Allowing Miracles to Happen

US Air Flight 1549’s emergency landing in the cold waters of the Hudson River, followed by a remarkable rescue effort, sustain and affirm the notion that happy endings are the product of competence and hard work. The plane’s captain, 57 year old Chesley Sullenberger III, made quick decisions and handled his aircraft with the skill acquired flying planes for more than three decades. The first responders on the water worked swiftly and calmly to rescue the passengers and crew.

To see an airliner flying low near the George Washington Bridge, as it headed for its landing spot on the river, surely must have frightened those who saw the plane descend. Gov. David Paterson called the landing the “miracle on the Hudson”.

Miracles happen when we don’t get in their way. So many factors could have caused this plane’s short flight to end with injuries and death rather than 155 souls surviving. Under the command of Capt. Sullenberger, and the leaders and first responders on the water, the outcome was remarkable. Competence, experience, training, and hard work, allow good outcomes—or miracles, if you prefer—to prevail. All the prayers on board probably didn’t hurt, either.

As we begin a new era in American leadership let this unusual incident with a very happy ending remind us that there is no substitute for competence, no tolerance for poor or inadequate training, and hard work must be rewarded. If we honor these simple values, we allow miracles to happen.