Delta Flight 88

JFK Terminal 3 Gate 15

We have arrived. It took less than one hour to ride from my apartment (tucked into the far reaches of the West Village) to get to Ukraine (the post-Soviet, still-new nation, that is thousands of miles away).

My two kids (age 4 and 4), my two parents (age 73 and 70), and I (age 39) checked our bags, got through security, and chilled out in the Delta Crown room (courtesy of my bi-monthly commuting flight throughout 2008). We listed to Obama's commencement address at Notre Dame. We munched on snacks. We powered up our laptops and iPhones.

Then we went to the gate. Straight into the mob scene. Delta has a policy of giving their business class and medallion level passengers their own boarding lane to get on the Jetway. Some marketing team probably spent hours designing the nifty little carpet, rope and sign that show the 'Delta Breezeway.' None of that was of particular interest to the majority of the passengers of Delta Flight 88 that day.

The gate attendant did an admirable job of keeping order. I got to the breezeway and waved my Medallion card and boarding passes. I told her that the Breezeway was not particularly breezy that day. She agreed.

The minute my mom stepped on the plane, she had her own welcome. The wheels on her carry on got stuck and the bag fell down. Right in front of a stewardess. The stewardess did not lift a finger to help her with the bag, but instead, said to her in Ukrainian 'Добре що не впало мені на ногу!'

Uh oh.

Sure enough, it became clear that the stewardess who was standing at the door was the local country trainee on the crew. Her job was to make the announcements in Ukrainian (ostensibly translating the same announcement that her Delta crew mate had made in English, but I understand both languages and I was always struck by the editorializing in each announcement. Usually the editorializing was done by omitting information.)

Before take-off she ran down the aisle carrying a tray with a business class meal on it. Sure enough, she tripped and fell somewhere behind me in the galley. You don't *run* down the aisle.

Her partner on my aisle was Cheryl. It was clear that this was not Cheryl's first flight. Nowhere near it. She was professional, upbeat, efficient and effective. What impressed me the most, however, was how she coached the 'local' crew member throughout the 10-hour flight.

Once it was time to serve the first hot meal, the options were pasta or chicken. By the time they got near to our row, they had run out of chicken. Passengers grumbled. Cheryl said "I am responsible for the food on this flight. I am sorry that we ran out of the chicken. We only have pasta left."

Wow. Personal responsibility. Accountability's. Clarity in communication. Solution-oriented response. Strong and positive tone of voice.

Did anyone else pick up on this? Back in college, I had spent a seminar session discussing the use of the word 'I" in Gorby's book, Perestroika. It was the first time a leader of the Soviet Union took personal responsibility. That was just over 20 years ago. Some people on the flight hadn't even been born then. Many had. Did anyone hear Cheryl say 'I am responsible' did anyone hear her say ' I am sorry."?

(Later on, I found out that several people were added to the flight at the last minute so Cheryl's food order was outdated.)

My other part of this fan mail to Cheryl hinges on what org psych professionals refer to as 'stress.' From various leadership development programs in Corporate America, I have learned that we all have patterns of behavior during our regular state and we have patterns of behavior when we are under stress. Frequently how we act varies considerably between those two states. the facilitators of the training sessions frequently talk about the importance of being aware of your reactions in both states, to ensure that you'll be an effective leader.

Cheryl lost and earring on the flight. It was pretty pricey: a diamond stud, and had some sentimental value. Once the lost earring was brought to her attention, she kept working, and looking for the earring. She stayed upbeat and kept doing her job.

I'd hire her because that sort of attitude is incredibly valuable.

I wonder if she is still training the local. I wonder if she is training someone new.

So, it struck me on my flight over that somethings have probably changed and others have not.