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I boarded an airplane in Dallas last week to head home. The pilot was making his regular announcements about weather, time of departure, etc. He stated that we should make our scheduled arrival time of 11:55 that night.
Well, I knew he was an hour off...our actual scheduled time of arrival was 10:55. I looked to my right at the silver-haired and silver-mustachioed businessman across the aisle and we smiled knowingly.
"As long as he flies better than he tells time we'll be alright," I quipped. He nodded and laughed. I am so funny.
The pilot corrected himself in short order and I thought nothing more of it.
About fifteen minutes later, as we taxied toward the runway, the pilot got on the mike again and said, "Flight attendants: Prepare for landing."
Now, I want to make it clear that we were still on the ground in Dallas when he made the announcement that the flight attendants were to prepare for landing.
I looked across the aisle at Mr. Silver Hair and we were smiling again, but the smiles were less easy. I mean I could pass off one mistake about time, but another one within fifteen minutes confusing takeoff and landing?
This was a first.
Now I had thoughts running through my head. "Has this guy not had enough sleep?" "Is this guy drunk?" "Are we gonna DIE?!"
It turns out that his takeoff was superb, the flight was perfect, and his landing in Milwaukee was impeccable.
(Oh and I've had a few landings over the years that were...how can I say it...not impeccable. I remember one at Chicago O'Hare in which the clouds were so low and the fog so dense that it seemed the runway showed up at the last instant. We hit the ground so hard that my spine actually shot up through my brain and stuck out the top of my head. No really. I can't wear hats to this day.
And then there was the time I was flying into Chicago Midway. We apparently were following too close to the plane in front of us-that's all I could figure-because the pilot literally started to slalom. Back and forth we went as he slowed his approach until he straightened for landing. You've never lived until you've flown the jumbo jet slalom course above the city of Chicago!)
But this pilot was quite competent. And when I boarded the plane I had no reason to think otherwise until his incompetent communications.
So here's the deal: I walk on the plane assuming the pilot is competent; he is actually competent; but I question his competence only because of how poorly he handled two simple communications.
Leaders not only need to be competent, but they also need to appear to be competent. Leaders cannot be sloppy in the impressions they give. Impressions and appearances certainly aren't everything, but they are a form of communication...and they do matter.
I mean...you wouldn't want your people thinking they're going to DIE today would you??!! | 
