AchieveMax® Blog

Is it just me?
Or are there far too many questions out there in our everyday routines that need to be asked? 

I’m not talking about questions which, when answered, will end wars, abolish poverty, cure all diseases, and eliminate the world’s problems. I’m talking about the questions that drive us crazy due to their simplicity and the questions that absolutely no one seems to be able to answer. An even greater mystery appears to be the fact that the majority of us have simply stopped questioning the obvious.

Let’s take a look at a few examples …

• How can you tell when bagpipes are out of tune?
• Why do we call the person who invests our money — a B-R-O-K-E-R?
• Why isn’t the word “phonetic” spelled phonetically?
• Why do croutons come in airtight packages? (Stale bread)
• Why do they sell lemon juice made with artificial ingredients and
  lemon floor polish made with real lemon juice? (I now drink tea with a twist of Mop n Glow!)
• How much deeper would oceans be if sponges didn’t live there?
• Why do we have 50 choices for Miss America and only two for President of the U.S.?

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

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In the spirit of C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement), here are this week’s new facts—one for each day of your coming week. Pass them on to others to keep the spirit alive or invite your friends and family to visit our blog where they can also view previous entries.

• There wasn’t a single pony in the Pony Express, only horses.
• The Boston University Bridge (on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts) is the only place in the U.S. where a boat can sail under a train going under a car driving under an airplane. Bet you had to read that more than once to visualize it, right?
• General Robert E. Lee is the only person ever to have graduated from the West Point Military Academy without a single demerit!
• There are 1,929,770,126,028,800 different color combinations on a Rubik’s Cube.
• The color red has been found to promote the hunger reflex in humans.  This is why so many fast-food establishments use the color in their logo and decor.
• Crocodiles swallow stones to help them dive deeper.
• At the nearest point, Russia and America are less than 2.5 miles apart.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: facts, learn, life-long learning

It used to be so simple. A logo on a baseball cap. A letterhead on corporate stationary. Corporate slogan on an employee shirt or blouse. It was easy to identify who you were dealing with. Not so today!
 
Mergers, acquisitions, buy-outs. Turmoil in the business world has taken away our ability to identify what we once thought was the “Parent Company.” Hence: “Who’s yer daddy?”
 
From time to time in my seminars and keynote presentations, I find occasion to mention the fact that one particular organization is a subsidiary of a much larger entity. I’m always surprised at the fact that so many of those in the audience were not aware of the relationship I referred to. I’m even more astonished at how interested everyone seems to be in learning of these affiliations. For that reason, I thought it might be interesting to share some of those examples. There are far too many to list in one column so I’ll be updating this category on a regular basis.

YUM! Brands
Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, is the world’s largest restaurant company in terms of system units with approximately 34,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.

Their five brands include:

A & W All American Food Restaurants
Established in 1919, A & W is the longest running quick-service franchise chain in America. There are more than 600 A & W locations in 13 countries and territories around the world and nearly 600 additional points of distribution at Yum! Brands other multi-brand restaurants.

KFC Corp. (formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken)
KFC, based in Louisville, Kentucky, is the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain. There are more than 14,000 KFC outlets in more than 80 countries and territories around the world.

Long John Silver’s, Inc.
Based in Louisville, Kentucky, this brand is the world’s most popular quick-service seafood chain. Today there are more than 1,200 locations worldwide, and more than 200 additional points of distribution in multi-brand restaurants.

Pizza Hut, Inc.
The legacy began in 1958, and today they are the world’s largest pizza restaurant. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, there are more than 6,600 locations in the U.S. and more than 4,000 in more than 80 countries and territories around the world.
 
Taco Bell, Inc.
Based in Irvine, California, Taco Bell is the leading Mexican-style quick-service restaurant chain in the nation with more than 5,800 locations in the U.S.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: Yum! Brands

Our web site offers a wide variety of interesting quotes under the title of “Words of Wisdom.” Should you ever need a refreshing thought, idea, slogan, or profound nugget for an upcoming meeting, presentation, or lunch room bulletin board, you’ll certainly find something of interest here.
 
