Comments

Steve - your are in complaint mode! Your world might become a better place if you start focusing on what is going great.

Posted by Upbeat at January 9, 2005 12:55 PM

Why fly United?

Posted by CW at January 9, 2005 1:42 PM

Steve... my only question to you, if I may of course, is what were you thinking before you clicked "post Comment"? What was your point?

Posted by Daniel Leon at January 9, 2005 6:46 PM

Steve, Yo ho! I thought since everyone was being a cranky pants I thought I would pipe in and give you and Tom some feedback on his "Brand You Calling Card" video on AOL. ...soon you will be able to figure out my theme :)

Okay, then. Tom asks us to come up with a "name, a title, a calling card, a 5-word moniker" for our work identity. He inspires us to take the time to set off on a brand quest for our business identity and build it, develop an independent contractor mentality and begin to have a passion for what we are doing. He says it better, but you know what he says. But, the problem is he says ..."This is who you are.." He tells us in the end "This is our identity."

NO. It's not. See, Tom doesn't have us dive into our emotional identity, build our emotional IQ and therein lies the problem. That is why work is never fun. We are not two different people. We don't change when we walk into the door in the morning. We are the consumer inside and outside of the office. We must know our passions, our feelings inside and out. As a prior burnt to a crisp Coca-Cola marketing executive who lost touch with herself and consumers, you must have a personal identity and a professional identity and they must be interwoven .. and IQ = EQ to be successful. and...putting that in 5 words is hard, perhaps impossible.

Something that maybe we should all blog about.

and ICK on the airports. i agree.

Posted by Wendy at January 9, 2005 7:29 PM

Who would look forward to being served by employees that are caught up in negotiations over how much their salaries and pensions will be reduced?

Posted by MM at January 9, 2005 7:53 PM

MM - how does that differ from anywone else?

Posted by michael at January 9, 2005 11:21 PM

Steve,

How was your flight?

Posted by Gabriel Salcido at January 10, 2005 12:01 AM

I feel sorry for the United employees who are facing reductions in pay and benefits.

"Brand You" won't do much for a United Employee who is dead-set on remaining with the company when the pension plan goes bye-bye.

Makes me glad I am an EMPLOYER who owns my own businesses.

Posted by Erick Blackwelder at January 10, 2005 1:05 AM

Ahhhh. The PR is working. Low expectations = exceeding expectations. At least that's what the buffoons at the helm think. That and "we can save a few bucks in ink and paint by renaming the plane "Ted".

I too feel for the thousands of people who dedicated their lives during United's glory days. There are far too many of those stories over the past 12 months.

The sad reality is that flying, once a luxury, has become a fast food industry. Where we will only pay fast food prices, while expecting luxury. Where the flight attendants, once glorified maitre d's, are now front counter clerks. And the question they will continue to ask more and more, whether for food, tv, booze, or blankets, is "Would you like to supersize your flying experience?"

I don't blame the customer service rep. I blame the fact that I wince every time a flight is more than $350.

Am I wrong, or has every other method of travel faced a similar fate?

Posted by Paul Davidson at January 10, 2005 2:10 AM

Yeah, Steve... After being slapped around on this blog how was your flight?

Posted by joe at January 10, 2005 4:36 AM

Morning Paul. I see the equation like this. Increased disappointment = Decreased Investment. And, it grows from the incongruent consumers internally to the unsatisfied consumers externally. I believe the company's "make profit" mandate is not in line with what consumer's demand, which is an empathetic, caring relationship. I believe the company's consumers are their internal employees. I believe the external consumers need to be represented by relationship managers, external agents that are outsourced. ...or maybe that is my diet Coke talking. What do you think?

Posted by Wendy at January 10, 2005 6:20 AM

Hi Steve,
Sorry but you are invading Tom's Blog (and waisting my time in the process!), I don't expect too many people come on Tom's blog to read about how Steve feels about United this morning. Don't you have a blog of your own where you could post those sort of thoughts and keep posting on Tom's blog only posts relevant to Tom's blog.
Roland

Posted by roland at January 10, 2005 9:16 AM

Steve, looks as if you have to be Tom to get away with comments like that! I would put myself in the same boat as you.

It did make me think, however, that when we complain about poor service we should focus less on the perpetrator (the employee) and more on the person responsible for putting the employee in that frame of mind (business owner, executive, etc).

This would fit with Tom's posting on attitude. I shall try and practice this from now on, promise.

Posted by Stuart Jones at January 10, 2005 9:29 AM

I dont think Steve is wasting your time with his rant !! Has anyone actually followed steves rants with United / Security and other travel stuff over the the last 6 months ?? Whether his thoughts are valid or not, is my opinion. In this case, it is.. I hate travelling with all those elvated security aspects, which make travel a dreaded (but most needful) aspect of life ...but then again..each airlines has a diffrent way of handling their customers.. and thats what steve post was about..

Whether he's "invading Tom's Blog" , its Tom to decide.. its not my blog or yours either.. remember.. its good to be critical and critize idea's..its bad to be critical about the person who holds those ideas ... yes, and that IMHO is true attitude my fellow commentors/bloggers.. oh bloggers.. I only see 2 people who blog.. !! So whats with all the chatter about 'having a blog' ??

