Leadership Lessons from JetBlue

Grok Headline matches for Leadership Lessons from JetBlue

Green for JetBlue

Green for JetBlue 01/18/2004 12:27 AM

Had my first JetBlue experience flying from JFK to BVT yesterday evening, aboard a packed A320 that was late departing because they waited for passengers. Scheduled departure was 10:30, but the plane left at 11:05. We sat at the gate for half an hour watching TV and listening to the crew crack jokes. It didn't suck.

Why JetBlue Is a Recommendation

Why JetBlue Is a Recommendation 07/22/2004 04:46 PM
JetBlue reports lower net income but maintains high margins.

JetBlue from Boston

JetBlue from Boston 01/22/2004 02:13 AM

JetBlue recently started flying from Boston.  At $69 each way to Florida it is tough to resist so last week I hopped on a plane to Tampa.  The people who run this airline are geniuses.  In Boston they fly from the brand-new international terminal (E).  All of the flights to Europe leave in the evening.  The JetBlue flights leave in the middle of the day.  Thus there are no security lines and all of the shops, including a Borders bookstore, are empty.

The in-flight experience is comparable to the best Coach flight on a big airline.  You are moderately cramped on a new Airbus.  The 25 channels of DirectTV are depressing.  There is nothing interesting on, unless you want to keep up with the latest news in the Laci Peterson case.  There are no movie channels.  There are no music channels unless you count VH1.  Bring an MP3 player and noise-cancelling headphones.

Overall verdict on JetBlue:  brutally tough competition for the unionized airlines.

How about Florida?  Is it true that, as my neighbor says, "You have to regard every day spent in Florida as having been subtracted from your life"?

St. Pete is a lovely little town, close to a 50-mile bicycle rail-trail (Pinellas) at which you can rent a hybrid or recumbent bike.  Tampa has a good public aquarium and a fantastic steakhouse (Bern's).  The Gulf Coast beaches ought to be nice but last week they were plagued with red tide, which means that dead fish wash up on the beach and you get an irritation in your throat.  Not too nice if you've booked your wedding at the $300/night Don Cesar Hotel.  It was also fun to go to Orlando for a day of theme park action.  The locals tend to dislike Disney theme parks, except for kids.  Everyone's favorite seemed to be Universal's Islands of Adventure, which has several world-class rollercoasters (The Hulk and Dueling Dragons (Fire and Ice)).  A day at a theme park is very loud and it was nice to spend the next day at some beautiful gardens in Orlando and Lake Wales, then visit the world's largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings at Florida Southern College (http://www.flsouthe rn.edu/fllwctr/index.htm).

While down in Florida I reflected on the fact that good weather is much more important when you don't have a job.  If you're going to sit in an office all day anyway, what difference does it make that it is cold or grey outside?  But if you're retired any day that the weather is bad is stealing a day out of your life that could have been enjoyed outside on a bike, in a garden, in a small aircraft, etc.  When I pointed this out to a Floridian he said "Yes, that's why God put all the Third World countries near the equator in warm climates so that people don't mind not having a job."

JetBlue Is Still Exciting

JetBlue Is Still Exciting 04/22/2004 02:54 PM
The upstart airline is growing like a weed and maintaining low costs.

Why JetBlue Is a Fast Company

Why JetBlue Is a Fast Company 05/03/2004 05:18 AM
This month's letter from the editor.

jetBlue squeals for the Feds

jetBlue squeals for the Feds 10/30/2003 11:49 PM

Web Exclusive: Calling JetBlue

Web Exclusive: Calling JetBlue 05/06/2004 05:59 AM
JetBlue's recipe for customer service success combines work-at-home moms, flexible schedules, employee education, individual initiative, and... Potbelly Bear.

Before-The-Bell: JetBlue, Intel Fall

Before-The-Bell: JetBlue, Intel Fall 12/05/2003 09:01 AM
Reuters Dec 5 2003 8:30AM ET

Army: JetBlue Data Use Was Legal

Army: JetBlue Data Use Was Legal 08/23/2004 04:42 AM
A report by the Army's inspector general concludes that a controversial data-mining project involving airline passenger records did not violate federal privacy law. Critics say the report misinterprets the law. By Ryan Singel.

