A new week has begun, and with it comes another opportunity to emphasize QIC’s exclamation of the week: Find a Way.  While perhaps a bit clichéd, the term still holds valuable meaning – describing our desire to see associates (individually and collectively) take initiative to consistently prevail over challenges and obstacles on behalf of our clients or company.  This requires an intelligent, rational approach which sometimes is outside the realm of normal processes.

Finding a way means responding to every situation with an attitude of resourcefulness, taking personal responsibility to see things through to a successful conclusion.  A perfect example of “Finding a Way” is the transatlantic flight of Charles Lindbergh – who on this day in 1927 took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York at 7:52 a.m. – attempting to become the world’s first to complete a solo flight across the Atlantic.

The flight was the result of a competition with a $25,000 payoff, and Lindbergh ordered a small monoplane, which he configured to his own design.  He named the aircraft the Spirit of St. Louis in tribute to his sponsor, the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce. 

The plane lifted off the runway in the rain and fog and, because it was so heavy with fuel, barely cleared the telephone wires at the end of the field.  Lindbergh’s route took him on a northeasterly heading to Newfoundland, and then across the North Atlantic.  He battled fatigue as he slowly made his way toward Paris, France.  After 33-1/2 hours in the air, he touched down at Le Bourget field.  The distance flown was 3,610 miles – an incredible feat in 1927.

Just twenty-five years after the invention of powered, fixed-wing flight, Lindbergh had overcome engineering, logistical, and physical obstacles to be successful.  He had to find a way – and he did.

Admittedly, our daily challenges don’t come close to a transatlantic, solo flight in a single-engine, fabric-covered aircraft (but sometimes they may seem to!).  With a positive, open-minded approach, you might be surprised how many times you will Find A Way.