Who Packs Your Parachute?

September 10, 2022

Great Teams - Better Leaders - 123. 1 Thought; 2 Quotes; 3 Tweets. Newsletter about Coaching, Leadership, Culture, and Teams.

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ONE THOUGHT...

"Can I TRUST You?"

This was one of the three rules that Lou Holtz used to evaluate the players on his teams. He said, "Without trust, there is no relationship. Without trust, you don't have a chance. People have to trust you..."

Trust is the centerpiece of a team. Trust that your teammate will do the right thing. Trust that they have your back. Trust that they can do their job and excel in their role.

We all have jobs, roles, and responsibilities to make our team the best it can be.

There will always be roles that are more public than others or roles that get more attention. The fact of the matter is, that ALL roles are needed and important in a high-functioning team.

On a TEAM, no role is more important than any other.

Consider the wonderful story below.

Who Packed Your Parachute?

The following is a great story from Kevin Templeton's book “To The Hilt.” It is a great story about humility, team, and servant leadership that can be shared with your team.

Charlie Plumb graduated from the US Naval Academy. He was a fighter pilot who helped start the “Top Gun” school in Miramar, California. He flew seventy-five missions in F-4 and F-14 Tomcat Phantom jets over Hanoi off the USS Kitty Hawk.

On his seventy-fifth mission, just five days before he was to rotate off active duty, Plumb’s plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile. The plane was on fire and would not respond. The stick was frozen. Finally, Charlie and his radar man ejected from the F-4 and parachuted, to be captured by angry North Vietnamese soldiers. Captain Plumb spent almost six years the Hanoi Hilton, a notoriously tough prison. There he faced torture, hunger, filth, and oppressive jungle heat. he went into prison at twenty-four years of age and was released at age thirty after a prisoner exchange.

Charlie was eating dinner at a Kansas City restaurant when a guy a couple of tables over was staring at him. The stranger got up and approached Charlie’s table. he said, “You’re Charlie Plumb. You flew seventy-four successful missions off the USS Kitty Hawk. On your seventy-fifth mission, you were shot down over Hanoi and captured. You spent six years as a POW at the Hanoi Hilton. You got out when they had a prisoner exchange.”

Charlie told the man that he was right. But there were hundreds of men on that ship. An aircraft carrier is huge. It’s like a floating city. He was sorry, but he didn’t remember the stranger. “Who are you?” he asked. “I’m the man who packed your parachute,” the man answered. Charlie thanked him for doing his job well. He asked him if he knew how many parachutes he had packed. The man said, “No, I never counted. I was just glad I had the opportunity to serve.”

EVERYBODY has a role in which they add value to the team. Not everybody gets to be a fighter pilot. Not everybody gets to be the leading scorer. Not everybody gets to wear wings on their uniform and have people count their successful missions. Somebody has to be willing to pack the parachutes. Someone has to be willing to do the little things for the betterment of the team.

What if the parachute packer was jealous of all the attention a fighter pilot received?

Nobody counted his successes. It would be easy to think that no one cared or noticed all the hard work he put in. If a pilot gets shot down and killed, nobody will say, “I bet it was the parachute packer’s fault."

It would be easy for the parachute packer to get careless, quick, or not think his job will matter.

He could have a bad day. He could tell himself that his job really doesn’t matter.

He didn’t do that.

He did his job, and I am sure Charlie Plumb was happy he did. Charlie’s life depended on that parachute packer doing his job and helping the team. Charlie had to have trust in his teammate.

How can we as coaches help define roles and help build trust? Here are a few things we do:

  • We have players fill out our pre-season self-perception handout and ask them questions related to their role on our team (ask me for a copy if you want it).

  • We try to communicate roles very clearly to all players.

  • We often use the phrase "Be Great at what you are Good At."

  • We tell our players to "Be a STAR in your Role."

  • We work to make sure our players all show "gratitude" and "appreciation" to all members of the team, no matter their role.

  • We try to celebrate all of the roles on our team.

  • We have end-of-season awards for different types of player roles.

  • And more...

As coaches, we must ensure that we articulate player roles with clear and concise communication. We need to make sure that we value ALL roles on your team. We need to make sure that we model this for our team.

Always Remember ->

  • Great Teams Have Great Teammates.

  • Great Teams have TRUST.

And all Great Teams have players who "Pack the Parachutes" and do the little things to ensure team success.

Who "Packs the Parachutes" on your team?

TWO QUOTES...

"There are only two people in life you need to impress: 8-year-old you and 80-year-old you." – Author unknown

"Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become." – James Clear

THREE TWEETS FROM OTHERS...

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