Best of Blogs: LeaderTalk by Becky Robinson

This is the sixth guest blog post from our ten finalists in this year’s Best of Leadership Blogs competition (vote for any one of the finalists here)

LeaderTalk is an up-and-coming leadership blog from Mountain State University that focuses on lifelong learning and strives to influence through insight. At LeaderTalk, knowledge is used to create new ways of thinking, in the effort to change people’s lives for the better. Becky Robinson is the individual behind this exceptional leadership blog. Her passion for providing the necessary tools for developing better leadership practices can be seen in each of her blog posts. Becky and LeaderTalk are fairly new to the blogosphere, yet incredibly resourceful, so make sure you take the time to get acquainted with her blog.

Today, for your reading pleasure is a post from Becky dealing with the presence of leadership in a real life situation:

Leadership at all Levels: Continental Airlines
by Becky Robinson (June 25, 2009)

Last Friday night, I arrived at the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport with my three young daughters. A friend had called me earlier in the day to alert me to bad weather at home in Chicago. After two weeks away from home, I was only slightly discouraged to find out that my flight had been delayed. Traveling alone with kids is never easy, but the girls and I settled in at the gate, shared a smoothie, and waited to see what the evening would bring.

Her name: Brookie Dakake. Brookie is an agent for Continental Airlines, where she has worked for the past 20 years, starting as a junior mechanic.

Before I tell you what Brookie said and did, I want to tell you three things. First: I am using Brookie’s name with her permission. Next: my daughters and I were not flying Continental Airlines. Last: more important and remarkable, Brookie’s shift had ended. She could have walked away, gone home. But she didn’t.

Instead, she stopped to ask me if I needed any help. She gave me information that had not been announced to passengers — that there was a ground stop for all flights going to Chicago/O’Hare. She encouraged me to try to rebook my flights for the next day, something I hadn’t even considered.

Then, Brookie waited with our belongings while I took my daughters to the bathroom, waited while I talked with the agents from my airline about rebooking my flight. When I learned the next flight with four seats available was two days away, I had no idea what to do. Brookie encouraged me to wait it out, and brought blankets and pillows for my yawning daughters. She even showed us a way to make the pillows softer by turning the case inside out.

All of this, when she could have just gone home for the weekend.

According to a letter on a Customer Care comment card signed by Larry Kellner, the Chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines,

The members of the Continental Airlines team have made a strong commitment to becoming the airline industry’s leader in quality customer service… our employees are always expected to deliver the highest level of service possible. They have been authorized to act in your best interest and to solve problems on the spot.

In my opinion, Brookie Dakake exemplifies the quality customer service Mr. Kellner is promising.

Here’s a story about another Continental executive, from Mark Lipton’s book, Guiding Growth: How Vision Keeps Companies on Course:

Gordon Bethune did some brilliant things to get everyone on board with his vision when he took over at Continental Airlines. First, to communicate that people should always be thinking of ways to improve the customer experience, he dumped one of the huge, official rulebooks into a fifty-five-gallon drum, doused it with gasoline, and lit it afire. It was a symbol that screamed out: You run this airline, not a rulebook that prevents you from being creative.

Undoubtedly, the leadership of Gordon Bethune and now Larry Kellner has influenced the success of Continental Airline in achieving its stated goal to provide excellent customer service. However, it takes an entire team of people who share a vision to accomplish it. An organization needs leaders at all levels, people willing to give their whole-hearted effort to the success of their company’s objectives.

Last Friday night in Charlotte, NC, Brookie Dakake’s actions proved that leadership is not just for CEOs; leadership is for anyone who wants to make a difference. Her kindness and helpfulness may seem like a small thing to you. It wasn’t to me. And a thousand small actions by leaders at every level of an organization have a combined effect of making that organization great.

by Rebecca Robinson

This is the first of the posts in this series that I posted in its entirety.  While I did that in part because her key messages are in the final paragraph, I also did it because personally I couldn’t stop reading, and felt you wouldn’t have wanted to “click through” either.

I now fly Continential often, and have found it to be a fine airline to fly.  However in the late 80’s and very early 90’s I went out of my way NOT to fly them.  My experiences had been awful and were obviously shared by others as their satisfaction scores were among the lowest in the insdustry at that time.  That was before Mr Bethune took over (and apparently burned a poor rulebook.)

Becky’s post – and my prolgoue share two important messages.  Leaders at the top can affect major changes in both culture and results when they deploy thoughtful organizational leadership strategies.  And while senior leadership is important, it is leadership exhibited by every employee, regardless of job title that will ultimately create real change in results.

Good leadership skills are incredibly important to any organization’s success – and those skills can be exhibited by anyone.

Vote for Becky or any of the other finalists here.