Being Helpful....

I was on a flight last night from Chicago to Newark and had a very interesting experience. I am amazed these days on the tension we have in the public. People are worried about their jobs, money, what to get family for the holidays, what our is economy going to do in 2009, etc... Most people are taking it out on everyone around them. The flight was, like most flights these days, a full flight. The boarding agent was trying to board people as quickly as possible so they flight could leave on time, and the flight attendants were doing their part inside the plane to help people find their seats. I was one of the first people on the plane and had a ringside seat to show. With about 10 minutes left before departure, the overhead bins were full and customers had to start taking their bags off the plane to check them for baggage claim. The flight attendant and the gate agent began to fight about customers having coats in the overhead space. The gate agent began to throw customers coats from the overhead space onto the floor aisle of the plane, not even asking which coat belongs to which customer. It was such a bad customer experience now customers began to argue. Next thing I knew there were 10-15 people screaming at each other with no solution in sight. About that time a flight attendant from the back of the plane made her way forward not saying a word, just picking up coats and finding which coat belong to which customer. In about 5 minutes she had the situation under control and had managed to calm down everyone that was involved in the screaming match just minutes earlier. I realized that the only thing she did different was to be helpful and look for solutions instead of being part of the problem.

Too many times we don't look for solutions, because it is much easier to be part to the problem these days, and we can always seem to justify our actions. Next time you are in a challenging situation, make it a point to find solutions and be helpful. You will be amazed how much more progress you can make just by being helpful!