We offer interesting quotes on the subjects of:  leadership, teamwork, customer service, time management, goals, change, motivation, sales, potential, gender, creativity, repetition, and enthusiasm.  Today we’re adding another category, offering quotes on employees. Click below to view any of our topic-related words of wisdom:

1. Random Thoughts on Leadership
2. Random Thoughts on Teamwork
3. Random Thoughts on Service
4. Random Thoughts on Time Management
5. Random Thoughts on Goals
6. Random Thoughts on Change
7. Random Thoughts on Motivation
8. Random Thoughts on Sales
9. Random Thoughts on Potential
10. Random Thoughts on Gender
11. Random Thoughts on Creativity
12. Random Thoughts on Repetition
13. Random Thoughts on Enthusiasm
14. Random Thoughts on Employees

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: words of wisdom

Yes, they took it on the chin. They’ve been hammered, mocked, criticized, and crucified. They’ve been brought to their knees and kicked while they were down. It’s been almost a week of unrelentless abuse from every aspect of our U.S. media community. Comedians have had a heyday dissecting JetBlue’s “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” And you know what … they deserved every bit of it.

Bloopers, blunders, poor choices, bad decisions, no decisions. You name it — they did it. It was almost as though everyone at JetBlue demonstrated a synchronized effort to do everything wrong. If so, they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams!

Having been grounded myself in that same crippling storm, I can “feel the pain” and frustration of those 130,000 passengers who were stranded over the past week due to the cancellation of 250 flights. In a previous article, I joined the chorus of dissent regarding this escapade that is destined to live on for years to come. However, the point of my observation was to share my shock in discovering that this nightmare happened to JetBlue.

Until the “Heart Day” disaster, this young, aggressive airline was a highly respected, well-oiled operation that was constantly hailed for their customer focus and concern, cutting-edge technology, quality of service, and low prices. The bottom line of my article was to urge our readers to be proactive in their efforts to make certain that a similar situation doesn’t happen to them. If something this disastrous can happen to an industry leader such as JetBlue — an organization doing so many things right — it can happen to any company.

In that previous article, I noted many of the accomplishments that have led to the tremendous success of this highly respected airline — again emphasizing this chaos can strike even the best organizations at the most inopportune time. After what I have witnessed the past 24 hours, I think it’s time to add to that list!

I’ve always been a firm believer in the fact that it doesn’t matter what happens to you in life — it’s how you react to it that counts. Well, I have witnessed with great respect and admiration a very vivid example of true leadership during the past few days. Again, let’s agree … JetBlue’s team, at every level, experienced an operational meltdown, which affected more than 130,000 of their loyal customers. This fact can’t be argued. It happened.

I’m amazed at the fact that I have not seen the following things:

1. Justification by leadership at shortcomings due to terrible weather conditions.
2. Denial of responsibility due to the fact that conditions were beyond the control of JetBlue personnel.
3. Excuses for a single mistake of judgment, poor decision, or lack of action.
4. Refusal to deal with the many obvious consequences resulting from this experience.

I mention these behaviors because we have come to expect the above actions from the leadership of so many organizations which have failed miserably in so many different ways and been exposed in the glaring light of publicity. Look back over the past few years and reflect on what happened with such noted organizations as Enron, Arthur Anderson, WorldCom, HealthSouth, Tyco, Imclone, Adelphia, and so many more giants that invoked justification and denial.

