Sky King Didn’t Lie to Penny

A major disconnect occurs when leaders fail to put their authentic truth on the table.  What’s at stake?  Not much, except respect and results...

Sky King, Penny & Clipper

Sky King images courtesy of Doug Abbott and used with his permission.

I’m a baby boomer.  My childhood, whatever that was, took place during the 50’s and early 60’s, when television featured 3 channels, no cable, and everything in black and white.  Programming for kids centered around cartoons, Captain Kangaroo, and a few series that aired mostly on Saturday mornings.

My favorite show, bar none, was Sky King.  My love of flying probably began with Sky King as he flew into my home each Saturday in his rakish 1961 Cessna 310F (yes, I watched the clips at the end of the show to find out what type of aircraft this hero/pilot flew).  Every week, Sky King defied the odds, trounced the bad guys and served as a model for his pretty blonde niece, Penny. 

One thing about Sky King: he put his stuff right on the table.  He was a straight shooter.  He messed up once in a while, and he came clean with Penny every time.  I admired that.  In my book, he was a real leader.

Today, aside from the brave men and women serving our country and the police and firemen who protect our communities, we don’t have many of the Sky King/hero type.  Listen to rap music.  No heroes there.  Check out the evening news.  Hard to find any there.  And look inside most businesses.  Almost none.

As we examine why leadership has (rightfully) taken it on the chin, a key factor is the inability leaders demonstrate to tell their own truth, no matter how painful.  Most think withholding the real truth is in fact part of the leadership equation.  We’ve come to accept misleading as an important arrow in the leader’s quiver of tricks.  And that is precisely why trust, integrity and loyalty are at all time lows.  In fact, according to Hudson Human Capital Partners, a leading source of data on the contemporary workplace, more than 75% of the white collar population would leave their jobs today.

In our cynical times, the most effective leaders lead with humility.  They lead by inspiration.  And they inspire by putting themselves truthfully in front of those they are tasked with leading.  This doesn’t mean we share our boxer short sizes with the gang at work.  It does mean our own vulnerability is the catalyst for respect and extraordinary results.  I’d give high marks to the team leader who shares truthfully with her bunch the fact that she messed up in a similar effort once before, and that she needs the collective help of the team to ensure the mistakes that took place previously are avoided.  That kind of sharing is human.  It places her imperfections right on the table.  And others feel comfortable supporting her.  If she came across as the Corporate America Super Businesswoman we see in so many ads and movies, the results would be typically dubious.

Sky King may have been a fictitious character; the product of a good producer and a network willing to sell the show to folks like Nabisco, who brought us Sky King for quite a few years.  But the figure Sky King represents in my mind is the kind of person who is willing to place himself or herself in the arena authentically; to view challenges realistically in terms of “it is what it is” instead of what it should be.  And they move ahead by inspiring instead of punishing (companies call it “driving the business”).

Sky King honored Penny, his friends and his community by telling his truth.  I think he had it right.

John P. Schreitmueller is the president and CEO of Resolute Consulting Group LLC, an Atlanta-based firm that specializes in connecting CEOs, senior executives, business owners and professionals with their authentic leadership and work/life goals. The author of Of Dreams and Astronauts, an award winning narrative on the early days of the U.S. manned space program, Mr. Schreitmueller can be contacted by email.