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Get Off The Plane!
Is bravery at the top of your leaders' qualities list?
Summary
Transcript
What happens when leaders make bravery a core element of their leadership approach? How can one person's bold resourcefulness influence others and become the new inspirational leadership definition?
Marketing entrepreneur and best-selling author, Seth Godin, talks about the importance of taking positive risks and doing "work that matters." In this video, he shares his experience on a recent plane trip. Through this analogy, Seth underscores how many people -- regardless of role, background, level of leadership -- choose the safe route in their lives. To live a life focused on personal values and what matters most to you, Seth encourages us to take responsibility for our own actions; to be resourceful; to consider our purpose and go after it! He believes that legacy leaders regularly practice bravery and positive risk-taking as a core leadership principle.
When you face challenges and opportunities, how do you typically respond? Seth's story is a vivid reminder of why we all need to "get off the plane." Bold, daring, risk-taking leadership has been essential to some of the world's most influential achievements and innovations.
Are you the type of person who would "get off the plane?"
Discover more about risk-taking as a component of Leaders Worth Following. Watch this and other videos on leadership principles on Leadercast Now!
Marketing entrepreneur and best-selling author, Seth Godin, talks about the importance of taking positive risks and doing "work that matters." In this video, he shares his experience on a recent plane trip. Through this analogy, Seth underscores how many people -- regardless of role, background, level of leadership -- choose the safe route in their lives. To live a life focused on personal values and what matters most to you, Seth encourages us to take responsibility for our own actions; to be resourceful; to consider our purpose and go after it! He believes that legacy leaders regularly practice bravery and positive risk-taking as a core leadership principle.
When you face challenges and opportunities, how do you typically respond? Seth's story is a vivid reminder of why we all need to "get off the plane." Bold, daring, risk-taking leadership has been essential to some of the world's most influential achievements and innovations.
Are you the type of person who would "get off the plane?"
Discover more about risk-taking as a component of Leaders Worth Following. Watch this and other videos on leadership principles on Leadercast Now!
There's an airport near my house, and White Plains used to have a flight to Boston. I hated this because while I would always drive, and I would see the planes overhead and I was in traffic and they weren't. Once, I took a flight to get to my office in Boston and we got to Boston in 29 minutes. It was excellent.
On the way back I got punished. It's 9:00 at night, we circle the White Plains airport for an hour and a half. We run out of gas, we make an almost emergency landing in Albany, New York. Albany is not my favorite place especially at 10:30 at night. The pilot says we'll be on the ground for two hours and then we'll probably fly you home.
I can't stand this. I go online, I rent Avis's last car. Four doors, I've got room for three people, I pay for it. I stand up on the plane and I turn to the passengers. I turn to the passengers and I say, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am not a psychopath, I am wearing a tie. My car is in White Plains, I think yours is, too. I rented a car, it's free, who wants a ride home?" No one raised their hand. As far as I know, they're still in Albany.
I spent the whole ride home thinking about what was going on and then I realized the essence of it. The essence is simple. We were taught that if you stay on the plane it's United Airlines' fault. And if you get off the plane it's your fault. What I'm begging you to do is do some work that matters, to be brave and get off the plane.
Thank you for your attention. I appreciate it.
On the way back I got punished. It's 9:00 at night, we circle the White Plains airport for an hour and a half. We run out of gas, we make an almost emergency landing in Albany, New York. Albany is not my favorite place especially at 10:30 at night. The pilot says we'll be on the ground for two hours and then we'll probably fly you home.
I can't stand this. I go online, I rent Avis's last car. Four doors, I've got room for three people, I pay for it. I stand up on the plane and I turn to the passengers. I turn to the passengers and I say, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am not a psychopath, I am wearing a tie. My car is in White Plains, I think yours is, too. I rented a car, it's free, who wants a ride home?" No one raised their hand. As far as I know, they're still in Albany.
I spent the whole ride home thinking about what was going on and then I realized the essence of it. The essence is simple. We were taught that if you stay on the plane it's United Airlines' fault. And if you get off the plane it's your fault. What I'm begging you to do is do some work that matters, to be brave and get off the plane.
Thank you for your attention. I appreciate it.
Seth Godin
Seth Godin is the author of 17 books that have been best-sellers around the world and have been translated into more than 35 languages. You might be familiar with his books Linchpin, Tribes, The Dipand Purple Cow.
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