First, Connect – A Lesson In Getting People To Do What You Want Them To Do From An Airline Purser

What do you do during the safety procedures drill at the beginning of a flight? Are you paying attention? Or are you like me? I travel a lot and I can’t remember the last time I looked at a safety procedures card, or paid attention during the drill. I know that it could be the difference between life and death “in the unlikely event of an emergency” yet, like many passengers, I am busy reading or listening to music or a podcast. But a few weeks ago, a purser on a WestJet flight got me, and the entire plane, to pay attention … masterfully:

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to WestJet Flight 2601 to Calgary”

“Calgary!” the passengers exclaimed, wondering if we had boarded the wrong aircraft.

“Oh, you don’t want to go to Calgary today?”

A chorus of “No No No” accompanied the clatter of bags being retrieved from under the seats and “dings” from frantic cell phone texts.

“OK. It’s snowing there, so we’ll go to Toronto.”

The passengers sank back in their seats, with sighs and chuckles, comforted that they were on the right plane.

“The handsome Captain Mark Smith, my husband, will be flying us to Toronto today” the purser continued. “He will be assisted by my other husband, First Officer Brown.”

The chuckles intensified – nothing like a little reality TV-like drama to hook our attention.

“Before we take off, let me introduce you to our cabin crew. As the rear is our beautiful Natalie*”. Natalie did a slight bow in the aisle.

“There in the middle is the lovely Mary Anne*.” Mary Anne curtsied, and the passengers close to her applauded at the behest of the purser.

“At the front is June*.”

The passengers at the front of the plane, me included, cheered.

“And my name is Kelly, your purser for the flight. Before we take off, let’s review our safety procedures. Please take the card in the seat pocket in front of you so you can follow along.”

And like magic, in unison, nearly ALL the passengers leaned forward and pulled out the card!

Once the safety drill was complete (and yes, I listened to the whole thing, and read the safety procedures card for the first time in years) I reflected on what we might learn from Kelly. A simple definition of management is that it is about “getting things done through other people”, but the question that has us perennially perplexed is how do you get people to do the things you want them to do?

It occurred to me how masterfully Kelly had got us to do her bidding by utilising a core principle of managing people – connection. Notice how she did this:

1. She got our attention upfront by saying something unexpected – Calgary! 2 husbands!
2. She made us into a community by introducing each of the crew by name;
3. She involved us by asking us to applaud each member of the cabin crew when introduced;
4. And she used humour, which took the edge off a very serious matter.

Then, and only then, did she proceed to ask us to pay attention to the safety drill.

How do you personally go about establishing connection with people with whom you interact? Or do you just barge in and give orders? If so, don’t be surprised that things don’t get done your way! People do not like being told what to do, but they do like feeling important and involved. Before asking anyone to do anything, take the time to connect. As you do this over and over with your team members, you will find that you deepen the connection, the quality of the relationship improves, and they might even be doing your bidding before you ask (yes, that might seem farfetched, but I have seen it happen).

Here’s a fun exercise in connecting with people – the next time you are buying something, BEFORE placing your order, greet the server by name, ask them how they are and wait for, and listen to their answer. And do smile, to show that you genuinely care. You will have established a connection in a matter of seconds – observe what happens next in terms of how you made the person feel, how you feel and the level of service you receive. You just might be surprised! Look forward to hearing about your experiment!

SOMETHING EXTRA:

Here’s a joyful video about a paediatric neurosurgeon who has a wonderful, healing way to connect with his patients:

– what can you do to connect with your team members and customers?

 

* I was so riveted by Kelly, that I didn’t pay attention to the other crew members’ names, so I took the liberty of fabricating names. My apologies to them.