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Like it or Not, You're a Role Model

Except for the rather obvious similarity to a vegetable, the name Albert Romolo Broccoli may not ring any bells for you. But if I were to mention his nickname “Cubby,” you might remember this man as the American film producer who originated the "James Bond" movie series.

One day, while still a boy in New York, Cubby noticed an airplane flying overhead. It was the Spirit of St. Louis, flown by none other than Charles Lindbergh. Cubby waved excitedly to the plane and to his delight, Lindbergh returned his wave. Later, Cubby would say that this moment made him realize that in America anyone can achieve anything if he puts his mind to it.

We could talk at length about how Cubby took this moment and used it to motivate his life. We could discuss how he overcame great obstacles and navigated massive disappointments, including early failed movie projects and the death of his second wife, only to later build a film dynasty around a simple series of three digits, 007. It is an inspirational story of perseverance and accomplishment. But let’s look at this story from a different perspective instead.

I would imagine that Charles Lindbergh had no idea that day, as he waved back at people on the ground below, that one of them was a future movie producer. The thought that his casual salutation could motivate someone to achieve greatness probably never crossed his mind. I bet that he waved to hundreds, if not thousands, of people as he flew over them. The point is, he could have chosen NOT to wave to anyone. He was, after all, a world record-setting pilot and he had important things to do and to concentrate on, not the least of which was flying an airplane.

The Spirit of St. Louis was not the easiest plane to fly; designed for distance, it featured a large fuel tank between the pilot and the engine, completely blocking Lindbergh’s forward view. He had to swing the plane from side to side to look out the side windows, or peer through a small periscope to see what was in front of him. I don’t think that any of us could blame him if he had chosen to focus his attention to the difficult task of flying instead of waving to people.

And yet he did choose to wave on that day without realizing what that simple act could accomplish. He was a role model, whether he knew it or not.

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Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in the December 2014 issue of The PCB Design Magazine.