Customer Support That Works From JetBlue

Customer Support That Works From JetBlue 05/07/2004 04:51 AM
We've had so many stories about how awful customer or tech support centers are managed (with the goal of reducing call times, rather than solving customer problems) that I thought it's definitely about time that we had a story about a company that appears to understand how to do customer service right. JetBlue certainly has the reputation for being customer friendly - and my own experience with the airline supports that view (though, I still don't think they're quite as amazing as some people make them out to be). It's fairly well known that their customer support people get to work from home, but now Fast Company has a piece looking at how they manage to keep those work-from-home customer support people feeling like they're a part of the company while empowering them to actually (gasp!) be nice to customers while really solving any issues they might have. It's unfortunate these days that we actually have to single out one of the few company's that "gets it." This follows, by the way, an Inc. article (which appears to use identical templates as Fast Company) last month about how JetBlue's CEO frequently works as a flight attendant on JetBlue flights. He does this for a variety of reasons, including the chance to really speak to his customers, as well as to get to know (and inspire) the flight attendants who fly on his planes. Why can't more companies understand the value of their own customers?

Listening to your customers, learning
from JetBlue

Listening to your customers, learning
from JetBlue 04/09/2004 04:11 PM
Street Smarts: Learning From JetBlue. One day flying JetBlue, I found myself being served by David Neeleman, the airline's founder. When was the last time you met your customers and asked how you could better serve them? [...] As we sat there, buckling our seat belts and checking out the televisions in front of us, a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair stood up in the front of the plane. He had on the long apron that JetBlue flight attendants...

JetBlue Redux: Northwest is guilty of
violating passenger privacy

JetBlue Redux: Northwest is guilty of
violating passenger privacy 01/18/2004 02:47 PM
Now it has been revealed that Northwest also handed over private data, possibly to the tune of 10 million passengers, despite their previous claims to the contrary.

bbc lessons

bbc lessons 02/10/2004 02:53 AM
So the lesson of BBC is that if you're misleading about whether the government misled you into war, management must resign. What about the simpler case -- you're just misleading about going to war? Meanwhile, BBC employees organize to fight the ch ill of government sponsored scolding. And some non-BBC Brits, shocked at the scolding, organi ze to ask the simpler case -- in Britain.

Leadership and authority

Leadership and authority 09/07/2004 08:42 AM

I was just on a panel with Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. We've been talking the last few days about communities and it turns out the #wikipedia IRC channel is about the same size as #joiito. (approx 100 people online. Wikipedia has many other sub channels though so in aggregate they are much bigger...) Anyway, Jimmy noticed that I didn't have a Wikipedia entry and he decided to go to his community and see if he could get an article written while we were on the channel.

#wikipedia

-- Jimbo has joined #wikipedia
Jimbo: Just a fun experiment...
Jimbo: Joichi Ito is here at this conference, on the same panel with me.
Jimbo: But we apparently have no article about him.
Jimbo: A challenge: in the next hour, how good of an article can we create?
Member1: '''Joichi Ito''' is a [[person]]. {{bio-stub}}
Jimbo: Yes, he uses wikipedia too. But he's famous and important and we need a bio.
Jimbo: I have to go, because our panel is about to start again...
Jimob: But please, remind people as they wander in here, and let's see what happens.
Member2: who the fuck is Joichi Ito
Member3; Member2: write an article and find out
Member2: Jimbo can write the article if it's so important
Member3: someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today
Member1: The easy way out would be to grab an article from another page, cross out the name and write 'Joichi Ito' over it in crayon

It's the same on my channel, but leadership/foundership has nothing to do with authority. In fact, trying to exercise authority often has exactly the opposite effect. The article did end up getting written though. ;-)

Comment - TrackBack

FC Now: Exploring Leadership

FC Now: Exploring Leadership 04/13/2005 05:15 PM
The most recent edition of the Wharton Leadership Digest includes an article on how explorers such as Meriwether Lewis and Peter Hillary build great teams. Hillary indicates that what matters is fostering the pioneer-explorer mindset. The attributes of such a...

