"Bomb" and "cyclone" are two words you never want to hear on a plane. Yet there we were—my wife and I—strapped into our seats, enduring the brutal combination of both. The aircraft shuddered and was tossed like a toy in the wind, and we hadn’t even reached the worst part of the journey.
The engines roared in protest as the plane dropped suddenly, then clawed its way skyward again. As the ground got closer it tilted and bounced wildly outside the window, it was nothing short of dizzying at best, terrifying at reality.
Finally. Miraculously. We touched down to tarmac.
As soon as we deboarded, my wife walked straight into the cockpit and thanked the pilots. She didn’t just mumble a polite “thanks for the flight.” She meant it—heartfelt gratitude for their skill and composure under impossible conditions.
We often talk about the importance of hiring skilled people who fit our company culture, who work well with their teams, and who thrive under pressure. But here’s the problem: we have these conversations when the sky is clear and the weather is calm. We fail to act when it matters most.
And then the storm hits.
The lesson from that flight is clear: you don’t wait for turbulence to find your crew. You build your team before the cyclone arrives. You find, foster, and elevate talented people now—because when the sky inevitably darkens, you’ll need them. A prepared team doesn’t just survive the storm; they guide you to a safe landing.
