"I have control": The truth about responsibility

“I have control”: The Truth about Responsibility Do you remember your first day at work? I will never forget my first flight as a co-pilot. I had just graduated from flight school. Only 22 years old. Zero experience, zero self-confidence. There I was, in this huge cockpit with countless switches and lights. Pumped full of adrenaline, I tried to somehow focus on the pre-flight preparations. Everything was like in a movie, but one situation I remember vividly: During boarding, I looked back from the cockpit and thought to myself, “If they only knew they were being flown by a completely inexperienced pilot!” And indeed: It wasn't the captain, but me who had control of the aircraft on this flight. What may seem daring at first glance is common practice in aviation. Only when facing the fear of making mistakes and carrying immense responsibility from day one does one develop self-confidence and learn from experiences. From the good and the challenging ones. The captain didn't leave me alone. He supported me. In case of a critical mistake, he would of course intervene. But only then. He deliberately let me make "survivable" mistakes. To learn. To grow. To be able to handle the responsibility for hundreds of people on board even in delicate situations. And this is not something you learn in training or by watching. Giving the command “I have control” and pushing the throttle levers to maximum thrust is an indescribable feeling. Those first weeks as a young co-pilot were the most instructive and valuable of my professional life. In aviation, it has been observed that there are significantly fewer errors in the cockpit when there are two co-equal pilots sitting there, rather than the previous strict hierarchical separation of a captain and a co-pilot. Create structures in your company that allow every employee to take on the role of the "captain." Encourage inexperienced employees to take the plunge by giving them command. In the short term, this may lead to minor hiccups, costing time, money, and nerves. But in the medium term, all involved benefit immensely. Look at it from the perspective of the young co-pilot or the shy employee: Being entrusted with responsibility is the greatest show of trust and motivation boost there is. Challenging and nurturing people is a driving force for excellence. Just like in aviation, autonomously acting and engaged employees are the best early warning system for an impending crash. When I signed my first employment contract, the chief pilot said to me: “We don't see you as a co-pilot. We see you as a future captain!” Give your employees this feeling too. It requires courage. But it pays off! Have a good start!