Leadership by Osmosis

Leadership by Osmosis 09/24/2004 05:35 AM
Soak up the secrets of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Nofollow is Leadership

Nofollow is Leadership 02/01/2005 09:39 PM
Wow.  Now here is a case of cooperation over competition. Six Apart, Google, Yahoo, MSN, WordPress, Userland and others worked together to support the nofollow tag to reduce the value of comment spamming. Reminds me of Anti-links and VoteLinks, an...

By the Book Leadership

By the Book Leadership 08/16/2004 06:50 AM
Six leaders recommend the nonbusiness books that influenced them most.

The Lessons of Classroom 506

The Lessons of Classroom 506 09/12/2004 12:54 PM
What happens when a boy with cerebral palsy goes to kindergarten like all the other kids.

Lessons From Management

Lessons From Management 09/02/2004 05:59 PM
Looking at Hollinger International tells you all you need to know about companies that should never make it into your portfolio.

Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned 04/26/2004 06:53 PM
To wrap up my week of upgrading my mother's iMac, I thought I'd mention a few things I'll keep in mind when I next set up a Macintosh for a less-than-computer-savvy user. By Christopher Breen, Macworld (via MyAppleMenu)

Lessons from a Winner

Lessons from a Winner 01/06/2005 05:07 PM
Chico's is da man. Learn from the clothier's success.

The lessons of experience

The lessons of experience 03/17/2005 03:42 AM
ZDNet Mar 17 2005 5:28AM GMT

Lessons From Laziness

Lessons From Laziness 05/07/2004 01:23 PM
Indolence, properly channeled, can be both inspirational and lucrative.

More Lessons for the Job Seeker

More Lessons for the Job Seeker 04/09/2004 03:54 PM

This post is a follow up to my original Some lessons for the Job Seeker post from August of 2003.

I've been interviewing to fill a vacant position in my sales organization over the past few months. The position has been advertised for about two months now. I've received about 100 resumes and have personally screened every single one of them. Something I've found frustrating and interesting at the same time is that 95% of the resumes I've received tell me about people that don't have all of the requirements for the job opening as posted in the advertisement.

You know what that tells me? Lots of people aren't qualified for the jobs that are being created out there. Lots. That, or the people I really want aren't a) hearing/reading about the job opening I have or b) aren't interested in the position. Or, very possibly (probably most likely) I'm asking for too qualified an applicant than I'll get from an advertisement. I probably really need a personal reference to get the 'perfect applicant'. Either way, the result is the same for the job seekers who have been sending me their resumes. 95% of them are all equal in my eyes. They aren't fully qualified, but some of them have better qualifications (on their resume) than others.

So, I've been doing a lot of phone interviews. I've probably called 50% of the applicants to the position.

I'm also doing a lot of in-person interviews, because I need to see and talk to the people that are interviewing for the outside sales position I have open. I need to talk to them so I can fully explain the job, the company and the oppotunity I have for them. I generally spend and hour and a half with the promising interviewees and less than 30 minutes with the ones I can tell aren't going to make the final cut. I've learned a few things and hope me passing them on here will help someone:

When interviewing for a sales position specifically, and for just about any position, keep these ideas in mind.:

1. Bring a copy of your resume to the interview. Bring 2 or 3 if you can, just to be safe.

Print out your resume on the nice pretty paper you want to use (though honestly if the paper is white and good quality, I'll like the paper better than if it's beige or pink or has ruffles), all formatted in the format you'd like it to be seen in, and bring it to the interview for me.

All but 2 of the resumes I've received from applicants have come in through some-sort of online application. Either emailed directly to me, or forwarded through a job-board. None of the resumes coming through an electronic application system are presented well. They're readable, yes, but they look like crap, and span two or three pages when printed from Outlook. Sometimes the characters in the resumes weren't ASCII text, so the pretty bullets the person used in Microsoft Word got translated to question marks when copied and pasted into a form online and then emailed to me, the person responsible for hiring. So, those applicants that bring me a nice pretty resume and give it to me at the beginning of the interview always get a leg up on the other applicants for at least 5 minutes. It shows me that they care about the impression they make on me. That's important in sales (and in most other jobs).

