What Southwest Airlines Pilot Tammie Jo Shults teaches us about Leadership – 5 Lessons

The Southwest Airlines incident that happened this week after an engine exploded forcing the flight crew to make an emergency landing at Philadelphia Airport is, of course, first and foremost, a tragedy in which a person has sadly lost her life. But the episode also demonstrates how acting professionally with good leadership can turn a critical situation in one, where a female pilot is celebrated as a hero for saving many people’s lives.

The recording in which Captain Tammie Jo Shults explains the situation to air traffic control was spread through social media incredibly fast. Why is it -- besides the obvious human curiosity over such extraordinary situations -- that people are so impressed? Why has Captain Shults quickly become a hero not only from the point of view of her family and friends but all around the world?

Some of the reasons are surely that she has given us some valuable lessons on leadership.

Lesson #1: Take responsibility

Being the Captain on board an airplane means being responsible for all eventualities. Especially during a crisis like an emergency landing, a pilot needs to fully commit to the responsibility. Other similar examples in the past, like Captain Sully who in 2009 effected an emergency landing on the Hudson River, have shown us that: Leadership is about taking this responsibility, and focusing on the present situation. In these stressful moments pilots cannot allow themselves to think about anything else other than what is going on in the immediate moment: No thinking about personal issues, no distractions. Captain Shults has demonstrated: Taking responsibility means full commitment to the task and complete focus.

Lesson #2: Have a plan

There is rarely a situation that can possibly occur in the cockpit that has not been anticipated and for which there does not exist a plan and even a plan b. Since flying an airplane is a highly complex task in a high-risk environment, checklists and so-called standard operating procedures ensure that emergencies are managed well. Especially when unexpected things occur and pilots might be influenced by emotions, it is crucial to have a framework that helps to manage tasks. It surely makes sense to have planned things out in the workplace as well. The more we plan, the safer we are when doing our jobs.

Lesson #3: Communicate effectively

Checklists do not only make sure all the listed tasks are completed, they also consist of very precise callouts. Those are expressions whose meanings are clearly defined. In the world of aviation it is key to avoid misunderstandings since these can lead to major problems. Making use of a certain common language and vocabulary helps pilots to communicate effectively. There is also a lesson on different communication styles here: Whereas pilots surely make small talk during breaks and while not managing important tasks (– yes, relationship building is important!), there is none of this while working on specific tasks like take-off, landing or managing an emergency. This is why the communication that we can hear between Captain Shults and air traffic control is short and precise. Since both sides need to avoid unnecessary noise and disturbance on the radio, words are reduced to a minimum. Thus commands and instructions can be understood clearly and without confusion.

It surely is a good recommendation for managers to reflect upon the effectiveness of their communication from time to time. When is relationship-building communication needed and how can it be put in place purposefully? When is the time to communicate precisely and effectively?  And, most importantly: Not communicating is not an option. Whatever is left unsaid, is not communicated.  

Lesson #4: Make decisions

One of the most important leadership qualities pilots must demonstrate is decisiveness. Oftentimes decisions need to be taken without having a lot of time to reflect. Captain Shults surely needed to decide quickly that based on the current situation there was no alternative other than heading to the next suitable airport for an emergency landing. When choosing the best alternate airport pilots often need to consider several factors like weather, fuel and weight of aircraft. A decision-making tool used by pilots is called FORDEC, which stands for:

-      Facts

-      Options

-      Risks

-      Decision

-      Execution

-      Check

It is easy to imagine productive use of this decision-making tool in the workplace as well.

Lesson #5: Manage your emotions

I think what we all found the most stunning while listening to Captain Shults’s recording was how calmly and competently she behaved. Pilots are trained to remain calm and composed in stressful situations in numerous flight simulator sessions and the focus of training pilots lies exactly on this aspect of the job. Yet it still is impressive to see how well she managed this task with perseverance. Even when announcing difficult messages, like the one that a person “has been sucked out,” she was communicating clearly and remained composed. We all can imagine, especially with 144 passengers in the cabin fearing for their lives, that this was not an easy message to pass on and what kind of feelings and emotions it might reveal. Emotional stability can be both innate and acquired through training.

Nancy Levesque is a Leadership Consultant, Facilitator & Business Coach who empowers leaders to take action, improve their performance and professional satisfaction as well as their team collaboration. Nancy has written a book on “Communication in the Cockpit” (Title in German: “Landing checklist completed. Eine kommunikationswissenschaftliche Betrachtung der Verst?ndigung im Cockpit.”) and holds a private pilot license. She has always been fascinated by the parallels between the airline world and the corporate world and has brought together the results of her research in her keynote “What Managers can learn from Pilots”. Feel free to get in touch if you are interested to learning more: [email protected]