The pilot who managed the crisis on QF32 talks about handling pressure and making better decisions

[Admin]

 

Rick SalterPaul Colgan speaks with Richard de Crespigny.

 

Resilience is a critical capability for dealing with a crisis, both at work and in life.

 

But as Richard de Crespigny points out, it’s not something anyone is born with. It must be learned.

 

De Crespigny knows more than most about staying in control and making decisions in a high-stress, high-stakes environment. This month marks eight years since he successfully and safely landed a Qantas A380 flying out of Singapore that suffered a massive engine failure, triggering cascading systems failures and severely reducing control of the aircraft.

 

This year he has released a new book, FLY — Life Lessons from the Cockpit of QF32 — which details some of the strategies and techniques he used on the day to improve decision-making, manage stress, and safely land the plane.

 

On this week’s episode of the Devils and Details podcast he joins us to talk about his belief that these lessons can not just improve anyone’s ability to perform under pressure, but also make people more successful in the good times, both personally and professionally.

 

With many failures in the business world often blamed on faulty or inadequate, de Crespigny discusses the difference between following a process and making good decisions. He also talks about techniques for self-regulation, and how to “fail well”, or learn from day to day minor errors to continuously improve processes and be more in control.

 

You can find the show on iTunes, or search “Devils and Details” wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen online here

 

 

[onetrack]

With many failures in the business world often blamed on faulty or inadequate, de Crespigny discusses the difference between following a process and making good decisions.

Faulty or inadequate what? The level of journalism today is pretty appalling. Don't they teach proof-reading any more?

 

Or is it because the proof-reading editor was eliminated, as part of the superb cost-cutting management skills of the 21st century management? - and it was decided proof-reading was unnecessary, anyway, because people can figure out the errors?

 

The above is the simple reason I refuse to pay subscriptions to news sites - because the low levels that journalism has sunk to, makes it unworthy of paying for news articles, that often have whole sentences and paragraphs missing, are riddled with spelling errors, and so often, lack clarity in expression.

 

Sorry to divert from the possibly of some very good teaching by De Crespigny (I haven't listened to the podcast, due to defective hearing - and podcasts never offer any decent subtitling for those of us with severe hearing loss), so I can't comment on his teachings.