This past week I’ve closely monitored the response strategy of JetBlue in light of the beating they’ve suffered since their unpleasant adversity. I’m not in the least bit surprised that their response has been immediate, honest, straight-forward, and reflective of the culture we’ve all admired since they entered the industry seven years ago. In less than a week since the anguish occurred, JetBlue responded as follows:

1. They took full responsibility for everything that happened.
2. They publicly apologized, expressing shock, mortification, and great disappointment.
3. CEO David Neeleman created a public relations offensive, which included television interviews on all networks, a conference call with journalists, and a damage-control appearance on the David Lettermen Show the night after the popular host dedicated the majority of his opening monolog to roasting JetBlue for millions of his viewers. In each of these appearances, Neeleman accepted the blame for meltdown, pointed out that the airline has definitely learned a great deal from the experience, and had no plans to replace any members of their management team. He said: “This has been a big wake-up call for JetBlue.”
4. The CEO then vowed to make immediate changes to prevent a repeat of what happened and followed that with a straightforward promise to the world that it will never happen again!
5. To demonstrate their dedication to that promise, Neelemen revealed a “Passenger’s Bill of Rights” … something Congress has promised but failed to achieve after years of empty rhetoric. JetBlue did this within a week. The document addresses a monetary voucher program covering any and all future delays. You’re going to be seeing the details appear in most all magazines and newspapers in the coming weeks.
6. JetBlue made their “Bill of Rights” retroactive to cover everyone affected by the Valentine’s Day misfortune. This action will cost JetBlue in excess of $30 million dollars!

Two very obvious thoughts emerge after witnessing the above actions:

First: What more could you possibly have asked JetBlue to do after what happened?

Second: When was the last time you saw any organization and/or individual
duplicate these efforts after their obvious misdeeds? Look back over the major organizations mentioned above that dominated headlines for months and even years. Did they publicly accept blame, take full responsibility, publicly apologize, offer immediate compensation to those affected, and create a strategy to avoid future reccurrences? Nuf said.

It’s time for us to respond in kind. Accept what has happened. It can’t be changed at this point. Accept the very unusual admission of guilt, apology, and promise for immediate action. We must now stand back and offer JetBlue the opportunity to keep their promises. We must also hold them accountable with promises of severe consequences should they fail to keep their word. However, you might also throw some admiration and recognition their way for responding to an unfortunate fiasco in a very unique and refreshing way — like no one has done in the past. Good luck to JetBlue and their loyal staff as they embark on their journey to regain their credibility and lofty status in an industry which defies such attempts.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: JetBlue

Prior to sharing some personal feelings about this year’s annual pigskin extravaganza, I want to request that you not jump to conclusions upon reading my remarks. Keep in mind that you lack the benefit of viewing my facial expression, hearing my tone of voice, or noting my body language as you read. You have only my words to use in forming your response to my comments.

For me, this year’s Super Bowl was one of the most notable in a good number of years. However, it had little to do with the game itself.

I’d like to share a few observations on the media coverage of both coaches of this year’s classic. Much was said by many concerning the fact that these two coaches, Tony Dungy of the Colts and Lovie Smith of the Bears, were the first black coaches to achieve this enviable status level. The fact that we observed two coaches actualize this ultimate goal in the same season garnered even more publicity world wide.

Personally, I couldn’t be happier for both gentlemen. They, and all other African Americans, should indeed be elated at this accomplishment and all of the glory it so richly deserves.

However, I wonder if we’re missing a very vital lesson here. Neither coach achieved championship status because they were African Americans.

They certainly didn’t earn the respect of their players, fans, or the world’s media based on their race.

Their obvious mutual respect was hard-earned and long in the making.

Personally, I was tremendously impressed by the leadership skills, integrity, and pure unmitigated CLASS I saw demonstrated by both men.

They spoke with great respect for one another’s achievements, beliefs and values. They spoke highly of each other’s teams.

They weren’t criticized by a single member of the radio, television, or print media after both gridiron generals gave conspicuous thanks to their “God” for their many blessings and achievements. Ordinarily, the media wolves would have devoured both men in the public square at the break of dawn for making such obvious politically incorrect statements. Yet, not a word from anyone. That was so very telling of the respect both men have earned from old friends and new fans alike.

After the game ended, many players spoke nothing but respectful words about the performance and leadership of both Tony and Lovie.

