22 REAL-LEADERS.COM / SUMMER 2022 LEADERSHIP O n November 4, 2010, just four minutes after take-off from Changi Airport in Singapore, the number two jet engine of Qantas Airways flight QF32, the Airbus A380, exploded. Debris from the exploded engine hit the left-wing, destroying several electrical and hydraulic lines. Thereafter, several essential aircraft control systems failed. Over the next harrowing two hours, the pilots flew in a holding pattern. They needed to burn enough fuel so that the plane’s final weight would allow for a safe landing. All 440 passengers, including 24 crew members in the cabin, three captains, and two co-pilots in the cockpit survived. The account, from a Harvard Business Review article titled, What Aircraft Crews Know About Managing High-Pressure Situations, describes the near-death experience that shook (literally) the very foundation of the aircraft crew onboard the Qantas flight — the desperation, the panic and what they learned from it. So, what did the aircraft crew learn from this high-pressure crisis situation? Flight QF32 crew’s difficult time illustrated the simple fact that crises, which inevitably arise in any field of work, demand more from us than everyday challenges and that no single person can resolve the issue alone. Clear communication, collaboration, and cooperation were crucial to the survival of the flight. In the opinion of the authors, the very same ingredients can be the best recipe to help businesses overcome, and even thrive, in the face of the most difficult obstacles. Here’s how they did it: They communicated clearly as a team. Simple as this may sound, most teams struggle with this aspect. Communicating effectively as a team is the key to performance, especially in a crisis. Seamless communication allows the team to work together coherently and USING THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF ASSERTIVENESS IN A CRISIS SITUATION IS IMPERATIVE FOR A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, IT’S NOT BAD PILOTING THAT CAUSES PLANE CRASHES; IT’S THE PILOTS’ INABILITY TO DO ALL OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT FLYING A PLANE INVOLVES: COMMUNICATING, IMPROVISING, MULTITASKING, ASKING, LISTENING. By Ruchira Chaudhary THE SECRET CODE TO UNCOMMON LEADERSHIP
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