I’m back from Chicago where I was speaking at an executive conference on The Making Magnificence Project™.  My flight to the Windy City should have been a brief two hours, but Mother Nature had other plans.  With thunderstorms over Chicago, flights were being delayed, re-routed, and canceled.  I was lucky to get in.  If you’ve ever had the experience of boarding a flight, sitting on the tarmac, taxiing, returning to the gate, deplaning, re-boarding, sitting some more, taking off, circling, landing to re-fuel, taking off again, and diverting, then you know that it was a long day.

For everyone.  Including the Captain.

In the midst of all those obstacles, here’s what I observed in the Captain: He kept us posted.  Often.  He informed us about the what AND the why.  He acknowledged and shared our frustration.  He thanked us sincerely for our patience.  He gave passengers the option to get off and re-book.  And he was visible and available to answer questions when we were standing around the terminal waiting to hear what was next.  As day drew in to night, he reassured us that with safety first, he was getting us to Chicago.  And he did.  Almost twelve hours later, we landed.

As passengers exited the plane, he stood outside the cockpit.  And as I walked by, I asked him to whom it would matter that he did an outstanding job that day.  Surprised, he guessed it would be customer service, and reluctantly gave me his name to pass along.

When your team is facing a challenge, are you keeping them informed, acknowledging the challenges, praising their efforts, giving them the autonomy to problem solve,  reassuring them that you’ve got their backs, asking for their input as you steer the way forward, and drawing the best from them?

And do you lead with the conviction that success is not just your own, but that of your whole team and that your job is to help make it possible?

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Executive Development Opportunities:

I assist senior leaders at Fortune 1000 companies and business leaders in the private sphere to be magnificent leaders, with a focus on engagement and innovation.  For more: sarah@sarah-levitt.com

NEW!

The Making Magnificence Project™ keynote and workshop weaves story and narrative to highlight four key factors for success that have emerged from my interviews, with both business and personal application.  Ideal for national conferences, corporate events, and leadership summits.  For more information: sarah@sarah-levitt.com

The Making Magnificence Project™ Executive Retreat is coming this fall.  Join me and a group of select colleagues for intimate group learning in a live 2 day, private workshop at a luxury resort in North Carolina.   For leaders and those in the c-suite who are serious about going from good to magnificent.

Limited number of participants.  To learn more, contact me directly: sarah@sarah-levitt.com