The Jet Blue Pilot
As
I was boarding the Jet Blue plane, I realized that I forgot to get a
spoon for my yogurt. I asked the flight attendant and quickly learned
that Jet Blue does not serve any food that requires utensils. But a few
minutes later, the flight attendant handed me a plastic spoon. She said
the pilot overheard my request, and as people were still boarding, he
got off the plane to personally get me a plastic spoon. Imagine my
surprise and delight!
Why did the pilot go out of his way to get a spoon?
While
it sounds like the start of a why-did-the-chicken-cross-the-road joke,
it actually gets to the crux of an organization's culture. The answer
is: because the pilot felt he could make a difference in Jet Blue's
commitment to provide an unforgettable customer experience. And he did.
There's more:
- The pilot is clearly aware of Jet Blue's greater vision
- The pilot is inspired about his role in helping Jet blue accomplish that vision
- The pilot is empowered to take actions to make a difference in accomplishing that vision
Are you cultivating inspired and empowered people?
This
is so much more than just employee engagement. It's about first
inspiring people around the greater vision of the company or your
department, or in the goal of their team or their projects. Then the
magic happens when you empower people to make a difference in the
accomplishment of that vision or those goals.
Would your people fetch a plastic spoon?
People
go out of their way when they feel inspired by a goal and feel
empowered to make a difference in that goal. The Jet Blue pilot felt
inspired by his company's goal to provide an unforgettable customer
experience. He then felt empowered that he could make a difference in
doing just that.
Do your people feel inspired by a goal and empowered to make a difference in it?
Here are 5 ways to inspire and empower your people to make a difference:
1. Ask them what they believe they are working to accomplish - in the big picture.
(do they even know the goal of your team or of a certain project?)
2. Ask them why they want to help accomplish that big picture.
(are they inspired by it?)
3. Ask them why it matters to them professionally and personally.
(what's at stake for them?)
4. Ask them what actions they have taken to accomplish a goal that were not specifically assigned to them.
(do they feel empowered to draw outside the lines?)
5. Then model for them inspiration, engagement, and empowerment
(show them what it looks like)
