Being a Leader

In the past few weeks, I have been thrust back into the role of leading people and also helping lead an organization.  It’s made me think about the leaders I have had in the past and the leader I have been in the past.  I am, not surprising to most, inclined to think about my days as captain of a variety of sports teams. 

As a captain, I was not “in charge”, I was charged with making the team better.  When the team succeeded, I succeeded.  When the team faltered, I faltered.  I knew that I needed to prepare the next level of athletes to be ready to take on my role and the team.  I knew that it was not about that one year, but about building something sustainable and strong for the future. 

As a captain, I could not force people to see things “my way”, I was there to help them to see the way.  The way to win, the way to succeed, the way to support others, the way to lose with dignity and the way to learn something every day. 

As a captain, I could never do it all.  I had to have the help of fellow captains and teammates.  I had to earn their trust, day in and day out and I had to give them my trust, day in and day out.  It’s tough to create a team without trust in each other. 

As a captain, I couldn’t say, “do this” and expect it would be done.  There were times I had to show them how, I had to give them options and let them make the best choice.  Telling them how to do things was never as good as showing them how to do things and helping them to learn how and why.  (I have vivid memories of being shown and then teaching the drop-step under the basket.  Just showing me how to do it was never going to work, they had to help me learn!)  

I am excited about the roles that have been set out before me.  I am excited to work with the folks on both teams to make them and the organizations better and let’s be honest, as a leader, I am certain I will learn more from them than any of them will learn from me.  Still learning, still growing, still going. 

Living in the Age of Airplanes...I Can't Wait!

In case you haven't heard me talk about this documentary, indulge me for a minute.  It's a documentary showcasing the 100 years of aviation.  It is a great history lesson, but also, a great visual reminder of how amazing the world is.  My favorite line from the movie, "We see more in a single glance than others saw in a lifetime."  I think about the places I have traveled because of aviation and I think about the civilizations long ago that never traveled more than 20 miles from their home.  This film celebrates what we too often take for granted. 

It was created by Brian Terwilliger, narrated by Harrison Ford, score for the movie was done by James Horner.  The documentary was picked up by National Geographic and since it's release date in 2015, it has been shown in specially selected locations throughout the globe. 

Now, you can own it yourself!  I ordered my copy from Amazon and can't wait to see it again this week!  If you need more info, check out http://www.airplanesmovie.com/. 

Waiting patiently for my copy to arrive so I can start making the popcorn, I keep going! 

New Survivor Season

If you follow this blog, you know I am not a reality TV watcher.  As a matter of fact, I don't have much time for TV in general.  (From last Friday to this Thursday, we will have had 15 sports events in our house and NONE of those are practices, all games!  See what I mean about not much time for TV...)  Okay, get back on track Rita!  Anyway, I don't watch much TV but I saw an ad for the new Survivor season.  It's Millennials vs. Gen-X'ers and this mix up has fascinated me so I find myself setting my DVR for this program...why?

In week one, they found out about the generational split.  Teams started to form, love lives started to blossom in the millennial camp and adversaries were targeted.  The Gen-X team went to work making a shelter and Millennials, not really having any ideas where to start, made their way through it.  Took a few more breaks than the others, but got it done. 

As the weeks progress, you can see an interesting difference.  Millennials work together for a common cause, set all the drama aside to be winners.  Gen-X'ers see strength and experience as the most important attributes.  Sometimes hard work pays off and sometimes, that lack of teamwork gets in the way of their overall goal, staying on Survivor Island. 

There is a little romance on the Millennial team between two of the "cool kids."  It's also a horrible throwback to high school when the cool kids were the people everyone followed and wanted to be like.  On the Gen-Xer team, a bro-mance was just shot out of the air when they sent home the oldest person on the team who thought he was a long timer because of his buddies.  On this team, the women were the ones to stand up and see their future if they bro-mance was not impacted. 

I have to say, the physical challenges are weighted in the Millennials advantage.  They are younger, more fit and certainly more agile.  I don't have a suggestion on how to change that, but when you put 18-34 year olds against 35-60 year olds, physical challenges are difficult. 

Note, this is not a promotion for CBS or the show, but I do find the inner workings of the tribes VERY interesting.  I see it everyday life both at work and in my social outings.  In some cases I am on the older side and in some, I on the younger side.  I see people working differently together and naturally, I adapt to whatever the team make-up needs.  Will be interesting to watch the rest of this season and who survives and keeps going. 

Flying High With a Win!

