A number of years ago I was on a Continental Airlines flight from Mexico to the U.S. On the second flight on take off from Houston to Albuquerque the right side engine blew up in a ball of flames and the plane leaned over and started going down. I could see the rooftops of the houses clearly. A group of missionaries started praying and one of the flight attendants completely lost her composure. I grabbed the phone on the seat back thinking I could call and say goodbye to my daughter…. more later on how this near death experience resulted in programs for airlines.

I had just delivered a hotel-based team building program we packaged and delivered in Mexico City using the hotel gardens and a large ballroom/salon for experiential activities. Being flexible with our programming and having lots of portable activities gives Santa Fe Learning Centers the ability to deliver impactful programs just about anywhere.

Back to the blown engine out of Houston. The pilot wrestled the airplane level but could not perform safely a bank turn so it took awhile to get back to the airport during which time I did leave a message for my daughter….”I love you” ….with a nervous tone which she detected and asked me about.

Finally on the ground, a series of unbelievable events took place which improved my ability to facilitate and brought me airline clients with whom I never thought I would work. More on the key learnings I took away from this event in the next post.