2. Dress Sharply.

I've said this before, but wear a damned suit if you a guy or nice business attire if your a woman. I don't care what the job is, it almost never hurts to over-dress for a situation, but almost always hurts to under-dress. I personally wear a suit to the office every day, and if I'm wearing one when I shake an applicants hand, and they're not even wearing a tie, it immediately makes them feel badly. I've had two applicants tell me "I honestly wish I'd have dressed up more for this interview" while in the interview with me. I don't make an issue of the situation or their dress in the interview, but in my head, when they've said that my first thought was "Well, then why the fuck didn't you dress better?"

Dress up for that hour folks, it can't hurt.

3. Ask plenty of questions, or at least ask really damn good ones.

People that aren't good at interviewing will talk a lot. I've caught myself talking waaay too much in interviews. I've let the interviewee take control of the interview, and that helps elevate the interviewee in my mind. Take your cues from the person interviewing you (if they don't like a lot of questions, don't ask too many, but ask good ones. Here's the scenario I'm in as a hiring manager: I've interviewed 25 good applicants in person. I can honestly only remember two of the interviews right this second without my notes.

Those two applicants too control of the interview (as much as they could) and asked a lot of really good questions. I remember them for two reasons: a) I am looking hire someone with good in-person sales skills and b) I feel like I need to know more about those two people so I can decide which one I want to hire. The other 23 applicants I've interviewed in person don't stand out enough in my minds for some reason, and I have to believe it's because they didn't ask enough questions to know if they wanted (or could do) the job I need done or they didn't ask the right ones.

"Needs analysis" is a big part of consultative selling (which is what I like to see in my employees that are in sales) and those two applicants did it well.

4. Be enthusiastic

I've interviewed two people in person that sounded great on the phone, but turned in to duds in person. I understand being nervous. I've been there (all of us have). I can empathize with people that might not be at the top of their game during the interview (we've all had bad sales calls). Waht I can't accept is pure apathy. I can't accept or enjoy someone that doesn't seem interested in the job during the interview and then ask for the job at the end of the interview.

In sales (which is what every interview is) you have to know when to 'ask the customer to buy'. In an interview that step is the "I really want this job" statement from the applicant. It's the pistachio in the ice-cream. If you act like melted ice-cream during a 30-45 minute interview and then all of the sudden throw a pistachio at me, I'll probably just spit it out, because the ice-cream was mushy. Act like you're interested even if you're not. I'm the one with the job to offer and you're the one looking. Act like you're interested in it and you might get the offer. If you don't act interested, you won't.

5. Be prepared for a second interview. Don't reschedule it after it's scheduled.

I want to hire the right person the first time I fill a position. So, I'm going to have a second interview with the truly qualified applicants. I'm going to have someone else interview them for me... maybe role-play a sales call... maybe just come in and say hi. It's going to happen. If you want the job, don't re-schedule the second interview. That's the one where you'll get the job offer (it might not happen until the third or fourth interview).

If you reschedule the second interview, where I've got two other people lined up to talk to you, you're hurting your chances. Not with me, but with those two other people that might be talking to you. They'll probably remember that you bailed on the first one (for them) and their time is probably very valuable to them. Don't give them a reason to doubt that you know that, especially for a sales job. They'll think that's how you'll treat clients.

6. Don't try to change the job before you have it.

If the job doesn't sound like something you want to do, ask more questions to be sure that your impressions are correct. If the job truly sounds like a wrong fit, say so. If you want to do something other than what's being described and detailed for you, say so in the interview. That position may be open somewhere else, but don't try to change the position that's being discuss into something else in the interview. If you're looking for a career path (let's say the job opening is for an entry-level position and you're seeking something that requires more experience, or that you need more pay, say so, but also be prepared for an answer like: I'm sorry, that's not what we're hiring for right now, and then make up your mind about the job that's offered to you, if it's ever offered). Don't change the job in to what you want it to be, take the job for what it is, or don't take it.

7. Be ready to pass a thorough background check.

I won't go in to too much detail here, but, more and more companies are running complete background checks: drug tests, driving record checks, credit history checks, resume detail verification, and reference checking are all things that you might have to go through after you're offered a job and before you can start working. Some companies will allow one or two discretionary 'problems' to go through the HR department with an "ok to hire" stamp, but some times they can't. If the job requires driving, have a clean driving record. If it requires handling cash, have a good credit history. If you don't, give it your best shot, but, if you can, keep your background clean.