A few weeks ago, I was flying to San Francisco on a Saturday afternoon.  Little did I know when I booked the trip, my flight from Denver to SFO was going to smack dab in the middle of the NDSU/Iowa football game.  I waited with anticipation for the aircraft to be designated. I was so hoping for a flight with DirecTV, but alas, my flight only had Wi-Fi.  Then, I had a plan and if it didn’t work, so be it. 

I downloaded the DirecTV app to my iPad and knowing that in-air Wi-Fi would not allow streaming of things like Netflix or Hulu, I thought it was worth a shot.  I boarded the plane, paid for Wi-Fi and prayed that my work around was really going to work.  To my surprise and delight, I was able to watch the NDSU Bison take down the then, #13 in the nation Iowa Hawkeyes with a field goal as the clock ticked away the last few seconds.  I felt bad for my seat mate because I think she thought I was having a seizure but eventually she caught on and even asked the score every now and then! 

50 years ago, I would have had to read about the win the next day in the paper because it would have never been on TV.  20 years ago, it would have been on TV, but only in the local markets.  5 years ago, I would have been able to watch it in any market assuming I had a subscription service.  A few weeks back, I watched the win 30,000 feet in the air with some quick thinking and a prayer that it would work.  My oh my, (personal homage to Scott Miller, the voice of the Bison) how times have changed! 

Now I know, that whether I am cheering on the Bison, the Fight Hawks (I guess that is their new name), the Vikings or maybe even the Eagles, I just might be able to do it when all the odds are stacked against me as long as I keep going. 

How Did They Do It?

The other day, I was at a football game had to leave early to come home for 90 minutes of late night calls with Asia.  As I was leaving, a mom said, “I don’t know how you do it!”  I thought about that for a while and I thought about the generation before us.  

My Mom had 7 kids, drove the school bus in the morning and afternoon.  She also cleaned houses for people during the day and if not that, then was at home trying to take care of her own home and family.  She was up every day before dawn, if we were home for a meal, it was always homemade.  She had two gardens from which she canned vegetables for our large family to enjoy in the winter.  Saturdays were a steady rotation of fresh bread and buns to last the week ahead of us. 

My Dad, also had 7 kids…see how that works, worked from 6am to 6pm Monday-Saturday at the gas station in town.  He was the guy everyone in town knew because of his smile and his willingness to help.  When he got home, he cared for cows, pigs and chickens that we also used to fill the freezer and our bellies.  He took care of the yard, the driveway with snow and ensured that everyone respected their mother!    

My Mother-in-Law had 5 kids and married a dairy farmer.  She was also a nurse at the local retirement home.  When her schedule allowed, she got up and helped with morning milking, went off to work, to come home and take care of her family and help as she could on the farm.  It was a good day if she was home in time for evening chores because some of the kids would surely be missing for sports or something at school.  She was the disciplinarian of the family and the kids knew when Mom was mad, Mom was mad! 

My Father-in-Law, you guessed it, 5 kids and a dairy farmer, was up before sanely possible to start to gather the herd into the barn for milking.  And when I say start, I mean start.  It was a physically demanding job that he gladly did, every morning and every night.  In the day, he wasn’t in the house sleeping, someone had to manage the ongoing care of the herd in their feeding, watering and seeing that they were healthy.  He also had to attend meetings with the dairy councils and farming community to ensure he was getting a fair price for the product he was producing. 

Going back to the comment from a fellow mom, I think, “Wait, I came home to an office where I sat, talking on a phone for 90 minutes with people all over the world.  It wasn’t physically exhausting.  Earlier that day, I went to the store and bought meat, cheese, bread and groceries for my family…I didn’t have to physically produce, tend or care for any of those items.”  I wonder how THEY did it?! 

This weekend is Grandparent’s Day and while none of my children’s grandfathers are alive, I will make sure they know that their grandfathers AND grandmothers have a secret…they are superheroes and should be treated like it!  They had no choice but to keep going and so should we! 

Do Points Matter?

We have all heard this, "I am never flying on XX again!"  Or, "I will never stay at another XX hotel again!"  Are statements like that coming from their high level, high ranking loyal travelers?  No, because even the most particular traveler can let a few things slide, if its on their supplier of choice.  But, is all this about points?  I don't believe it is...its about service. 

If I was treated the same by all suppliers, would I have a favorite?  Now for any Concierge Key, Global Services or Platinum Medallion, those are going to be tough to match and maybe the question shouldn't be asked of them because to expect the same service on another carrier when you hold one of these statuses, is a tough expectation...so let's put those folks aside.  (Although, I bet they don't care about their points, just status.) 

