A long day at work is coming to an end 

My crew and I had safely landed our Boeing 777 in Chicago around midnight local time after a flight of just under 11 hours. We were—understandably—tired, because our internal clocks read seven in the morning and we’d worked through the night. But we didn’t hold out much hope of getting to bed quickly. Because anyone who’s ever flown to the U.S. knows that after landing, you inevitably run into the very thorough immigration officials. 

Rules are rules 

They comb through my passport for entry stamps from “suspicious” countries, take a photo, and collect my fingerprints. As a long-haul pilot, the U.S. authorities already had dozens of photos and fingerprints of me. But rules are rules—so I just grit my teeth and get it over with. 

An unexpected exception 

Thanks to the late hour, there were only a few crews from arriving commercial flights waiting in our immigration area. I was near the front of the line and was called up quickly. While the officer checked my passport, I was already taking off my gloves—it was a bitterly cold winter day in the “Windy City”—and moving my fingers toward the fingerprint scanner. The immigration officer grinned at me and asked, “What are you doing?” I replied, “Well, I’m getting ready to provide my fingerprints, sir.” His unexpected response: 

“Oh, you know, Captain, you just safely landed a $100 million plane with 275 people on board right here in Chicago instead of crashing it into the Sears Tower. The fact that you’re standing right in front of me tells me you’re not a threat! So why on earth would I take your fingerprints?! Enjoy your stay in beautiful Chicago!” 

Foresight or breaking taboos 

I laughed back, glad to have saved those precious minutes, and was on my way to the crew hotel! But as welcome as this bending of the rules was for me personally—as a pilot, I couldn’t help but question it. Was the official’s flexibility appropriate in this situation? Did he act with foresight, or did he make a gut decision without thinking through the consequences? How would I have decided? And why? 

Apply this to your business 

In our leadership seminar, you’ll learn how we as pilots approach these and similar situations—and, above all, why. Use our Eurofighter simulator to practice making decisions in your company with the same flexibility and foresight you’d use in the cockpit.