Member-only story
OPERATOR’S MANUAL
Leadership Isn’t About Having the Answers
It is about having the kind of character that allows others to trust in you
I was exhausted. It was the middle of a recent 17-day trip that had been criss-crossing the country — New York, then to San Francisco, then onto Boston — before finally heading home to Boulder. I’d made it to my flight with plenty of time and, after boarding, made my way to my seat. I settled in — unpacking my laptop, my book, headphones, charging cable — everything I needed to ease into the flight and while away the next five-and-a-half hours.
I suddenly felt his presence. He had a slightly disoriented sense about him and it annoyed me mildly when he shoved his bag in “my” overhead spot and brushed past me to his seat. Happily harrumphing to myself about “newbie” travelers, I barely glanced at him. Both of us settled in, I flipped open my laptop to watch a movie when a hand was thrust in front of my screen. “I’m John Williams,” he said, “Happy to meet you.”
Startled and slightly suspicious, I looked up and into his eyes. And then I saw him, saw him as the person that he is. The first thing I noticed was his age… he was clearly in his eighties. More, though, I noticed that his eyes were rimmed red. It struck me; he’s been crying.
“Hi,” I stammered, “I’m Jerry Colonna.”
We leaned back for a beat and then he turned to me, “I’m headed home to Cape Cod. I just spent a week in San Francisco and I’m kinda confused.” He paused. I waited, wondering if I was going to get back to my movie. “I was there visiting my friend.” Pause. “He’s dying.”
I closed my laptop. I looked again at his red-rimmed eyes. I saw this man, essentially for the first time. I felt his heart. “What’s your friend’s name?”
“Jerry,” he said as we both laughed at the synchronicity.
“Can you tell me about him?”
He then shared a bit of his life story; 35 years in the Navy — “I was an airman.” He’d served with his friend, under his command, for most of that time. He’d retired 30 years before and, for a few years afterward, he’d flown scientists around the world’s oceans as they tracked the movement and migration of…