Think about this, a loyal Delta flyer has to take American because they are the only game in town that meets their needs.  What if American looked at that person as an opportunity instead of as a non-tiered flyer.  Could they win them over with ONE experience?  Could a Hilton die hard fall in love with Hyatt because they took good care of him and saw them as a valued customer.  What if they both knew that this person traveled 3 times a month, would be they be more willing to help them?  Sadly...yes.

My premise, travelers in corporate America don't care about the points as long as they are taken care of.  Sure, its nice to look at a bank of points and see 500K sitting there and think about the vacation you can take with those, but the reality is, most don't use them.  Some donate them to charities, some use them as a gifts, some just let them sit there. Additionally, points are a financial liability.  Each time there is a merger of airlines or hotels, they have to report the points that are out there. 

I believe points don't matter, status does.  Status drives service, service drives loyalty and loyalty wins.  In the end, people want to travel with people who will take care of them.  It's why we have preferred partners, because we believe they will help take care of our travelers, regardless if they travel once a year or once a month.  Just like me, they keep going and hopefully they are taken care of along the way. 

The Chapter is Ending, Not the Book

Three years ago, when I was running for the GBTA Board of Directors, my speech was about playing by the rules.  That’s how I live my life, that’s how I work and that’s how I play.  By this time next week, others will have asked for your votes and a new BOD will be forming.  I can look back over the last three years and tell you, I played the rules.  I asked the questions that needed to be asked and I pushed people to think about things differently than they ever had.  I also pissed a few people off along the way….oh well, that’s life. 

Under the leadership of Donna Kelliher and Christle Johnson, I can tell you GBTA, is stronger and set on the right course for 2020.  We accomplished things that were asked of us including compensation review, strategic alignment, review the global footprint and improved our education offering to our members.  This year we have contested races on both the allied and direct side and to me, that means people see this as an organization they want to help with its further development.  I’m excited to see how the candidates do. 

Speaking of members, we have lost some.  We have also gained some.  GBTA isn’t the right place for everyone but then again, neither is Fargo ND, so that’s proof that everyone is different and that’s okay.  I fielded many calls, emails and conversations over the last three years from direct and allied members who had something to say.  I loved every interaction and I took your comments, questions and inquiries to heart and the meetings. 

When I leave, I am pleased to say that when a chapter closes, another one begins.  I will be taking some of my time and resources to sit on the Board of Regents for a college here in North Dakota.  I am honored to have been asked and can’t wait to be a part of this team.  Trust me, that doesn’t mean my support and actions around this industry will stop, I will always be active in making this industry strong and the people in it stronger! 

Lastly, the team…my other Board members.  Did we always agree?  NO!  Did we always get along?  No.  Is every single member of the board passionate about making GBTA better?  YES!  I formed relationships with many as a result of my time on the board and I will miss most of you the team. 

My blog was originally created around my campaign but I enjoy having a place where I can share my thoughts, get some great feedback from the readers and use my writing to make people think about crazy stuff…like my old bag.  So, I am going to keep it going because after all, that’s what we do….keep going. 

The Bag

Last week, I sent my 16 year old to Peru for 12 days on a mission trip.  The missionaries were asked to bring clothes and home goods for the families they would helping while there.  We gathered a number of things for her to take to with her, then the question, what bag should they go in, because that bag would have to stay.  (With their in-country travel, only one bag was allowed, so that one would be a leave behind.)  The only one that made sense is a bag that has been in my life for years. 

Yes, its an old duffel bag looking thing I received from my then boyfriend.  Because I was a college athlete, that bag was packed, unpacked and repacked many times, even in a week.  Imagine what that bag saw and did in my four years as a college athlete?  The miles, the wins, the losses (although not many of those) the pep talks the @#$ chewings from my coaches and all the fun.  The hours it spent on a cold bus, a smelly locker room and shoved in the bottom of my closet waiting for its next call to action can never be calculated. 

Then I settled into my career life and it made many a road trips then too.  A weekend adventure to see friends in Bismarck, a fishing tournament (where I don’t recall ever dropping a line in the water) with girlfriends and a spontaneous trip to Winnipeg or two just to name a few.  Suffice it to say, that bag has done me well over the years. 

Now, the bag is on a new adventure.  It will have a new home, a new owner and based on its still amazingly good condition, it just might help someone else make new memories.  It might be used for work, for play, for sports, for storage…who knows!  The joke, when my daughter left, was that I might miss the bag more than her.  That is certainly not the case!  I did, however, feel that after over 20 years, is deserved a special send off. 

Like everything in life, time comes to make changes and it was time for this happen and it was all for a good reason.  To whomever is the recipient of this small part of my life, enjoy it, because I know I sure did!  With a new bag and praying for my daughters safe return, I keep going!