In late 2022 the last Boeing 747 rolled off the assembly line, bringing an end to the 50-year run of the airplane referred to as the Queen of the Skies. At launch, and still to this day, 747 is an engineering marvel. It came close to bankrupting Boeing in its development. The plane subsequently had a massive impact on air travel, making it affordable for the middle class to fly around the world. The first “jumbo” jet, it holds nearly 500 people. It is still the world’s fastest commercial airplane, with a top speed of Mach .86. Over 3.5 billion people have flown on a 747 during it’s lifetime. But now the 747 is coming to an end.
In the current age of more fuel-efficient two-engine jets, the 747 is no longer the least expensive way to traverse the planet. After five decades as a long-haul workhorse, the plane is being retired by most airlines, and the final few being manufactured are the cargo-only version. The ending has been commented on by aviation enthusiasts and historians using phrases like sad day, tragic conclusion and nail in the coffin.
Most of the time we view endings as negative. Endings can cause people to divide, income to cease, projects and support to die off. A sense of accomplishment can quickly become a feeling that purpose is gone, and days were better back when whatever we were doing was in full swing. Leaders have a tendency to believe that once something starts, it will continue in perpetuity for all time to come. But it just isn’t so. Looking at the factory floor where 747 airliners are made, it’s easy to imagine soon the cavernous empty space, the manufacturing noise replaced with quiet, and a vast workforce left with nothing to do. The end is near.
At its launch the 747 was not intended to last all that long, given development of supersonic aircraft. Instead it lasted more than 50 years and ferried billions across the globe. It changed air travel forever.
The book of Ecclesiastes speaks about endings, and timing, in life and work. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” The truth is that both beginnings and endings are part of living, and just as we expect to start something new from time to time, we should expect some aspects of our lives to end. Projects end. Product end. Eras end. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You’ve heard the phrase “happy endings”. Though we may dislike endings, we are taught in Scripture to look to endings with a certain sense of optimism.
God Himself tells us in the Bible that we are “works in progress”, and that we should look forward to the end of our lives with a sense of anticipation as we will see God and be with Jesus. Philippians 1:6 says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Our own ending, as Christ-followers, will indeed be a happy one, no matter what the circumstances that may bring us there. How then, might we approach endings, in work and life?
Don’t put things off. Since we know endings will surely come, fill your life and work with those activities that you really want to do. Take the trip. Try the recipe. Learn the skill. Meet someone new. One message of Ecclesiastes is that time doesn’t wait—so do those things now that bring meaning and purpose to life, because you never know when those opportunities will be gone. Proverbs 27:1 also encourages us, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Keep your mind on today. Don’t wait. What you can do today, go ahead and do it!
Look for the positive. When something ends, we can get nostalgic. Though we may have faced challenges and negatives, we look back and tend to remember those things we loved or enjoyed with fondness. Over time our minds focus on what we liked versus disliked. Let this attitude permeate your days, and look for the positive in what you are doing now, knowing that anything you are engaged in is for a time, and will eventually be gone. Philippians 4:8 clarifies this mindset: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” In every area, even in the endings, look for what is positive, good and admirable.
Boing launched the 747-8 to compete with Airbus Industries’ large jets. But in reality the age of the giant jetliner was ending in favor of smaller, more economical two-engined aircraft.
Share your experience. A great benefit of any activity is found in healthy relationships. We may face an ending, but we can take with us the friendships and camaraderie we share with others. Engage in meaningful relationships at every opportunity, which can become life-long connections long after you experiencing an ending. Ecclesiastes, which says so much about our use of time, also talks about the importance of relationships: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). The lesson to remember is that through beginning and endings, in work and life, two are better than one. In tough times, it’s always better to be surrounded by friends.
Within just a few years, the 747 fly off into its ultimate sunset. Already you can see several in museums. Though the 747 is ending, air travel is expanding. The great plane had its moment in the sun. The latest generation twin-engine 787, though smaller, is much lighter, quieter, more fuel efficient, safer, more comfortable, holds more cargo per passenger, flies further and is cheaper. Though not as big, it is in most other aspects a giant leap beyond the former Queen of the Skies. Though the 747 is landing for good, the age of traversing the earth by air is just beginning. It will become just another example in our lives of something that had its “appointed time”. And a reminder that we can seek the happy to be found in every ending.
There’s nothing wrong with being likeable and agreeable as a leader—but to a point. Likeability is not universal. No matter how focused a leader is on building relationships, exhibiting empathy and listening well, he will not be universally liked.