Do you know, by any chance, a fighter Pilot? (I am told “Once a fighter pilot, always a fighter pilot.”) Did you ever stop to think about their parachutes? Really. Who packs their chutes?
And, depending on what type of craft a person might be flying today, there can still be a need for a parachute. Really good military pilots (of days gone by and now) have written speeches and given talks about how important those persons are (that person is) who packs their chute.
So, what does this have to do with those of us who are Supervisors and Managers?
Well, in a symbolic way, each Supervisor and Manager is a “pilot”. Your symbolic plane is your department or business. Take it down from a potential of “life and death”, there is a “risk” element to what you do. Successful missions achieve goals and reach their targeted performances. And “crash and burn”, typically also happens a limited number of times.
Interestingly, the pilot may have had to abandon their plane, or even bail out. But if their chute did its job, it contributed to the pilot’s survival and availability to fly another day. (Just like Supervisors and Managers.)
Ok, so much for comparatives of visual imagery and vocabulary. To my real message…Be it fighter pilots, jet pilots, or Managers and Supervisors, typically, someone else “packs your chute.” Do you ever say Thank You? Do you ever give them a pat on their backs?
They probably do not get thanked for their “Good Job” as often, if ever, as they should be. It makes a difference.
Want to feel good? Thank the people who pack your chute…and mean it. They may be behind the scene; but what they do or do not do impacts business success. The people who pack your chute are a special breed. Treat them accordingly.