I heard one commentator point out the fact that both coaches never raised their voices during practice sessions or in actual game situations. Neither needed to do so. They always have the full respect and attention of their teams.

I couldn’t help but notice that they appeared together in several public service announcements during the day supporting such organizations as Big Brothers and Big Sisters to name just a few.

They were a class act from start to finish on this special day and one can only assume that both conduct themselves exactly like that every day.

Like any championship event, one of those proud and accomplished warriors was destined to walk off that field at the end of the game deemed as a “loser” while the other was carried off on the shoulders of his team being hailed as the “winner.” That’s the nature of the game. Always has been and always will be.

However, in the eyes and hearts of millions of world-wide fans on this particularly unique Super Bowl Sunday, I think Tony and Lovie both left that field of battle as WINNERS … having earned the highest respect of anyone who loves the game of football.

They were both great leaders in front of the entire world during this game, which provided them both with memories they will never forget.

They certainly served as excellent examples for not only the many young people who so dearly need such role models today but for potential and existing leaders in every field of endeavor all around the globe.

The final outcome of the game — exciting but secondary. The greater reward for fans, of course, was the privilege of witnessing a historic game, which will be discussed for years to come.

Both gentlemen entered an “unofficial” Hall of Fame after spending an entire evening demonstrating great leadership on the field of battle. If only we could boast such leadership role models on the world’s stage of business and politics today! We might all sleep a little better every night.

Good guys can and do finish first. Don’t mistake soft-spoken leaders for post-season push-overs. Both have spent a grueling season proving they can compete with the best, overcome adversity, rise above criticism, and endure brilliantly to become Division Champions and move on to compete in the most prestigious competition in the game.

For those who are tempted to say, “Yeah, they’re both nice guys, but … ” remember they made it to the Super Bowl! Maybe this year’s game should be renamed “The Good Guys Bowl.”

Congratulations, deep appreciation, and continued success to both Tony and Lovie … they certainly made this particular Bowl Day a SUPER one for me, and I’m sure we’re going to see much more of both of them! I think I’ll always remember this particular game as the “Leadership Bowl”!

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: super bowl, leadership

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Is it just me? 
Or has the U.S. business scene run amuck?

The media is foaming at the mouth with stories depicting the possibility of Daimler dumping Chrysler in the very near future.

Along those same story lines, it appears that General Motors may be considering the purchase of the Chrysler Corp. Before you dismiss such a ridiculous venture, be aware of the fact that both Chrysler and GM shares jumped within hours of the announcement.

Apparently, we’ve learned nothing from history. Anyone remember when the U.S. auto industry boasted the “Big Four”? That fourth spot was held by American Motors Corp. (AMC), which was originally formed from the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corp. and the Hudson Motorcar Company in 1954. Remember these classic nameplates: Gremlin, Spirit, Renault, Nash Rambler, Javelin, Hornet, Pacer, Concord, Matador, and Cavalier (later to re-emerge as a GM nameplate) to name just a few? It all came to an end with the merger of AMC into Chrysler in 1987. It’s kind of ironic that the one-time big fish has become the small fish being eyed hungrily by General Motors.

Riddle me this. When one ailing, flailing, failing, leaderless conglomerate merges or acquires a second distressed, floundering, directionless, leaderless competitor … which of the two will save the other?

What a short memory we have. It wasn’t that long ago (2005) that Sears, Roebuck & Company (at one time the number #1 U.S. retailer) merged with K-Mart Corp. (at one time the #2 U.S. retailer) to form the Sears Holdings Corporation.

Everyone waited with baited breath to see if competitors such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Target, Costco, Lowe’s, Best Buy, Kohl’s, JCPenney’s, Nordstrom’s, Younkers, Macy’s and others could withstand the devastating onslaught of this newly formed terrifying tandem. Needless to say, everyone survived. Since the Sears/K-Mart merger, there have been few changes at the store level and those that have surfaced have been as riveting as watching paint dry.

It doesn’t matter what the product and/or service may be. The keys to success lie with the people involved at every level and the culture which evolves as a result of the efforts of those people.

