Just listen to the remarkable Tammie Joe Shults, one of the first woman fighter pilots in the U.S. Navy, communicate with the tower during an emergency landing of a commercial flight in 2018.

As communicators and as leaders, this is the "voice" we need to strive for when turbulence hits our organizations. Whether we’re communicating about the pandemic, the ups and downs of the market, or other crisis situations, it’s up to us to deliver critical information with calm and candor.

I’ve been proud of the way our Lockheed Martin communicators have channeled their inner Yeagers over the past few months. I believe our commitment to timely and transparent communications has helped reassure employees and external stakeholders and contributed to our company’s ability to deliver on our business commitments without missing a beat.

These are tenets that have been important to our team’s success so far – and will be going forward.

1.    Be safe. This needs to be said out loud and prioritized. We need to support each other as we take care of our health and well-being.

2.    Work hard, work smart. Even if we’re working remotely, it’s never been more important to collaborate, delegate, and/or raise our hands if we need help.

3.    Keep focused. It’s easy to be distracted by current events, or by working from home with kids, roommates, other family members or pets. We need to be sure we’re delivering on business goals and our commitments.

4.    Even Better if…. We should always be thinking about how to raise the bar on performance and quality. Apply lessons learned and best practices.

5.    Assume Positive Intent. Listen, everyone is stressed. But we’re a team; let’s show compassion and understanding to each other.

These tenets are an easy checklist to follow as we look out over an uncertain horizon. It’s important that we stay calm at the controls and help guide our organizations and stakeholders through this journey.