Lessons Unlearned

Lessons Unlearned 02/01/2005 09:06 PM
Shark Tank: A new e-mail system is coming to the regional office where this IT pilot fish works. Fortunately, there's a "lessons learned" document that's been developed during upgrades at other sites. ...

The lessons of Sasser

The lessons of Sasser 05/12/2004 06:50 AM
CenterBeam CEO Kevin Francis says this security intrusion highlights fundamental weaknesses in the practice of software patch management.

I Need Reading Lessons

I Need Reading Lessons 05/13/2004 06:32 PM
I need reading lessons or something. I know that when people read on the web, they often skim. But I seem to forget that I'm one of those people too. Someone pointed me at this story a little while ago and I read skimmed it (twice) as "Yahoo Mail will be providing 100MB of 'virtually unlimited' storage" which is, obviously, a dumb thing to say. We all know that Gmail offers 10 times that, right? So I pointed this out...

Lessons from Vietnam

Lessons from Vietnam 05/14/2004 06:16 PM

Lessons of Life

Lessons of Life 04/10/2005 04:56 PM
Learned an important lesson yesterday, after a movie evening with friends:

You can't strut, if you need to really, really, really pee.

The Lessons of WebTV

The Lessons of WebTV 08/06/2004 09:23 AM
In the late 1990s, I was the editor of a magazine for owners of WebTV, the Internet TV service from Microsoft. The experience was the equivalent of teaching an English class in the jungles of Belize. The WebTV audience, which largely consisted of senior citizens and/or first-time Internet users, often complained that they couldn’t reach sites mentioned in the magazine. When I asked why, I discovered that some were sending the web address in an e-mail, expecting the site to return in their in-box; others believed that the site would magically appear on their TV screen if they just hit the right button on the remote. And, as God is my witness, when I told one person to use her browser, she thought I meant her shirt.

HTML Lessons

HTML Lessons 12/03/2002 11:46 AM

I taught my girlfriend some basic HTML tonight, <a> tags, etc. I was so proud of her, she got it right away! I know HTML isn't hard, but she's never had to deal with it before. Check out her MT blog that shes just now starting at stephaniehaywood.com.

7 Lessons From the Racetrack

7 Lessons From the Racetrack 06/23/2004 02:10 PM
A trip to the racetrack can make good business analysts become better investors.

CPU cooling lessons

CPU cooling lessons 06/22/2005 02:16 AM

Lessons From the Value Trust

Lessons From the Value Trust 08/16/2004 12:07 PM
Legg Mason's Mary Chris Gay shares the secrets to her investing success.

Lessons to be Learned

Lessons to be Learned 09/10/2002 03:41 AM

SNP deputy bids for leadership

SNP deputy bids for leadership 06/22/2004 05:24 PM
Roseanna Cunningham is the first person to put her name forward to replace John Swinney as SNP leader.

ten-gallon-hat leadership style?

ten-gallon-hat leadership style? 12/19/2004 03:24 PM
Person of the Year. TIME magazine reveals their pick. Is anyone surprised?

Tory poised to take PC leadership

Tory poised to take PC leadership 09/18/2004 08:34 PM
Globe and Mail Sep 19 2004 0:32AM GMT
Grok Description matches for Leadership Lessons from JetBlue
GrokA matches for Leadership Lessons from JetBlue

All aboard, the S.S. Dubya

All aboard, the S.S. Dubya 09/01/2004 08:58 PM
While the widely discredited Swift Boat attack campaign against John Kerry appears to be rightly sinking, a new vessel has appeared on the horizon -- and she's cruising into port with a cargo full of bona fides about George W. Bush. Join Skipper Sonny Wallace and the Pleasure Boat Captains for Truth for a cocktail or three, and a quick sail through the murky waters of the 43rd president's past. Guaranteed to cure any RNC-induced queasiness in just under 60 seconds.

Welcome aboard Tantek

Welcome aboard Tantek 06/25/2004 12:46 AM

Tantek, who worked on IE for the Mac at Microsoft has given notice to Microsoft that he will be joining us at Technorati. Welcome aboard!

