Power

I have the power to get you to read this sentence.

Power is sometimes a matter of perspective because the reality is you had the power first. You had the power to choose this article and read this sentence, but you also had the power to choose another article, like how a Flat Earth Society member has mathematically “proven” the earth is flat.

I chose the black sheep image because I knew it would resonate with you—not the old-fashioned symbolism, but rather the rebel, the maverick—you, the one who stands out.

Who Gets to Have Power?

Sometimes, we have a choice of who has power and influence over us, and sometimes, we don’t. The purest and strongest power is earned. It’s wanted and righteous, and its intent is good, but utopia can never exist with just one leader because we all have different ideas of what that means.

In every structure of human society, there is a hierarchy of power. From macro to microcosms, someone must be in charge. I’m a mom, so my Inherent Powers were fleeting over my teenagers as they grew older yet it’s amazing how an allowance (and now college tuition) give me Enumerated Powers because money is power.

Sometimes, power is gained by brute force just for the desire to have power, both in people and countries, but history has shown that this type of power will eventually collapse the person or society.? Some who are entrusted with power abuse it. We give it, they take it, and then we can’t get it back. Yet, as much as we complain about democracy, the core quality is as close to perfection as we’ll ever have. We get to elect our power. Sometimes, we don’t like it, but then we get to try a different power four years later. It’s your power, but not if you don’t use it.

Police and Pilots

In our society, there are positions where employees are granted the power to save or take a life, and their power is implied.

We don’t get to elect pilots and police officers, but we put them in charge of our lives. We place a badge on a new officer’s uniform and the captain’s wings on a pilot. They are symbols of granted authority. Both have the power to save or take a life. In the pilot’s case, they can take hundreds of lives with one wrong choice.

Through thousands of deaths, the aviation industry has learned that there cannot be a king or queen in the cockpit/flight deck of a commercial or larger business aircraft (2 pilots or more).? The flight deck must be a democracy instead of a Monarchy, or people die.

The Crew Resource Management (CRM) concept, born from many deaths, has led to our understanding of power and how to use it wisely in aviation. You have a voice, but there is still a leader. There are many articles and books on the topic, but generally, the training focuses on risk management, leadership, communication, and decision-making under stressful conditions. It’s also an affirmation that the captain makes the final decision, but the captain needs all input to make the correct decision and it’s your obligation to speak up, even if you’re a newbie first officer. The CRM concept would have to be altered to apply it to law enforcement, but instead of reinventing the wheel, we could add a few more spokes.

The aviation industry admits that even the best pilot will make mistakes, especially under duress, so the counterbalance is to teach the complexities of power and leadership and that everyone has an obligation to speak up in the flight deck, even if it’s their training captain who is making the mistake.?

Pride and ego need to take seats in the back. If your ego is so fragile that you must have ultimate control and you’re wounded from having someone question your actions, you need another profession.

Apply CRM to Any Industry

In order to test any theory, you have to apply it to a pivotal moment. To apply this to the George Floyd case, there were four other officers participating in the scene. Two of them were trainees who felt they did not have the power to speak up, but as human beings, we all agree that being able to breathe is a requirement for staying alive. No one thought otherwise. Just like the first officer in the crash of two B747s on the runway in Tenerife (killed 583 people), the scene wasn’t right, but the person in charge has your power.

One of the observing police officers asked, “Should we roll him on his side?” ?In Tenerife, the first officer had asked the training captain if they should verify their takeoff clearance.? Someone knew something was wrong, but they didn’t have the power to speak up. Power can create deafening silence. CRM gives the power back. It grants the power to speak, but you must also choose to use it.

It’s terrifying to speak up to the person who holds the power. The first time I spoke up was when I saw my captain make a mistake that created my first ulcer, but the payoff is that I’m here to tell you about it. ?When I made it to the captain's seat, I demanded that my first and second officers speak up if I made a mistake. My ego wouldn’t be around to care if I was dead, so speak up. When I first made upgraded to captain, I didn’t make that clear. The irony is that you must force subordinates to use the power to speak up! ?I had to learn how to empower my crew to override my position of power if need be, and in doing so, I gained even more.

Resistance

When CRM was first introduced, the resistance was fierce. The concern was that it would erode command authority. In the early days of aviation and still in some cultures and (unfortunately) in some flight decks today, the captain is king/queen, and the first officer’s job is to keep quiet, get the coffee, and not touch anything. Years of application have begrudgingly shown that with CRM, the captain still has ultimate authority while the crew/first officer is able to make suggestions without the captain feeling undermined. Safety has increased exponentially as a result.

Both professions are unique, but the overlying stress and decision-making under extreme conditions overlap. Many pilots work in single-pilot operations, and many police officers work alone, so training for each environment has its own challenges. When an incident arises that requires more than one police officer (which is the case in most police-involved shootings) is the moment when the CRM concept could come into play and help change the outcome for the better.

Because the media tries to lead without really listening, the headlines aren’t about race; it’s about power. It’s about having an assumed power and dominance over another using power vested by the people to take a life. To justify it with power. No singular person in our society has been given the right to take a life unless you’re defending yourself in the process. Using CRM during a life-and-death situation might help turn it into just a situation by having the voice of another perspective inserted into the other person’s reality.

Power and Leadership

Great leadership is about listening to those on the lower rungs, the ones holding the hierarchy up. They are the strongest from holding it up, but they don’t have the power. All great leaders of any hierarchy, company to country, are most effective when they have the talent to listen to this strength. From listening, perspective is gained, which clarifies any situation. CRM simply has the power to force more listening before reacting. Just a few words can keep life away from death, start a revolution, or stop a war. CRM, just like words, has the power.

If the senior officer involved in the Floyd tragedy had listened to the perspective of the quiet words, “Should we roll him on his side?” …

Link to A CHICK IN THE COCKPIT: ?https://www.amazon.com/Chick-Cockpit-My-Life-Air/dp/1933016140/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title

From the front desk of an FBO to the captain’s seat of a commercial airliner, Erika Armstrong has experienced everything aviation has to offer. She is the author of A Chick in the Cockpit, an aviation professor at MSU Denver, and VP of Business Development at Advanced Aircrew Academy.