Three Minute Leadership- The Learnings from the Words – “Brace for Impact”
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
Ric Elias, CEO of Red Ventures, a marketing services company, was a front-row passenger on Flight 1549 that went down in the Hudson River in New York City. In his TED talk, Ric Elias: 3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed, Elias asks great leaders to learn from his experience – after he heard the pilot’s words: “Brace for impact,” and he thought his life was over. Reflect on his simple, yet deeply profound, learnings.
I learned that it all changes in an instant. We have this bucket list, we have these things we want to do in life, and I thought about all the people I wanted to reach out to that I didn’t, all the fences I wanted to mend, all the experiences I wanted to have and I never did. As I thought about that later on, I came up with a saying, which is, ‘I collect bad wines.’ Because if the wine is ready and the person is there, I’m opening it. I no longer want to postpone anything in life. And that urgency, that purpose, has really changed my life.
The second thing I learned that day — and this is as we clear the George Washington Bridge, which was by not a lot — I thought about, wow, I really feel one real regret. I’ve lived a good life. In my own humanity and mistakes, I’ve tried to get better at everything I tried. But in my humanity, I also allow my ego to get in. And I regretted the time I wasted on things that did not matter with people that matter. And I thought about my relationship with my wife, with my friends, with people. And after, as I reflected on that, I decided to eliminate negative energy from my life. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better. I’ve not had a fight with my wife in two years. It feels great. I no longer try to be right; I choose to be happy.
The third thing I learned — and this is as your mental clock starts going, “15, 14, 13.” You can see the water coming. I’m saying, “Please blow up.” I don’t want this thing to break in 20 pieces like you’ve seen in those documentaries. And as we’re coming down, I had a sense of, wow, dying is not scary. It’s almost like we’ve been preparing for it our whole lives. But it was very sad. I didn’t want to go; I love my life. And that sadness really framed in one thought, which is, I only wish for one thing. I only wish I could see my kids grow up. About a month later, I was at a performance by my daughter — first-grader, not much artistic talent … … yet. (Laughter) And I’m balling, I’m crying, like a little kid. And it made all the sense in the world to me. I realized at that point, by connecting those two dots, that the only thing that matters in my life is being a great dad. Above all, above all, the only goal I have in life is to be a good dad.
Elias said of that day: “I was given the gift of a miracle, of not dying that day. I was given another gift, which was to be able to see into the future and come back and live differently.” In his concluding remarks he asks great leaders to suspend for a moment their belief in their own immortality. In his final words, he asks them to reflect on those things that they would change now to bring deeper meaning, richness and purpose to our life: “…
how would you change? What would you get done that you’re waiting to get done because you think you’ll be here forever? How would you change your relationships and the negative energy in them? And more than anything, are you being the best parent you can?”
Take a moment this week to put yourself in Elias’ seat that day, a sort of virtual experience. Suspend your own mortality and formulate your own learnings for your experience. Take these learning and make them part of your life by implementing them now. As Elias said: “And that urgency, that purpose, has really changed my life.” Let that urgency change yours. Life is so very beautiful.
Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!
Mike