As a frequent flyer, I don’t trust airlines to be on time. At least not for afternoon or evening flights. See I’ve been a road warrior now for about 12 years. That means averaging about 30 weeks per year on the road.
It’s not just about a particular airline, Southwest is my airline of choice. It’s just that things happen. On a morning flight, first one out, your chances of arriving on time are really good. But on a typical day, there are lots of variables. After my flight drops me off, typically in Baltimore, it might leave out 15 minutes late on its next leg because some the next flight is full and they have to gate check bags. Then it arrives 30 minutes later on its next stop. Here there’s a problem because a previous plane is stuck at the gate which delays arrival to the terminal another 10 minutes. The next leg is delayed by 30 minutes because a flight crew member is late arriving on another delayed flight. And now, for afternoon passengers, there may be a 90 minute delay. Which used to be my flight, with a tight connection I may or may not make. With two hip replacements and about an extra 20 lbs. of weight, I can’t run through the airport like I used to. Which means I might be spending an extra night in a city I just planned to connect through, most likely sleeping on an airport floor so as not to have to go through the hassle of coming back through TSA in the morning plus incurring Uber and hotel costs.
So I don’t trust airlines to be on time. I’ve been let down too many times.
As The Boss, do your employees feel this way about you? How many times have you promised them something:
- I won’t yell at you anymore.
- I’ll be sure to take care of that problem.
- Don’t worry, I’ve got this.
- You won’t be blamed for this, it’s on me.
…and then let them down? Trust is like a bank account. If you make more withdrawals than deposits, you bounce checks (does anyone use checks anymore?). If the bank runs dry, trust dries up too.
I make special flight arrangements which are probably costing me time and money, but because I don’t trust airlines, I make the sacrifice. What are your people doing now to avoid being let down by you Boss? Might be a good time to reflect on what trust you have with your team.