Performance Principles™
August 1, 2002
Flying Under The Wires - A Performance Principle on Managing Risk
In a PBS special, a friend of Charles Lindbergh related the story of his flying lesson with the great pilot. Lindbergh and his friend were in a two-seater plane at a very small airstrip. The friend eyed the path for their takeoff, and noticed wires hanging over the spot where they would lift off. Lindbergh instructed his friend to take the stick. He thought the wires made a takeoff unnecessarily risky, but the famous aviator insisted. Following his command, the man pushed the stick forward, and the plane moved faster and faster down the airstrip. The wheels left the ground and, a moment later, cleared the wires by a few feet. After landing, the friend asked Lindbergh how he knew they would get over the wires. “I thought we could get over them”, Lindbergh answered. “But I also knew we could fly under them if we needed to.”
Performance Principle: Effective risk takers, like effective pilots, try things others would never attempt precisely because they know what to do if things don't work out as planned. They always have a Plan B.
A Question for You: What would you like to attempt but don't, because the cost of failure seems too high? Reduce your risk by understanding how you would fly under the wires if necessary. Create a best case plan, but also a Plan B if it becomes required. And then, most importantly, give it a shot. The worst thing that can happen is you successfully fly under the wires.
My best to you over the coming month.
Eric
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