How much will you pay for your drop down oxygen mask?

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US airlines have been complaining about profits and loss of revenue and are thinking about innovative ways to get more money from their customers. The interesting thing is that they are driving their customers away with the petty way they are trying to save their business. We have some advice for the leadership of the major airlines companies and an easy way to increase customer traffic.


If you travel, and I am sure many of you have, you can almost recite the flight attendants messages, "...in the case of an emergency masks will automatically drop from above. Put your mask on first and then help children or others with theirs." The reason you do this is because if "you" are not panicking you will be able to help others later. If you don’t, you're out cold and then you add to the amount of victims. This is fairly sound reasoning and logical. So, why not charge for the use of the mask? The major airlines could take the leadership role and charge everyone $5 for potential use and make billions. Then, once they have forced them to pay for the mask...make the oxygen optional and charge for that too. Ok, you're probably thinking, what does this have to do with overall business strategy and being profitable? Actually quite a bit.

First and foremost, think about what airlines have forced their customers to do. First, you get charged for checking your baggage. This results in people packing carry on bags to the hilt and bringing with them on board. The result is less lost baggage, as recently reported by the major airlines, but increase in airline departure delays because of the need of more time for people to shove and push their way around while clobbering you in the head to get their bag into the overhead bin. And, flight attendants have increased their personal claims for back injuries helping to lift those heavy carry on bags. And what does the airline do, charge for carry on bags. Logically, I think, they are charging for a condition they created as well as problems in getting people seated so they can depart. This just doesn't sound fair to me.

Fixing the problem isn't as difficult as it may seem. It takes innovative leadership, an understanding of local culture, specifically US culture, and the presence of mind to think innovatively. Has it dawned on any of the CEOs that Americans will pay for quality service, for being treated with respect, and for comfort?

The plan: Allow for free bag check-in up to 50 lbs, per adult, regardless of the amount of bags. Allow for only one carry on per person and have it be a specific size, no exceptions. Preferably this should have a maximum size of the typical overhead sized carry-on, again no exceptions. Increase the cost of the ticket to a reasonable level that would cover the current add-on charges. Now, add some leg room, and offer a few amenities for free such as soft drinks and water. I can almost guarantee you will fill flights, you will gain customer loyalty, your customers will speak highly of your brand and your customer base will increase. I think it’s fairly obvious your ROI will be exceptional. Or, you may want to consider how much airline CEOs are willing to pay for their own oxygen masks.

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Job Satisfaction?

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I heard a hot news item this morning as well as read about it on a number of news sites where researchers from the Conference Board found "only 45% of workers were happy with their jobs, dropping from 49% in 2008."  An interesting point is the Conference Board research group concluded that the recession was only partly to blame for the drop.  Ok, paint me pink and call me Dumbo, but I am thinking someone received a grant to compile this survey and will probably do another which will find some obvious results.  As a person who recieved the 'Blue Boot' from IBM in February of 2009, I can give some first hand insight into the uninviting job market.  Yes, yes, I know, from all the experts and motivators and career coaches (me now being one of them), I have heard about networking, meetings, being motivated, positive and maintaining or increasing skills.  Yes, they are all important.  However, when you are scrambling to pay the current bills, you pretty much will do whatever it takes to get some revenue flow.  Ok, what does that have to do with job satisfaction?  It has everything to do with job satisfaction.  Think about it...when a person takes a job to gain revenue to pay their bills they have pretty much taken a landslide to the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy and are focused on survival.  They may not like the job because it is just that...a job.  Not a career.  Not a exceptionally enligthening experience.  Not a step to self actualization.  It's a means to and end.  So, surprise, surprise, surprise.  Job satisfaciton has plummeted.  Duuuhhhhh!!!  I don't agree with the experts in their view of productivily falling because of this.  People are afraid and will work to stay employed.  I believe productivity will start to fall when the economy really starts to turn around. 

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At that time, workers will have more choices which they see as being career oriented and with growth potential.  They will leave their currect jobs and move out and on to better opportunities.  You don't need to pay high priced researchers to discover these things, its pretty much common sense and maybe being "street wise".  I think what you will find is it becomes a Leadership issue and a problem with people Management.  If you have these workers who are dissatisfied, as a leader you need to find out what motivates them and what skills they bring.  Capitalize on those and you  won't lose the talent or edge you may have in the market.  Your employees are not just numbers, or as in IBM mumbo jumbo 'resources'.  They are people.  Treat them accordingly and your return on your investment in them will be tenfold.  Because, you see, all these studies, findings, and research is about...people.

For help for your organization see http://www.globalcoachingandconsulting.com/

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Time for Diversity Workshops again!!!

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I am pretty much fed up with people who believe confessing to cheating, slandering and otherwise admitting they have done some evil thing makes it ok. I have heard local politicians minimize their foul play and scandalizing as no worse than an jaywalking ticket. Are we to just roll over and accept this behavior as being a fault which is now forgiven? Are we to give a blank sheet of full pardon? Are we to allow them, whoever they are, to blame the economy or their parents or someone or something else for their problems? I don't think so. I think its about time for people to be held accountable for their actions. I think its time to put dialogue and workshops in place to help everyone understand they are responsible for actions they take and for their own behavior. I think adults need to be adults and act like parents instead for their children's friend. Your prodigy needs guidance and you need to be a role model. That's right, like it or not, a role model. Your children are looking up to you for direction, for values, for responsibility, for safety, for security and adults need to deliver. Sensitivity to these issues and being held accountable are things we all need to be aware of. Hurting other people is not acceptable. Being a stalker, a cheater, a bigot, a bully, and you know the rest of the list...is not acceptable. If you are in today's workforce and have not had any type of Diversity Workshops and I mean real workshops, its time to get into those sessions. If your company doesn't offer it, contact your Human Resources department and demand everyone receives it. Diversity, acceptance, sensitivity and all forms of tolerance needs to be understood. You may discover a bias or a fault you have which you didn't even know about. Its important and it needs to be part of YOUR education. In fact, you may want to connect with the Global Coaching and Consulting Group who do a quite capable and inspirational job of delivering this type of training ( http://www.globalcoachingandconsulting.com ).