"Lessons from the Cockpit"
An Exerpt from Selfish Altruism by Moe Glenner
In Flight USA is sharing Moe Glenner’s five behaviors that pilots should avoid as an excerpt from his book, Selfish Altruism. These five lessons from the cockpit will run as a five-part series. Read on for the first installment, Behavior #1, Anti-Authority.
As an instrument rated pilot, I draw many parallels between aviation related themes and the chains of change. Most successful pilots are highly goal and mission oriented. While this seems to be a requirement, it also has pitfalls. Some of these pitfalls have been at the root of serious aviation accidents and incidents. There are five notable behaviors that pilots are especially susceptible to, that left unchecked can have serious consequences. These behaviors are not exclusive to pilots and are actually present amongst all of us, regardless of occupation.
Behavior #1: Anti-Authority (Don’t Tell Me)
This behavior actually takes on many different forms, but is mostly manifested in the ‘know it all.’ For a pilot (and his passengers) this can be deadly. Consider the pilot that ignores and/or argues with air traffic control, ignores weather forecasts in the mistaken belief that they know better or even ignores indications that the airplane is not performing optimally.
We all encounter people with this behavior (and its not just teenagers). In fact, we ourselves might have some of it within us. This behavior is seen as actual resistance to a directive, based on the premise of “I already know everything there is to know and the directive conflicts with my already established knowledge, beliefs, etc.”
The problem is that nobody knows everything. There is always more to know and learn and there are always people who know more than we do, based on training and actual experience. Thus, the remedy is to follow the rules and/or directives. They are there for a reason. This doesn’t mean that, in some settings, alternatives can’t be suggested; rather it means there is good authority to follow the rules/directives as stated.
In change initiatives or projects, a healthy stream of constant input and feedback is essential for the continued positive engagement of the team. However, once some people start assuming that they know all about it (project subject matter), they close off their ability to integrate directives and/or new information. This behavior can easily lead to resistance, since the critical information is not being received due to closed minds. While we cannot prevent someone from closing their mind to new ideas, we can always openly communicate and engage in the hopes of overcoming the “know it all” or “I already know that” syndromes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Moe Glenner is the founder and CEO of PURELogistics, (www.purelogistics.com) a leading consulting firm that specializes in change management, and a regular speaker at trade shows and industry events. Glenner earned his MBA at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification from Villanova University.
In Selfish Altruism, Glenner explores the personal motives and emotions that can impact organizational change. Selfish Altruism ($13.95) is available at www.amazon.com.
