Who's packing your parachute?
Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam.
After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison.
He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”
How in the world did you know that? asked Plumb.
I packed your parachute, the man replied.
Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude.
The man shook his hand and said, “I guess it worked!”
Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, ‘I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.‘
Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.
Now, Plumb asks his audience, ’Who’s packing your parachute?’ Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.
The person responsible for packing your parachute is integral to your survival.
I spoke to a friend who is climbing the corporate ladder. He’s in a powerful role. He mentioned there are a lot of people who contributed to his success.
He remains humble knowing there were a number of people packing his parachute to make sure he arrives safety to his destination in life.
Who are some people packing your parachute? Let them know how much you appreciate them.
Best,
Cedric
P.S. Today I start my job at Crane Solutions. It’s a third party logistics company. Falls right in line with my supply chain studies. I just finished reading Supply Chain Transformation as a way to continue my education outside the classroom.
After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison.
He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”
How in the world did you know that? asked Plumb.
I packed your parachute, the man replied.
Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude.
The man shook his hand and said, “I guess it worked!”
Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, ‘I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.‘
Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.
Now, Plumb asks his audience, ’Who’s packing your parachute?’ Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.
The person responsible for packing your parachute is integral to your survival.
I spoke to a friend who is climbing the corporate ladder. He’s in a powerful role. He mentioned there are a lot of people who contributed to his success.
He remains humble knowing there were a number of people packing his parachute to make sure he arrives safety to his destination in life.
Who are some people packing your parachute? Let them know how much you appreciate them.
Best,
Cedric
P.S. Today I start my job at Crane Solutions. It’s a third party logistics company. Falls right in line with my supply chain studies. I just finished reading Supply Chain Transformation as a way to continue my education outside the classroom.
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