2003, Air France’s Concorde arrived in Paris after its final commercial flight home.
“Visionary change leaders promote innovation and risk-taking, embrace adaptability and agility, champion collaboration and partnerships, and learn from both successes and failures”
👏 Happy Friday!
On this day, May 31, 2003, Air France’s Concorde arrived in Paris after its final commercial flight home, ending 27 years of supersonic travel between New York and Paris. The Concorde, a supersonic passenger jet, was a marvel of aerospace engineering, capable of cruising at twice the speed of sound. Its retirement marked the end of an era in aviation history. The Concorde was a joint venture between the British Aircraft Corporation and Aérospatiale, a French company. The project began in the 1960s, and the first prototype took flight in 1969. The Concorde entered commercial service in 1976, initially operating flights between London and Bahrain. In 1977, Air France and British Airways commenced transatlantic services, connecting Paris and London with New York and Washington, D.C. The Concorde could fly at a maximum speed of Mach 2.04 (approximately 1,354 mph or 2,180 km/h), more than twice the speed of sound. This allowed it to cross the Atlantic Ocean in just under three and a half hours, a significant reduction from the typical seven to eight hours for subsonic flights. Despite its technological achievements, the Concorde faced challenges, including high operating costs, noise pollution concerns, and limited passenger capacity. After the crash of Air France Flight 4590 in 2000, which claimed 113 lives, the Concorde's future became uncertain. On April 10, 2003, Air France and British Airways simultaneously announced the retirement of their Concorde fleets, citing diminishing demand and rising maintenance costs.
✅ Brian Trubshaw, Concorde’s Chief Test Pilot, told us, “It is not unreasonable to look upon Concorde as a miracle.” On December 24, 1989, the Concorde made it from Paris to New York in 2 hours, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds; today, the same scheduled flight takes 7 hours and 20 minutes. This remarkable achievement highlights the incredible impact of Concorde's speed and efficiency on air travel, the result of French and British collaboration. Change leaders foster innovation and risk-taking; they cultivate an environment that encourages bold ideas, challenges conventional wisdom, and embraces calculated risks to drive progress. Leaders of change embrace adaptability and agility; they remain vigilant and responsive to changing circumstances, pivoting strategies and processes as needed to meet evolving market demands and stakeholder needs. Change leaders promote collaboration and partnerships, leveraging the collective expertise and resources of diverse teams through strategic collaborations and alliances that transcend organisational boundaries. They champion bold visions and ambition by inspiring teams with compelling visions that push the boundaries of what is possible, rallying support, and overcoming obstacles to achieve transformative change. Visionary change leaders understand the value of gleaning insights from their triumphs and setbacks. They acknowledge that even revolutionary feats are susceptible to the winds of change. Leaders of change embrace a mindset of continuous improvement; these leaders are steadfast in their commitment to learning from both their successes and failures. Leaders of Change Promote Collaboration.
“Visionary change leaders promote innovation and risk-taking, embrace adaptability and agility, champion collaboration and partnerships, and learn from both successes and failures”
👉 Change Success Needs Collaboration: Successful change management requires a collaborative and inclusive approach where all stakeholders have a voice and can contribute to the decision-making process. However, a common challenge faced by change teams is the lack of access to key decision-making platforms or organisational agenda time where critical discussions and resolutions take place. When senior leaders fail to provide the change team with a seat at the table, they inadvertently create barriers to effective communication, problem-solving, and timely decision-making. By denying the change team access to these platforms, senior leaders deprive them of the opportunity to raise and discuss implementation issues, seek support, and collaboratively develop solutions. This exclusion not only slows down the change process but also fosters an environment of disconnection, undermining the very essence of successful change management.
Final Thoughts:
Does your organisation’s change initiative embrace a collaborative mindset, champion bold visions, and cultivate an environment that fosters innovation, adaptability, and continuous learning? Has it got visionary change leadership?
Further Reading: Change Management Charade - Leadership of Change Volume 8
Have a fantastic holiday weekend with the ones you love and care for, enjoy some fresh air, exercise, eat, drink and be happy.
Peter consults, speaks, and writes on the Leadership of Change®.
For further information please visit our websites:
Peter F Gallagher is a Change Management Global Thought Leader, Guru, Expert, International Speaker, Author and Leadership Alignment Coach.
Listed #1 by leadersHum Top 40 Change Management Gurus You Should Follow in 2022 (Mar 2022).
Ranked #1 Change Management Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (2023-2022-2021-2020) by Thinkers360.
Listed #15 in the “Top 30” for Global Gurus Leadership (2024) by Global Gurus.
Ranked #1 Business Strategy Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Business Strategy (2022) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #6 Leadership Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Leadership (April 2024) by Thinkers360.
Business Book Ranking
Change Management Behaviour - Leadership of Change® Volume 6, listed among the 50 Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2022.
Change Management Adoption - Leadership of Change® Volume 5, listed among year-to-date’s (Jul 2021) most popular books on business and technology from Thinkers360 member thought leaders.
Change Management Handbook - Leadership of Change® Volume 3, listed among the 50 Business and Technology Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2021.
Change Management Pocket Guide - Leadership of Change® Volume 2, ranked within the top 50 Business and Technology Books (Jan 2020) from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders.
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