Teach & Serve IV, No. 19
Land the Plane
December 12, 2018
There are times we are so in the middle of things, in the moment and in the midst, that we forget that we have to wrap things up, we forget to find a stopping point, we forget to land the plane.
We are coming in for a landing. It is just about time to put the tray tables in their upright and locked positions and to settle in for the remainder of the flight. It’s mid-December and our Christmas Breaks approach. For some of us, that means semester exams are in the offing. For some, it means we will not see our colleagues or students for a few weeks. For some it means a break in the midst of a trimester.
For all of us, it means we ought to consider how to mark the moment.
A friend of mine with whom I participated in a program of leadership training introduced me to the concept of “landing the plane.” I am not sure she originated it, but it is a compelling concept. There are times we are so in the middle of things, in moment and in the midst, that we forget that we have to wrap things up, we forget to find a stopping point, we forget to land the plane.
Surely, at this time of year, landing the plane – giving our staffs and students a definite line of demarcation between what we are doing and what we will do – is important. It is not particularly healthy to expect people to dangle in a state of pending-ness over the course of the next few weeks in some kind of suspended animation waiting for the other shoe to drop. In order to reduce stress and to provide a real break for our colleagues and kids, we ought to provide a clear stopping point so that, when we return, we can provide an obvious starting point.
My friend, however, also used this term to encourage me (or others around her) to get to the point, to find the end, to be succinct. She shared this phrase with appropriate razor-sharp intonation and intention. Get to it, she might say. Tie it off. Wrap it up.
Land the plane.
I like it.
As a person with a preference for extraversion, I often find myself talking to think. I typically start vocalizing before I know my conclusion and I have been known to keep chattering for quite a while. This is not a bad thing, per se, but it is a trait that can be trying for others, especially those who just want the conclusion, not everything leading up to it.
Landing the plane is an important concept for where we find ourselves in the calendar right now, yes, but also for us to be effective communicators.
Land the plane.
Good advice.