Assume the [leader] Position

Five minutes before the plane was to push back from the terminal en route to Chicago, one of the flight attendants, Susie, announced, “We’ve just been informed that there is a malfunction with the rear lavatory that will have to be addressed before we can take off.  We’re expecting a delay of approximately one hour.”

The resulting reaction from a handful of passengers was as though a nest of snakes had been released into the cabin (yes, it was THAT dramatic).

A voice yelled from the back, “Don’t you realize there’s a bunch of children on this plane?” Another passenger exclaimed, “But I’m going to miss my connection!” And yet another, “This is ridiculous! I want to talk to the pilot!”

To quickly address the issue before it snowballed further, I expected someone from the airline—the pilot, a flight attendant, or a crew member—to make a follow-up announcement ensuring us they were doing everything within their power to expedite the process and get us on our way. No such announcement was ever made.

About ten minutes later, a different flight attendant got on the PA system and said, “Hi, I’m Mary. Susie has decided to go on her lunch break so I’ll be handling things from here. I know you are all very upset, but you need to understand that I wasn’t the one to break the lavatory, it wasn’t my decision to delay the flight, and I only know as much information as you do, so just calm down!”

Aside from the fact that Mary could use some coaching in customer relations, more importantly she missed a fantastic opportunity to lead.

Brand-conscious professionals recognize the ever-present need for leadership, especially in situations that appear to be void of it.

Consider how the passengers’ experience could have been had Mary assumed the leadership position by doing the following:

• Move forward. Acknowledge the conflict, but put more effort into those steps you’re going to take to emerge from it.

  Even though the decision to delay the flight may have been beyond the control of anyone on the plane, Mary was on the front line interfacing with passengers. As the face of the company, she should have owned up to the inconvenience and instilled confidence in passengers that it would be resolved quickly and efficiently.

• Be proactive. The passengers were vocally upset about Susie’s announcement and yet it took ten minutes until any of the crew members tried to calm them. As soon as Mary saw that Susie’s announcement had created a stir, she should have taken the initiative to get on the PA and reassure the passengers that the situation was under control.
• Be a diplomat. Consider the effect your words are going to have on your audience before you speak. Also, avoid patronizing someone for their response to what they perceive as an unreasonable situation. Mary thoughtlessly got on the PA and stated that her coworker had just gone on break, which could lead passengers to wonder who is in charge and how seriously is the situation being considered.
• Maximize what you can do. In this case, Mary can keep lines of communicating open by providing passengers with regular updates (even if no new information is available), and by reminding passengers to contact crew members should they have questions about how the delay will affect their itineraries.
• Have a back-up plan. Be prepared to address immediate issues such as how a full cabin of passengers is going to utilize reduced lavatory facilities.

Regardless of the titles we carry or the roles we fulfill, each of us is a leader—within our families, our teams, our companies, our communities, and our religious/charitable organizations. Instead of waiting around to be anointed as such, assume the leadership position you already have.

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