The answer to the Chrysler challenge is unbelievably simplistic. This scenario will never happen. However, if it were to materialize, Chrysler would emerge as the worldwide automotive leader exempt from threats of any current competitor on the face of the earth. It’s that simple. Here’s the formula:

1. Recruit Donald Trump and Ross Perot to join forces as co-chairmen of the new Chrysler Corp.
   • Trump has overcome numerous obstacles to attain success and knows how to capitalize on his enormous network.
   • Perot was once an intricate piece of General Motors. He identified major problems, offering sensible solutions, but was ignored and bought out by the GM leadership that feared him. He could make it work this time and, by doing so at Chrysler, once again prove to GM that they should have listened to him when they had the opportunity.
   • They both have a proven track record when it comes to turnarounds. They have both demonstrated a phoenix-like ability to create success from the ashes left behind by others.
   • Neither needs the money, yet both thrive on emerging victorious after being told it can’t be done.
2. Recruit Lee Iacocca to return as CEO and Jack Welch to complete the equation as Chief Operating Officer.
   • This would be deja vu for Iacocca. In the late 70s, Chrysler was on a “suicide watch” as Lee galloped in on his white horse, fresh from being put out to pasture by Ford Motor Co. As the world looked on in doubt, he took draconian measures never before seen at Chrysler and led them out of certain bankruptcy destruction to become a competitive dynasty to be reckoned with by all in the industry. He knows what it takes, isn’t ready to be counted out, and would be returning to his true love.
   • Both Iacocca and Welch would welcome the opportunity to disprove their nay-sayers who have claimed their legendary legacies were a “fluke.”
   • Again, neither needs the money but both would emerge in the public eye revitalized beyond recognition by the challenge most would deem impossible.

Let’s not overlook the obvious thought on everyone’s mind. Would it be possible to corral four of the world’s most gargantuan egos long enough to even propose such an undertaking? You might be surprised. The opportunity and possibility of accomplishing what the world would deem incomprehensible would easily overshadow the concern of ego-clashing. Each of these cultural icons would certainly recognize and capitalize on the once-in-a-lifetime prospect of working with fellow legends in a combined effort to accomplish the impossible.

Interestingly enough, their challenge and final results really have nothing to do with the auto industry. They would experience the identical success whether they were dealing with the challenges of our perplexing airline industry and the deteriorating automobile industry.

They’ve each proven themselves in their own respective areas time and time again. Regardless of the product, service, or challenge, they take action. They get results. That’s what this country needs today.

Do you think my solution is absurd? Think again AFTER comparing it to the merger of Sears and K-Mart. And again AFTER reviewing the merger of GM and Chrysler. And once again AFTER observing daily examples of our once powerful two-party political system moving closer and closer to a one-party mind-set.

Now, wouldn’t you agree that my solution is actually pretty feasible? Excuse me now as I’ve got to make a few phone calls in hopes of reaching Donald, Ross, Lee, and Jack. They may be our only hope!

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: Daimler, Chrysler, General Motors

In the spirit of C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement), here are this week’s new facts—one for each day of your coming week. Pass them on to others to keep the spirit alive or invite your friends and family to visit our blog where they can also view previous entries.

• M&M’s were developed so that soldiers could eat chocolate without getting their fingers sticky.
• The bark of the redwood tree is fireproof. Fires in redwood forest take place inside the trees.
• Screwdrivers were first used to help knights put on armor.
• People who smoke have 10 times as many wrinkles as people who don’t smoke.
• The risk of a heart attack is higher on a Monday than on any other day of the week.
• The fastest-moving muscle in the human body is the one that opens and closes the eyelid.
• The only two people in the Baseball Hall of Fame who had nothing to do with baseball are the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. They are being honored for their classic routine of “Who’s on First?”

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: facts, learn, life-long learning

Is it just me?
Or should focus move to “worst practices”?

