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On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union blocked the land and water routes into West Berlin. The trigger was the introduction of the Deutsche Mark in the western sectors. The city needed between 4,500 and 5,620 tons of supplies every day. A day later, the American commander, General Lucius D. Clay, ordered the city to be supplied from the air. On June 26, the airlift began. The war had been over for barely three years. An example of the Team Principle of Direction.
A Goal Measured in Tons
Situation
The need could be quantified precisely. In October 1948, coal alone accounted for 3,084 tons a day. Crews came from the United States, Britain and France, as well as from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. They flew into Tempelhof, into Gatow in the British sector and into Tegel in the French sector.
Connection to the team principle
The goal was the same for everyone and measurable for each: enough tons per day for the city to hold out. No single country and no single air force could reach it alone. A research finding fits here. A 2011 meta-analysis by Ad Kleingeld, Heleen van Mierlo and Lidia Arends shows a link between group goals and group performance that is stronger for specific, difficult goals than for vague ones. The authors themselves point out that more recent field studies are lacking. The study cannot serve as proof for a single case like Berlin – but it does suggest why a goal in tons aligns people better than an appeal.
Black Friday
Situation
On July 28, 1948, Major General William H. Tunner took charge of the operation. On August 13 – “Black Friday” – bad weather caused aircraft to stack up over Berlin. William H. Tunner drew firm rules from the episode: aircraft flew at three-minute intervals. Each had only one attempt to land. A pilot who missed it flew back fully loaded.
Connection to the team principle
For the individual pilot, the rule was harsh. He had made the whole flight and was not allowed to deliver his cargo. For the operation as a whole, it was right: the stream of aircraft could not be allowed to falter. Here the shared goal visibly ranked above each person’s own role. What counted was not the successful individual flight but the combined tonnage.
Victors and Vanquished on One Task
Situation
The airlift was not the Allies’ affair alone. Thousands of Berliners built Tegel airport in less than 90 days, working day and night. Germans unloaded the aircraft. One crew unloaded ten tons of coal in 5 minutes 45 seconds. William H. Tunner hired former German Luftwaffe mechanics for maintenance. On September 9, 1948, the Berlin politician Ernst Reuter spoke to some 500,000 people and called on the world not to abandon the city.
Connection to the team principle
Three years after the end of the war, former enemies worked on the same aircraft. The shared goal ranked above nation, rank and personal history. To be clear-eyed about it: German cooperation was partly paid for with extra rations and was not driven by conviction alone. That does not contradict the principle. A shared goal need not replace every self-interest. It has to rank above it.
Raisin Bombers and an Easter Record
Situation
The pilot Gail Halvorsen began dropping candy on little parachutes. Berlin’s children called the planes “raisin bombers.” At Easter 1949, on April 15 and 16, the crews set a record of 12,941 tons in a single day. In the December 1948 elections, 85% of West Berliners had voted against the Communists.
Connection to the team principle
A goal must not only be understood but also wanted. One pilot’s gesture gave the task a face. The Easter record showed everyone involved – and the other side – what was possible. Both strengthened the sense of direction: one in people’s hearts, the other in the numbers.
The Final Tally and Its Price
Situation
The blockade ended on May 12, 1949. The airlift continued until September 30, 1949. The tally: 2,334,374 tons in 278,228 flights. In all, 101 people lost their lives, among them 40 Britons and 31 Americans. Altogether, 17 American and 8 British aircraft crashed.
Connection to the team principle
The airlift kept running for months after the blockade ended. The goal was not a single victory but a secure supply for the city. The death toll is part of the truth. A goal that ranks above one’s own role can exact a high price. Anyone who leads must know that and take responsibility for it.
Key takeaways
Key Lessons
- Give your team’s goal a number and a rhythm. “So many tons a day” aligns people better than “giving it our best.”
- Build rules from the goal, even when they are uncomfortable for individuals. Explain what they are for.
- Bring the people you need for the goal onto the team – even if your shared history argues against it.
- Don’t expect pure motives. What matters is that, when in doubt, the shared goal comes first.
- Give the goal a face. A small gesture can provide more direction than an order of the day.
Summary
The Berlin Airlift united crews from seven countries and the people of a defeated city in a task that none of them could have accomplished alone. The goal was measurable in tons. The rules subordinated each individual flight to the stream as a whole. Former enemies worked hand in hand. In this way, the airlift shows both halves of the Team Principle of Direction: the shared goal makes the team – and it holds because it ranks above each person’s own role.
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