Jon Gordon’s Blog | Developing Positive Leaders, Organizations and Teams

A Leader up Above but so Down to Earth

Here’s a great article written by my friend and colleage Laura Morales. Laura is a business coach. You can find her at www.energizeyouroutlook.com

Do you ever see a team member, who doesn’t hold the title of “leader”, demonstrate initiative and inspiration?  By that, I mean do you ever see someone from the rank and file who, “leads by example” on a regular basis and who isn’t the official “manager” of the group?

Perhaps you have recently heard about Denny Flanagan, a United Airlines pilot whom passengers refer to as a gift from the heavens.  Last month the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) featured him, and he appeared on the ABC News weekday show, Good Morning America.

Denny Flanagan has been a pilot for 21 years.  A former Navy pilot and father of five, he brings a sense of humor and personal touch to his job.  What makes Mr. Flanagan extraordinary however, are the actions he takes on a regular basis by extending kindness and courtesy both in the skies and on the ground.  He personally brands hospitality in such a way that his actions inspire his peers and colleagues.  Below are a few of the things that Denny Flanagan has been doing for a number of years:

• Sending hand-written notes to frequent flyers
• Buying McDonald’s hamburgers and other food items for plane-loads of passengers on delayed flights
• Taking pictures of pets in the cargo hold to show owners that their dogs and cats are safe
• Calling the parents of children traveling alone to let them know that they are doing just fine
• Raffling off bottles of wine

Passengers think Captain Flanagan is great, and they speak very highly of him.  According to the WSJ writer, Scott McCartney, one recent passenger said, “If other folks in the airline industry had the same attitude, it would go a long way to mitigating some of the negative stuff that has come about in the last four or five years.”

Certainly Captain Flanagan commands the plane he flies and leads the passengers and crew, but no manager or operations flight chief told Denny Flanagan to do these things.  He just did them because he felt in his heart that his passengers should be treated the way he treats his family, with hospitality and respect.  Image that!

Hearing stories about people like Denny Flanagan is wonderful because it reminds us that there are people who are not necessarily in leadership positions within their organizations, but who DO indeed lead.  These everyday people emerge as leaders who set an example for others to follow.  In these days where  traveling by air can be very frustrating due to lengthy lines at the security checkpoints and flight delays, Captain Flanagan’s actions probably cause passengers to choose United Airlines again when they have a choice of carriers….and that improves the bottom line.  The personal touch goes a long way, and a leader with a personal touch will be successful, perhaps even more successful, than his or her superiors.

Do you know someone within your organization like Denny Flanagan?  Could you be the Denny Flanagan of your team?  What actions might someone take at your workplace to be like him?  What are the obstacles that suppress the Denny Flanagans at your workplace?  Could you use some help in figuring out how to have your team rise above the rest?