What an amazing story -– Chesley Sullenberger, a 57-year-old pilot for U.S. Airways, lands a crippled jet in the Hudson River on Jan. 15 and all 155 passengers escape. I don’t know anything about Mr. Sullenberger’s faith life, but his heroic behavior illustrates a couple of points about the GEO Principle.
First, Sullenberger demonstrates the importance of professional competence. Sullenberger is a superb pilot. On most flights, the difference between average piloting skills and excellent piloting skills are probably not noticeable. But on this flight, the difference was huge. Sullenberger is a consummate professional and thanks to his high level of proficiency, lives were saved. A story that could have had a tragic ending concluded happily.
You never know when you will be put to the test at your job. Most of us will not be put in situations where lives are at stake, but all of us will be tested at some point. We need to take our work seriously. Our work needs to be able to stand up against challenge, adversity and unexpected trouble. Whatever your profession, work on your skills. Whatever your skill level, work to improve. Don’t settle for complacency. Professional competence is a gift from God; He offers it to everyone who works. Don’t reject it; grab it tight. We do that by evaluating our own skill level, identifying weak spots, and taking steps to improve.
Second, Sullenberger demonstrates the importance of preparation. Most people focus on planning, but really preparation is a better goal. Preparation and planning are not the same. Planning implies a certain amount of desire to control the future. Preparation implies being ready for the future, no matter what comes. Sullenberger certainly planned his flight but a few seconds after takeoff, the flightplan was worthless. What saved him was great preparation. His training over decades prepared him to handle this high-pressure test.
In business, people typically put a lot of emphasis on planning. But it is preparation that will get you through tough times. Business people prepare for unexpected challenges with on-going care for risk management, decision-making, and professional development when times are good. Nobody plans for a recession, for example, but when it hits only those who were prepared will come out of it unscathed.
A work emphasis on preparation mirrors the Christian ideal for our faith life. We don’t know what God has in store for our future, but whatever it is, we want to be prepared for it. Whenever God should call us home, we want to be prepared. We don’t plan for death, but we certainly want to be prepared for it.
A hero is a great blessing. We can take joy in honoring Sullenberger and other heroes, and maybe learn something from them, too.
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