Are you serious? Talking about an aviation disaster and turning it into a rah-rah team post??
Last week, frequent flyers like myself were reminded of the inherent risks of air travel after 16 years of relative safety. I often fly for meetings or to visit teams in different markets, and it's easy to forget the immense skill and precision required to safely transport 118K people out of Charlotte Douglass every day. The tragic crash on Tuesday, which claimed the lives of a crew based in the city I call home–Charlotte—has deeply affected our community, and my thoughts are with their families.
Despite our best efforts and training, we can't always control every outcome. Humans and technology are both imperfect, and their integration is far from an exact science. In our line of work, especially in the GenAI space, we strive to mitigate risks and achieve perfection, but countless variables influence the results. That weighed heavy on me while with my leadership team in Chandler last week for an offsite. We had a meticulously planned agenda, but by breakfast on Day 1, we had to adjust the event format. Despite the challenges, the event was a success, with a fantastic turnout for the town hall and Meet and Greet. Chandler, you've set a high bar for the San Francisco team we'll meet in March!
During conversations with employees and in subsequent listening sessions, the importance of being present emerged as a key theme. Perfection may be unattainable, but we can be present and engaged. We can communicate with our teams, gather their feedback, and act on their priorities. We've already started implementing some of the suggestions we received.
January was a challenging month but as we start February, I'm focusing on opportunities to influence positive outcomes while also holding space for those times when we have to deal with the opposite.