I packed your parachute
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Grant Kirby is VP for Sales at Iress Canada. He invited me to join their weekly staff meeting via video conference yesterday and share something interesting or inspiring.
Grant Kirby is VP for Sales at Iress Canada. He invited me to join their weekly staff meeting via video conference yesterday and share something interesting or inspiring.
I chose the true story of Captain Charlie Plumb who flew 74 successful combat missions over Vietnam.
His 75th mission was not successful. Just 5 days before the end of his tour, Plumb was shot down over Hanoi. He was taken prisoner, tortured, and spent over 2,000 days as a Prisoner Of War.
Years later Plumb and his wife were eating at a restaurant. A man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam. You were shot down!”
Plumb asked how in the world he know that and the man replied:
“I packed your parachute.”
This still blows my mind. Plumb was obviously surprised too. He told the man if that chute hadn’t worked, he wouldn’t be alive.
Plumb couldn’t sleep that night. He understandably kept thinking about that man.
What might he have looked like in a Navy uniform with a white hat and bell-bottom trousers?
He wondered how many times he saw him without greeting him or even talking to him at all.
Iress is a large international company with lots of regions, teams and roles. There are people “packing my parachute” every day. The question is, do I appreciate them?
I chose the true story of Captain Charlie Plumb who flew 74 successful combat missions over Vietnam.
His 75th mission was not successful. Just 5 days before the end of his tour, Plumb was shot down over Hanoi. He was taken prisoner, tortured, and spent over 2,000 days as a Prisoner Of War.
Years later Plumb and his wife were eating at a restaurant. A man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam. You were shot down!”
Plumb asked how in the world he know that and the man replied:
“I packed your parachute.”
This still blows my mind. Plumb was obviously surprised too. He told the man if that chute hadn’t worked, he wouldn’t be alive.
Plumb couldn’t sleep that night. He understandably kept thinking about that man.
What might he have looked like in a Navy uniform with a white hat and bell-bottom trousers?
He wondered how many times he saw him without greeting him or even talking to him at all.
Iress is a large international company with lots of regions, teams and roles. There are people “packing my parachute” every day. The question is, do I appreciate them?