I’ve posed this question to seminar and keynote audiences for several years now all over North America. I’m not surprised that so many have readily agreed with this observation. I think we’re all very much aware of the tremendous value derived from the review of “Best Practices.” I would never suggest that we cease this beneficial exercise.

However, I would recommend that we invest more time and energy in paying close attention to many of the “Worst Practices,” which increasingly appear in our media spotlights. There are obviously many more examples available to us in this area and the ROI (Return On Investment) of that time and energy can be invaluable. Let’s face it; it’s often much easier to learn from witnessing a headline-grabbing guffaw spotlighted on the world’s stage than it is to emulate the performance of an organization or individual continuing to do almost everything without a flaw. Allow me to share a recent glaring example.

Recent Disaster May Revolutionize Airline Industry!
I, among thousands of others, was a recent victim of the “Valentine’s Day Massacre” that struck North American airports with very little warning. I was stranded in Toronto as a result of ice, snow, wind, drifting, and sub-zero temperatures combining to create a devastating blizzard that crippled air travel over much of the east coast. Emerging from that calamity was a most unexpected, atypical event that may very well transform every airline transporting passengers today. A class action lawsuit is currently in the formative stages and may very well result in a “Passenger’s Bill of Rights.”

In the shocking details of this sad event is a very obvious and valuable lesson for anyone who is involved in the challenge of serving and satisfying customers. However, I’m afraid there will be far too many in that category that will ignore this lesson simply because it involved an industry other than their own.

I believe one of the most valuable aspects of this particular lesson lies in the fact that ANYONE can fall victim to unsuspecting circumstances. Avoid the critical mistake of thinking it can’t happen to you. Prior to sharing some of the startling details of the scenario that still has the media in a feeding frenzy, let’s examine the organization in the center of all of the controversy.

When first hearing the shocking details of what sounded like a horror movie, I was indeed astounded to learn it was JetBlue generating all of the dissension. As you probably know, JetBlue is a very young, exciting, creative, low-cost airline that reminds many of industry leader Southwest Airlines. In fact, CEO David Neeleman and several members of his leadership team were once part of the Southwest family. Many credit the Southwest culture for many of JetBlue’s exciting innovations, which have garnered them so much positive publicity as well as a growing legion of loyal and very satisfied customers. That’s why so many were shocked to learn of the recent charges leveled at JetBlue during the Valentine’s Day blizzard!

1. Hundreds of passengers on nine different flights were forced to sit aboard grounded airplanes for up to 10 ½ hours because of weather related delays in New York City! The storm grounded at least 1,000 flights in New York’s three major airports.
2. Doors had to be opened every 20 minutes just to get fresh air.
3. Food was made available during the 10 ½ hours — at a cost. Ex.: $3 for a cookie.
4. Passengers were not allowed to leave the plane even though they were just yards from the terminal, which offered warmth, food, drinks, adequate bathroom facilities, room to move around, and a choice of whether to wait out the storm or return home.
5. Passengers complained that they felt like prisoners as they were told nothing of the current situation or projected options.

These conditions seem very hard to believe — much less from an organization that has gained notoriety for their customer focus, concern, and support. They have invested so much in dollars, technology, training, marketing, and staff development in order to lead the industry in a variety of areas. They are, indeed, very unique in their efforts to offer a truly distinctive experience for any and all who choose to fly with them. For instance:

