Flight Path to Success

Last week, a video surfaced showing a passenger physically dragged from an oversold United Flight when he refused to give up his seat for a United employee. Not surprisingly, this incident caused outrage and disgust as evident from the backlash on social media, calls for a United boycott and plummet in the airline’s stock price.

As someone leading a customer care driven business, I believe that what happened on United flight #3411 and the ensuing response could have been avoided. While there has been a great deal of Monday morning quarterbacking, it is useful to use the United incident as a vehicle. Specifically, it’s an opportunity to reinforce what can be done to deliver high quality care and service that focuses on the consumer, to build a workplace that empowers employees and to make a positive impact on the community it serves.

With that in mind, let’s review those key ingredients to building a world-class company that provides the best service possible:

• Put the customer first. United failed to put the customer first that afternoon. While the airline might have been thinking about those customers waiting for a flight crew in Louisville, they did so at the expense of the passengers in Chicago. As a provider, your number one priority must be the customer. You must always lead with “what can I do to ensure that the customer gets what they need and has the best experience possible?” Not only is this the right thing to do, it builds your business. In addition, you are likely to retain the customer, and find that they become a passionate advocate for your business - recommending your services to friends, colleagues and family. The “likely to recommend” metric is critical in my field and one we strive to meet and exceed every day.

• Empower employees to do the right thing. I must admit that I found it completely baffling that at no time did an employee - from the gate agent to ground crew to flight crew to the pilots - step in to deescalate the situation and find an alternative solution. Why didn’t anyone do what was right? I can only assume that United employees have not been empowered to feel like they can take control and make on-the-spot decisions when needed.  You must make employees feel empowered. They must believe they are capable and qualified to make a call that is in the best interest of the customer and the business when needed. Not only does it protect your employees but it breeds loyalty and a sense of ownership in the organization.

• Have systems in place that you review regularly. I understand bumping passengers is necessary from time to time. Things like headwinds that cause weight restrictions and broken equipment are unavoidable.  And overselling seats is more likely to ensure maximum profitability. However, if you know an area of your business has the potential to negatively affect customers and that the repercussions are likely to cost more than the perceived profit, you might want to think of alternative solutions. For example, if flights out of Chicago have a significantly higher chance of overselling, consider decreasing the number of seats sold beyond capacity. Or if you consider my field - healthcare, and realize that things get backed up in your urgent care clinic starting at 3 pm, consider reducing the number of late afternoon appointments. My recommendation is that you should reevaluate your business for opportunities to maximize growth and productivity and minimize opportunities for dissatisfaction and disruption on a quarterly basis.

• If you make a mistake, own it. If all else fails and a mistake still occurs, own it. We all make mistakes but it is the way we account for them that speaks volumes. Had the CEO of United immediately and profusely apologized, offering meaningful compensation and recompense, some of the fallout could have been avoided. Instead he doubled down, made excuses and attacked the injured customer. I realize there can be certain barriers (legal) standing in the way of an apology but at the end of the day, there is nothing more powerful than admitting that you made a mistake.

Building a business is challenging and there are times when there are forces beyond your control that prevent you from giving your best to your customers. But a situation like the one that occurred with United is completely avoidable. If you follow some key guiding principles, you, your employees and your organization will find yourselves on the flight path to a successful journey. 

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Top 7 Things to Remember in the New Year

The beginning of the new year provides not only the opportunity to reflect on last year achievements, but to get pumped up for what lies ahead. Since this is my first foray into the blogging world in 2017, I want to thank you for your support and engagement over the past several months.

As we begin another year, I thought it would make sense to reflect on some of my previous posts as a way to help set leadership goals. When setting your goals for 2017, think about how you want to lead and collaborate with team members in the coming months. Here are some leadership tips to help you have the most productive and positive year yet:

1. Be authentic. This is simple. Be honest and straightforward. Don’t ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself. In doing so, you will build a foundation of respect and honesty with and within your team, allowing for greater loyalty and productivity.
2. Be accountable. Take responsibility for every step on the path to achieving the task at hand and embrace and accept the outcomes of these decisions - whatever they may be. By doing this, you will develop an unparalleled trust with and among your team - they will know you mean what you say, that you have their back and that you can be trusted.
3. Don’t get stuck under the squeaky wheel. We tend to spend a lot of time focused on the employee who makes the most noise and proves to be most difficult. Instead, start focusing your energy on those who demonstrate the desire and ability to contribute to your organization.
4. Improvise - all of the time. Much of your success will come from your ability to be flexible and improvise when it comes to your business. How you embrace change and capitalize on new realities effecting your business can make all the difference in the work you do.
5. Play with others and get outside of your own backyard. You never know where you will find the next best idea. Take time to go and learn from others outside your sector. While industries outside your own might operate on a different scale than your company and there will certainly be aspects of their business that will not apply to your work, there is still a tremendous amount of knowledge to be gained from them. We can learn from their systems, their culture, their processes and their leadership style.
6. Work as a team. Managers who work collectively with fellow team members to identify a change or goal, then create and execute a plan to work through the change or achieve that goal, are the ones who will be successful. The reality is that in today’s workplace, you can have fantastic ideas and innovative strategies to grow your business and lead your market…but if you don’t have dedicated team members that are invested in its execution, you won’t get where you want to go.
7. Focus on being sustainable. The world is rapidly changing and so is business. In order to survive and thrive, focus your energy on swimming with the tide. Figure out how to maximize your strengths and the work you do in relation to what is happening in the world around you.

And so, as you begin the year, I encourage you to take some time to map out your leadership strategy. Spending a few minutes now to think about how you want to lead, will pay off big in the months ahead.

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Ignore the Squeaky Wheel

I often hear friends and colleagues who are managers complain about how much of their daily work day is consumed by difficult employees. Instead of working with their high producing team members to move their company forward, they spend hours upon hours trying to make these squeaky wheels fit into the culture of their particular organization by coaching them to get them to where they need to be.  

I get it. I understand this impulse. As leaders, we believe that our primary responsibility is to solve problems. And at some point, we have all been taught to believe that part of being a good leader is the ability to turn even the most difficult employee into a productive team player. But often, that is just not possible and results in wasted time. And so, I guide my team and those colleagues who seek my advice to ignore the squeaky wheels and start focusing their energy on those who are or who have demonstrated the desire and ability to contribute to our organization.

Think about how much time and energy you spend working with the most demanding employees, fielding complaints from their colleagues, or simply the hours drained while you strategize on how to solve the problems they cause. Now, what if you took that time and devoted it to coaching a team member who has the desire to grow within the organization but needs a bit of guidance? Or perhaps working with one of your stellar team members to help expand their skill set?  I bet you would find that this time is much more likely to result in new and innovative ideas, heightened productivity as well as a more positive and cohesive work place. You are also much more likely to retain the highest performing members of your team, which, in the end, is a cost savings as these individuals are the most expensive to replace.

I know this can be easier said than done, but setting clear expectations with your team and holding them accountable for their actions from the very beginning (and holding yourself to the same standards) will allow you to lead your team as effectively as possible. It will also allow you to develop a more positive and productive work culture and move your organization’s needle forward. And what could be more important?

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