As you’ve read here before, my “go-to” airline is Southwest Airlines. I love the atmosphere, the energy, the mood and, yes, dare I say the “luv” (it’s one of their marketing taglines) that their crews show to passengers and amongst each other. After a long day of speaking and then heading to the airport, it’s nice to have an air crew that makes the experience a little more fun.
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Recently I was flying home from Denver after a couple of speaking engagements in Colorado and there were two SWA team members that were having a good time! What was interesting to me is that they both were having a good time in different ways, reflecting their different personalities, but the one thing in common is while it was clear their were both taking their responsibilities seriously-they weren’t taking themselves too seriously…and that makes all the difference.
The first associate was the gate agent who did all of the pre-flight announcements including when boarding would begin, how to board (SWA has a unique boarding policy where you’re assigned a letter and number on check-in and you board the aircraft according to the letter and number) and when to stand in line to board the airplane. Lastly, if a passenger hasn’t boarded the aircraft the gate agent will make announcements over the airport PA system in the hope that the passenger boards the plane prior to the gate doors closing.
When I first arrived at my terminal at Denver Airport I heard a very enthusiastic voice on the airport PA system and I remember thinking, “Hmm, you normally don’t hear someone like that on the PA.” Well, when I arrived at my gate, it was the same person making announcements! When we were standing in line to board I heard several passengers behind me making snarky comments about the associate and his enthusiasm for his job. I thought, “Good for him trying to have some fun!”
The thing is, I think the gate agent knows that some people will not like his approach and I like to believe that he made the decision that he was going to do it that way anyway. And honestly, I think more people liked his style than didn’t-and, whether you liked it or not, his enthusiasm and approach to work made you want to pay attention to what he was saying, which is crucial!
The second associate was the purser or the lead flight attendant on a flight. The purser’s voice is the one you most often hear making announcements during a flight. After the flight was boarded and passengers seated he introduced himself like this, “My name is (Michael) and I’m the person you all ignored when I said “Hi” to you when you came on board the aircraft.”
Everyone laughed.
Then he said something like, “It’s okay, I’m used to being ignored.”
More laughter.
After the pre-flight safety briefing (which most people ignore) he said, “I have a free drink coupon to anyone who can say the names of all the flight attendants.”
More laughter. (Although a passenger did actually come up with the names, somehow!)
Then he went on during the flight making fun of himself, the job, and other stuff which was entertaining.
The key point here is that he wasn’t afraid to sound silly, or self-deprecating, or even acknowledge what we all know to be true (few passengers pay attention to the announcements, many ignore the basic instructions, and some don’t respect the flight attendants.) In other words, he didn’t take himself seriously, even though he did take his job seriously.
Are there areas now at work (or anywhere else) where you might be taking yourself too seriously? Pause for a moment and reflect on that…and if something pops up, make a goal in this next week to make the adjustment you need!