All Aboard! But Don't Relax. Your Trip
Is Already Over.

All Aboard! But Don't Relax. Your Trip
Is Already Over. 04/22/2004 09:12 AM
Shanghai's new magnetic levitation train, the world's first in commercial service, can reach a speed of 268 m.p.h.

All Aboard! Inbound Links for SEO

All Aboard! Inbound Links for SEO 04/12/2005 08:54 PM

consummate the marriage aboard ISS

consummate the marriage aboard ISS 12/30/2003 10:59 AM
Cosmonaughties no Mir fantasy .. From Instapundit .. SEX IN SPACE:

news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8275323%255E13762,00.htm l
track this site | 4 links

Aboard the Bainbridge Ferry

Aboard the Bainbridge Ferry 03/25/2005 01:03 PM
I'm writing these works on a regular run of the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island: I hadn't yet--remarkably--had the chance to try out the regular prototype service that's been deployed on a majority of the Washington State Ferry system's runs. Mobilisa, a company based in Port Townsend, has built and is rolling out the test. A formal RFP will be issued this spring, based on earlier statements, to find a commercial provider that will take over operation, maintenance, and establish fees. I'm seeing 200 Kbps down and 50 Kbps up, which is pretty good for a moving ferry in a test out in the middle of Elliot Bay. I'm sure Bainbridge commuters are overjoyed: the island is a bedroom community for many downtown workers who managed to buy property out there when it was still considered a bit of a backwater....

php|cruise: Welcome Aboard Paradise!

php|cruise: Welcome Aboard Paradise! 10/28/2003 11:09 PM
Why the long period of silence? Well, things are busy--and I just came back from Florida, where I quickly flew down to inspect the ship we will be on during php|cruise.PART I - GETTING THEREI must admit that I was...

KLogo-Turtle 0.5

KLogo-Turtle 0.5 11/19/2003 08:13 AM
A LOGO language interpreter for KDE desktops.

KLogo-Turtle 0.3

KLogo-Turtle 0.3 11/03/2003 07:41 AM
A LOGO language interpreter for KDE desktops.

KLogo-Turtle 0.6

KLogo-Turtle 0.6 01/05/2004 03:06 PM
A LOGO language interpreter for KDE desktops.

Gnome Turtle 0.1.1

Gnome Turtle 0.1.1 05/12/2004 07:11 AM
A turtle and lsys drawing program for GNOME.

Gnome Turtle 0.1.2

Gnome Turtle 0.1.2 05/21/2004 02:29 PM
A turtle and lsys drawing program for GNOME.

KLogo-Turtle 0.4

KLogo-Turtle 0.4 11/05/2003 06:25 AM
A LOGO language interpreter for KDE desktops.

Bangladesh Ferry Capsizes with Up to 300
Aboard

Bangladesh Ferry Capsizes with Up to 300
Aboard 05/23/2004 09:24 AM
Reuters via Wired News May 23 2004 2:08PM GMT

Records: Man Thought Bush Was Aboard Bus
(AP)

Records: Man Thought Bush Was Aboard Bus
(AP) 07/13/2004 06:58 PM
AP - An Ohio man rushed to the front of a Greyhound bus going about 70 mph, yanked on the steering wheel then battled the driver for control because he thought President Bush was onboard and in danger of being hijacked, according to court records.

All 104 Aboard Afghan Jet Believed Dead
(AP)

All 104 Aboard Afghan Jet Believed Dead
(AP) 02/05/2005 10:15 PM
AP - NATO helicopter gunships found the shattered wreckage of a missing Afghan airliner on a frigid mountain east of the capital Saturday, and officials said they believed none of the 104 people aboard could have survived the crash.

Pakistan Chopper Crashes; About 16
Aboard (AP)

Pakistan Chopper Crashes; About 16
Aboard (AP) 08/05/2004 03:36 AM
AP - A Pakistani army helicopter carrying about 16 people crashed Thursday in a remote northwestern tribal region that has seen sporadic fighting between government forces and foreign militants, police and army officials said.

Leadership Lessons from JetBlue

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: will jetblue airlines allow a turtle aboard