Question

1. Discuss in what ways Chesley Sullenberger is a manager and in what ways is he a leader? What key qualities differentiate Sullenberger from one over the other?
2. Becoming an effective leader requires discovering your own unique strengths and capabilities and learning how to make the most of them. How does this idea apply to Sullenberger? How does this idea apply to you?

Chesley Sullenberger was the pilot that landed on the Hudson River. There is a video showing an interview of him on 60 minutes. It is on YouTube

Answer 1

Solution -

Chesley Sullenberger served for 30 years in the US Airways and in most terms, he was a manager who managed the status quo. He was a manager mostly during his career life as a Captain. As a pilot, he relied on his personal skills and always stuck to system and processes. The one incident on 15^th January 2009 turned him into a leader. Due to a bird attack both the engines of his flight failed. With 155 members on board, he kept his nerve and calm. He took the decision to make a water landing and all the 155 passengers were saved. As a leader, he took a stand on what he thought was right in that situation. There was a 208 second reaction time available with him in this incident and he acted as a leader and remained strong-willed on his decision and even defended his decision after the incident. After the incident, he turned towards the lecture and mentorship career and has become an inspiration for a lot of people. Hence in this role, he is a leader.

In that one incident, Chesley Sullenberger realized his capability as a person and also as a leader. His actions and the way he conducted himself helped him realize his capacity under pressure and his conduct highlighted him as an inspiring leader and a hero for the day for saving the lives of all 155 people. For me, this idea applies as once I was on a trip with my friends and we got stuck in one of our treks and somehow started to lose time. As it got dark there was panic but I led the path along and trusted my guts. I decided not to stop and keep moving. Finally, we were able to join our group and it all ended well but with the incident, I realized that under pressure I could keep my head up and also I could lead. This has given me a lot of confidence and I am able to stand for my decisions.