Building a Winning Team, One Teammate at a Time

Several months ago, I deplaned at Louis Armstrong International Airport after a late night flight. Exhausted after a lengthy speaking engagment far away, I looked forward to getting into my wheelchair and driving the two hours from New Orleans to my home in Ocean Springs, Miss.

When my power wheelchair was delivered to the area where the jetway meets the aircraft's open door, I made an alarming discovery. The ground crew had broken the "on/off" toggle switch that operates the chair! There was no way to turn the chair on, which meant that I was helpless. I couldn't roll the chair, and it was too late in the evening to call for service. A guy named John Still was the customer service manager on duty for Southwest Airlines. He and his staff pushed me to the baggage service area where we made calls to find emergency wheelchair repair help. None was available.

Our options were limited: 1. Put me in a hotel, unable to move from my bed to the bathroom without an operable chair, and then call for service the next morning. 2. Put me in a hospital, where at least I would be taken care of for the evening (If you know me, you know I said, "No WAY!") And 3. Push me to my lowered floor mini-van, lock me securely behind the steering wheel and send me on my way. Of the three options, heading home was the most appealing, but it was a dangerous concept. I did not like the idea of taking a two hour road trip in the middle of the night locked in a vehicle and not able to get out of it. And neither did the customer service people at Southwest.

John Still's solution was to ride with me, two hours in the middle of the night, in case something went wrong. Another customer service person followed us in a truck so that he could drive John back to New Orleans. They took a 4-hour road trip to make sure that the customer was taken care of.

That's customer service! And that's inner strength.

The lesson: Taking care of other people means that they will take care of you. I will always fly Southwest Airlines. I rarely fly with any other carrier. The next time you have the opportunity to help somone, remember this story and call on your inner strength when it is in need for someone else's benefit. And in the process you'll add a loyal teammate to your roster of winners!