Summary
Highlights
John Maxwell recounts a book tour experience where his Learjet encountered a severe wind shear upon landing in Atlanta. The plane bounced hard on the runway, and the pilot immediately pulled it back into the air. After a safe second landing, Maxwell asked the pilot how he reacted so quickly. The pilot explained he had anticipated such scenarios for 20 years, making a pre-decision to get back in the air if a landing went wrong, recognizing that there's more room for error in the air than on the ground.
Maxwell highlights that crisis management isn't about what you think during the crisis, but what you've thought about before it occurs. He defines it as anticipating potential problems and having pre-determined answers.
Maxwell shares a conversation with Rudy Giuliani about 9/11. Giuliani immediately recognized the gravity of the plane crashes as a terrorist attack. He revealed that he and his team had been practicing for a year on how to respond to an attack on a skyscraper, demonstrating the power of anticipating and planning for crises.
While not everything can be anticipated, Maxwell stresses the importance of thinking and planning ahead. By asking hard questions beforehand, the impact of a crisis can be significantly reduced when it eventually strikes, making proactive planning more effective than reactive problem-solving.