1. Plush leather seats and more leg room than any competitor.
2. Low fares, on-time arrivals and departures, comfort and great service.
3. Every seat is provided with 36 channels of FREE live DirecTV satellite TV programming.
4. Every seat is provided with 100 channels of FREE XM Satellite Radio.
5. Fox TV programs and 20th Century Fox movies for its in-flight entertainment.
6. In addition to the list of typical soft drinks and cocktails, you can choose from FREE Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and/or tea, Lipton Cup-A-Soup, or Hot Chocolate.
7. Choose from unique FREE snacks such as “Terra Blue chips”, a brand of potato chips made from naturally blue potatoes, the official snack of JetBlue, and Jungle cookies, Wheat-Thins, Pistachio Biscotti, Chocolate chunk cookies, Jumbo Cashew Halves, and Doritos Munchies Mix.
8. For those of us who have to endure the trials and tribulations of flying the “Red Eye” flights, JetBlue has even tackled that problem … something that no other airline has yet to attempt. On all overnight flights from the west, a very unusual “Shut-Eye Service” is provided. Customers are enticed to sleep with the help of a Bliss® Spa amenity kit containing breath-freshening mint lip balm, lemon+sage body butter, an eyeshade and ear plugs. Night owls can make the time fly by taking advantage of DirecTV or Satellite Radio, or stretch their legs with a visit to the complimentary, self-service snack bar in the galley. Then, just prior to arrival, customers are treated to a “good morning” service of hot towels and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and tea, orange juice or bottled spring water. It’s hard to believe that no other airline has even attempted to address this delicate issue so dreaded by anyone forced to “Red Eye.”(The last two examples I’d like to share are truly unconventional and far exceed anything their competition has done, is doing, or will probably attempt to do in the near future.)
9. Founder and CEO of JetBlue Airways flies on a different JetBlue flight every week in order to talk to customers to discover how they can improve their airline!
10. JetBlue is very proud of their efforts to keep what they call “OUR PROMISE,” which is “To continue to bring humanity back to air travel.”

Think of their “Promise” as you review the circumstances that occurred in New York last week! All of their investment of time, training, dollars, technology, marketing, advertising, creativity, and innovation was immediately overshadowed by one single 10 ½-hour period of confusion, poor judgment, lack of communication, and bad weather! Have no doubt this is an excellent organization with a tremendous leadership team and dedicated staff. Jet Blue is a class act! It can happen to anyone at any time.

At what point did someone decide to keep those passengers captive for 10 ½ hours? Why weren’t buses ordered to return passengers to the terminal? Who decided not to order fresh food and water? How many poor decisions were made and why? We may never know. We do know this. CEO Neeleman provided more than 1,000 passengers full refunds, free roundtrip tickets, and a promise that this situation will never occur again at JetBlue. Will that be enough? Time will tell. Will anyone believe their “Promise” again? We’ll see. These kind of miscalculations can be costly. In 1999, a $7-million settlement was reached with Northwest Airlines on behalf of 7,000 Detroit passengers who suffered similar discomfort as a result of a snow storm. As a result of this recent occurrence, Congress is now investigating the creation of a “Passengers Bill of Rights.” If enacted, this could bring even more turmoil to an already tumultuous industry.

Hopefully, you may share my view of investing as much time and energy in reviewing “Worst Practices” as often as we do “Best Practices.”  Much can be learned from a balance of both approaches. If something as disastrous as this can happen to an organization as successful as Jet Blue, it can happen to you!  Have you prepared your staff for just such an occasion?  Will you be ready?  You’d better be!

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

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Is it just me?
Or are there far too many questions out there in our everyday routines that need to be asked? 

I’m not talking about questions which, when answered, will end wars, abolish poverty, cure all diseases, and eliminate the world’s problems. I’m talking about the questions that drive us crazy due to their simplicity and the questions that absolutely no one seems to be able to answer. An even greater mystery appears to be the fact that the majority of us have simply stopped questioning the obvious.

Let’s take a look at a few examples …

• Why does a slight tax increase cost you $200, and a substantial tax cut saves you $.30?
• When oil prices increase, we see them reflected at the gas pump 30 seconds after the announcement. When oil prices drop, we don’t see results for two to three weeks. Why?
• Why does lipstick last only ten minutes on real lips but can remain on a glass even after it’s been through the dishwasher?
• How come there aren’t B batteries?
• If a word in the dictionary were misspelled, how would we know?
• Ballerinas are always on their toes. Why don’t they just get taller ballerinas?
• Why do tourists go to the tops of tall buildings and then put money into telescopes so they can see things on the ground close-up?

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.