Posted by /pd at January 10, 2005 12:19 PM

Hey Wendy, if you say so! (Perception--yours--is all important to me!) However I do believe that your Calling Card title (etc), 5 words or 15, or 500, should clearly reflect your EQ. Who you are. I am the same at home and work, or so I think--otherwise neither works. I loved it a few years ago when, without my bidding, our UK partners printed calling cards for me that read: Tom Peters. Provocateur. That's me! So if I suggested or implied that calling cards (etc) should be sappy I blew it! Bob Stone Re-invented gov't for Al Gore (I write about him in Re-imagine!); he stole a line from Silicon Valley maverick Guy Kawasaki--and put it on Calling cards for his GOVERNMENT staffers: Joe Jones, Raging Thunderlizard Evangelist. So there!!!!!!!! How about replacing "You go, girl!" with Rage on, girl!"?

Posted by tom peters at January 10, 2005 12:44 PM

I'm delighted by Steve's post because it has quickly attracted a lot of divergent opinion ... and that's the point, no?

Posted by tom peters at January 10, 2005 12:47 PM

Steve, Susan says I go "in the Zone" when I'm about a day from traveling ... anywhere, even on vacation. She doesn't like travelling with me, even "for fun." I've gotten over ranting (I'm afraid of John Ashcroft's minions!), but I am simply On Edge after 31 years of continuous hassle (I started flying fulltime in '74 when I went to work for McKinsey). I Really & Truly work on my "travel attitude"--but it doesn't help much.

Posted by tom peters at January 10, 2005 12:54 PM

Tom, What I am saying is that the brain doesn't know what to do with "branding" an identity, something that is multi-dimensional and sensual. What I am saying is that we need to stop compartmentalizing ourselves and contextualize our identities, social participants and contributors. What I am getting concerned with is our need to define ourselves with an external brand name when what we really need to do is find an internal identity...and then place [i will defer to you] a 5 word moniker on it. I believe that is why, to date, personal branding, career consultants, coaches, etc. haven't worked...everyone is focused on the psychology. But, what really is driving the behaviors? What is motivating people to do the things they do? Their identity, and until you help them define that their behaviors won't change and if their behaviors don't change their lives won't change ...and least not for more than 2-3 weeks. I hope I don't sound like a ranter...I'm a fan and I want to work with you. I believe in the cause and want to collaberate. I needed someone to help me and I believe you are there to help others. I'm just trying to add to.

Posted by Wendy at January 10, 2005 2:48 PM

tom said:"Calling Card title (etc), 5 words or 15,"

"I Blog, therefore I am !!" - /pd

thats my 5 words... seems pretty kewl to me !! :)-

Posted by /pd at January 10, 2005 3:04 PM

Steve - remember the Seinfeld episode where George saves a whale by pulling a Kramer hit golf ball from its blowhole? And the sea was "... angry that day like an old Jewish man sending soup back at the Deli ..."? Not that you're an old Steve - I appreciate the spin you put on observations.

Posted by Brad at January 10, 2005 4:35 PM

Well Steve, I have to agree.

Check out my September 19th post on the ugliness of flying the friendly (or not so) skies...

http://michaelchaffin.typepad.com/star_in_the_margin/2004/09/money_for_nothi.html

I hope your ride was better than expected.

Posted by Michael Chaffin at January 10, 2005 9:20 PM

Hi Wendy. This is a fun thread. I believe in what you said but I might add one scary thought. Inreased disappointment = decreased investment = increased disappointment. It's an awful downward spiral isn't it? Can it be reversed? Will anyone try?

For a company the size of United, or coke to speak to your experience, having a personal relationship with your employees is a tall order. I keep thinking about Herb and the folks at Southwest for whom employee relations are of the highest order. It wasn't the diet coke talking. Cheers.

Posted by Paul Davidson at January 11, 2005 1:46 AM

No internet access for the last 24 hours ... too bad I missed the fun.

What was the point of my post? Well, think about a company whose customers dread doing business with them. That's how I feel about UA! The flight was ok, but they totally screwed up baggage claim in Las Vegas. My bags from Chicago showed up on the carousel that was marked for Tampa bags.

Posted by Steve Yastrow at January 11, 2005 3:31 AM

Steve - I feel for the United employees though - seeminly so much uncertainty, wage concession, morale challenges - while "top management" pillages and plunders to get their $$$Millions.

Posted by John at January 11, 2005 8:14 AM

Steve, You didn't mention you were going to Las Vegas on United. Now I feel for you even more. Hope it was a good trip.

Posted by Andrew Hayden at January 11, 2005 10:47 AM

Re: John's comments about United employees ... for those of you who have my book, Brand Harmony, see page 125 for a story about United not keeping their employees in the loop.

Posted by Steve Yastrow at January 11, 2005 2:23 PM

"I don't need size for an offensive line. You give me five little piss-ants and I'll make a hole." -my old football coach John Hobson.

The best explanation I ever read of change through history tracked string after string of severly dissatisfied (read: pissed off) people.

Rant on Steve!

Posted by Jason Kerr at January 14, 2005 5:06 AM