Ranjay Gulati

I interviewed a Ukrainian commando at the frontline who used to be a lawyer till four years ago.

And he said that on the frontline, he has a whole set of morning safety rituals he does that he believes invoke a higher power

that he believes are going to protect him in this moment.

So rituals serve several purposes.

One is it invokes a higher power that we believe is going to protect us.

It also is a very useful distraction technique.

It normalizes things.

You stop thinking about the situation.

So you compartmentalize.

So if you look at Captain Sullenberger, what do pilots do?

Immediately when this thing happens, he starts to make a checklist.

And pilots do that because checklist, you stop thinking about the situation.

I'm landing the plane on the Hudson.

No pilot has ever done this before.

The last time a pilot tried to do it, the plane flipped and half of them died.

I have to do that in the next 90 seconds.

No, he's just going through his checklist.

Here's my checklist.

Step number one, step number two, step number three, step number four.

So how these people find ways to tame their fear, outwit their fear.