'Sully' Sullenberger

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image002.jpg 'Sully' Sullenberger, the pilot that successfully landed a plane in the Hudson River, is making the rounds through all of the popular media channels this week -- starting tonight with 60 Minutes.

I'm really looking forward to hearing from this guy. Because I live only a few blocks from the Hudson and I flew into LaGuardia on the day of the "water landing", I've been paying pretty close attention to the developments.

So much has been written about this so I really don't have all that much to add. But after hearing the calmness in the voices of the pilot and the air traffic controllers, the next time I fly I'll be a bit more comfortable. Twice, Sullenberger said that he was going to try to land the plane in the Hudson. I kept waiting for the air traffic controller to say, "YOU'RE GOING TO WHAT?!?"

Instead, showing zero emotion, he calmly suggested alternative runways.

Work That Matters

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I just read a fantastic quote from Tim O'Reilly, the coiner of "Web 2.0", that I think is right on point for those of us trying to spend our time doing work that matters.

"You should regard money as fuel for what you really want to do, not as a goal in and of itself. Money is like gas in the car -- you need to pay attention, or you'll end up on the side of the road -- but a well-lived life is not a tour of gas stations."

Art Appreciation

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I like to write about writers that have inspired me to write more. But Joe Morgenstern, the movie critic for the Wall Street Journal, has inspired me in a different way.

For most of my life I've taken art at face value. That is, if an artist can do something that I, or the average person, can't do, then I'm impressed. If, on the other hand, I can do it, I'm not impressed.For example, the average person could never paint a landscape like Bob Ross. But the average person could easily duplicate at least half of what you see at MOMA (ok, not easily, but you get the point). So in my mind, that has been the difference between good art and bad art, lots of talent and not a lot of talent.

I've talked to a fair number of people about this that seem to agree. And I think it's pretty understandable. It's like looking at art through the same lens that one would use to look at sports; most people would pay more to see professionals play football than they would to see a 12 year old play Pop Warner. Why? Because professionals are much better than the average. More talent and skill = more quality.

I've been reading Joe Morgenstern's movie reviews for several years and I'm finally beginning to appreciate movies at a much deeper level. His amazing writing and insight into movies isn't just enlightening, it's entirely legitimate and logical. He sees things that the casual movie watcher does not. And after several years of reading his column, he's starting to rub off on me.

I now watch films with a more critical eye. I consider meanings that aren't immediately obvious, I watch how characters are built, how they make us think about ourselves, and the conflict that builds when we cheer for them when maybe we shouldn't, how we dislike them when maybe we should. I've realized that sometimes it's not the happy ending that makes the movie worth watching, often, the story itself is the gift.

From a technical perspective, nearly any film maker with the budget could make, say, Little Miss Sunshine. But very few could create a movie that connects with an audience like it did. In short, and thanks to Joe Morgenstern, I've begun to appreciate film for more than I see on the screen. I've begun to appreciate art. And I think that's pretty neat.

2009

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I'm not one for New Year's resolutions but I do set goals and think the beginning of a new year is a great time to reset. 

This year I've laid out several detailed and ambitious goals. I won't list them on this blog but, at a very high level, I want to lead my team and career to the next stage of growth, get in better shape than I've ever been in my life, be a much better friend and travel to some wonderful places and do some wonderful things. 

For those of us with big goals and high expectations there's no shortage of big challenges this year. A crappy economy; a lack of time, energy and money; rapidly changing priorities and shifting markets. Many of us are hunkering down, waiting for the next shoe to drop. 
I can only imagine how Obama is feeling as he gets ready to take over. 
But it's in times like these when the greatest things happen. When the greatest people stand out. When the greatest progress is made. There's really no better time to step up, stand out from the crowd and lead the way. If Obama and I can do that in 2009, it'll be good year.

Women in the Workplace

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Harvard Business School did a neat study recently. The topic was top performing employees moving from one company to another. The study found that very often these people had a very difficult time making the transition and many times they weren't successful in the new company. The exception? Women.

Why?

The theory is that men are really good at navigating the "old boys" network in an organization. Because women don't have access to this network they compensate by creating stronger relationships externally -- with their customers.

Which new employee would you rather have, one that has strong relationships with her customers or one that has strong relationships with his ex-colleagues?