“The Show”, put on by all organizations, is sometime great! Seth describes how the show put on by the airlines is a bit thread bare. As a private pilot, I can’t claim to know everything, but I can assure you there are facts in his post that are true — and obvious, even to the most uninformed layperson. Sooooo, why do the airlines keep playing this game of charades? Because they haven’t (yet) been fully compelled to change the story or to improve “the show.”

Which leads me to the point of this post. WHAT IF you had a few exceptional employees who improved your show by breaking your rules and introduced a level of authenticity that kicked your old story to the curb? Would you allow it? Would you try to squash it like a green bug? Or, would you embrace it and encourage it?

On a flight last year I was witness to this. The crew was early to the airport and ended up waiting in the boarding area with the rest of us. They mingled, they laughed, they were friendly. NOT the usual stuffy, walk in packs, nose up with an air of superiority, “I’m better than you” kind of flight crew… if you’ve seen this, you know what I mean.

When we boarded the plane we all knew it was going to be a fun flight. By the time the crew got to the safety presentation, hilarity ensued. The unwitting attendant at the front of coach found (one at a time, of course):

• Her oxygen mask had a beanie baby in it
• When she put the mask on to demonstrate its use, the pilot used the intercom to do a Darth Vader deep breathing impersonation
• The lap belt was impossibly tied in knots
• When the safety card was opened, it revealed a big, pasted-on picture of Brad Pitt

The flight continued …

• As we taxied to the runway, the pilot informed us that we could only get the plane going fast enough if we all applauded the flight crew … Louder … LOUDER
• On landing, as we touched down, the pilot announced over the intercom “Whoa big fella, whoooooa”
• And dozens of other little touches that let us know they enjoyed what they do, they’re real people and they appreciate our business

Upon reading this post, I’m sure the attorneys at Southwest Airlines will have a coronary. Come on, if you don’t know how to operate a lap belt you really shouldn’t be out in public. Showing a group of busy business people a piece of cardboard will not somehow make things safer in the event of a crash landing.

I’m sure we could all collect a number of stories like this that have changed our experience. The question is how can this type of thinking be incorporated into a (lawyer approved) corporate psychology. That’s a tough request. The easiest first step for you is to find these story changers in your own organization and let them teach the rest of your people.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 9th, 2007 at 9:01 am and is filed under Brand-tastic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.