Who Packed Your Parachute?
Last Friday night, watching the Artemis parachutes deploy, I was taken back to growing up in Huntsville, aka the Rocket City, during Apollo’s heyday. Back then, space wasn’t abstract. It was personal. Ordinary people doing extraordinary work behind the scenes.
Last year, I met Charlie Plumb, a former Navy pilot, POW and Author of “I’m no Hero”. He delivered a speech at a client’s annual meeting about years after returning home from Vietnam, a sailor approached him and said, “I packed your parachute.”
Think about that. Someone you don’t know. Someone you never see. Doing their job with excellence—yet making all the difference.
We all have parachutes. And none of us got here alone.
As Andersen alumni, we know this. Our careers were shaped by people who taught us, challenged us, and lived “Think Straight. Talk Straight.”
Now it’s our turn. Every introduction. Every piece of guidance. Every act of integrity.
We are packing parachutes.
So take a moment—thank someone who packed yours. And be intentional about whose parachute you’re packing today. Because one day, someone will tell you: “You made a difference.” That’s a legacy worth building.