People really are our most important resource, and people who don't realize that and choose not to live that way, choose not to lead that way, are paying a price for that in many of our companies, many of our organizations.
Interpretation
Valuing people is crucial for effective leadership and organizational success.
Chesley Sullenberger emphasizes the importance of recognizing and valuing people as essential assets in any organization. Leaders who fail to acknowledge this fact not only miss out on the potential of their teams but also suffer the consequences of poorer performance and morale within their organizations.
In practice
During a corporate meeting about team dynamics.
My message going forward is that I want to remind everyone in the aviation industry - especially those who manage aviation companies and those who regulate aviation - that we owe it to our passengers to keep learning how to do it better.
Pilots learn to use human skills to communicate information and make decisions collectively, which creates a shared sense of responsibility among the team for better outcomes.
You know, I think when people are in important positions in big organizations, they often get tied up with the minutia of managing money, managing things. They often forget that people deserve to be led.
A chief is a man who assumes responsibility. He says 'I was beaten,' he does not say 'My men were beaten.'
When the sage stands above people, they are not oppressed. When he leads people, they are not obstructed. The world will exalt him and not grow tired of him.
If you don't understand that you work for your mislabeled 'subordinates,' then you know nothing of leadership. You know only tyranny.
It's about communication. It's about honesty. It's about treating people in the organization as deserving to know the facts. You don't try to give them half the story. You don't try to hide the story. You treat them as - as true equals, and you communicate and you communicate and communicate.
Heart of a solider with a brain to teach your whole nation.
We may well be the ones Proverbs warns when it reminds us: "Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value the one who speaks the truth." The point is clear: If the people speak and the king doesn't listen, there is something wrong with the king. If the king acts precipitously and the people say nothing, something is wrong with the people.
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