To All Flight Attendants,
Usually, I can start a letter and get to the point right away. Today, I am struggling because there are so many of you I
have not yet met and because there’s so much I want to say. Do I begin by talking about my personal values so that we
can start to get to know one another, or do I talk about the future direction which I envision for InFlight Services? In the
spirit of satisfying both objectives, allow me to do a little bit of both, even if I have to write again with more detail at a
later date.
My Thoughts on People Management
When I accepted my new responsibilities, I did it with the view to create the best InFlight organization in the industry,
where every member of the team is considered to be part of a group of outstanding individuals. To accomplish that
mission over time, I believe we must discard the concept of management in the traditional sense with its images of cop,
referee, or dispassionate analyst. Instead, we must work to unleash the energy and talent of every member of the team to
become the very best we can be. My job will be to create conditions that make service excellence possible and to remove
the barriers that get in the way of delivering the kind of customer service we all want.
Along the way, I commit to a participative approach where different points of view are respected, where the decision
making process is not arbitrary, secret or closed. I value inclusiveness most of all, honesty, respect, mutual trust and a
caring attitude in everything we do. I learned these simple values when growing up and I have found that they work in
every circumstance no matter how challenging.
The Path to High Performance
Our company has made significant inroads in the last year in achieving operational reliability as a critical first step. Now
we must devote our focus to customer service—to greater consistency and to delivering the things that customers truly
value. To achieve that goal, we will need to focus on three key components: 1) the material product itself; 2) policies and
procedures that are customer friendly; 3) personal service with an attitude to serve. I believe all three areas are
interrelated and they are not mutually exclusive; all three must happen simultaneously. It will be a journey to be sure, it
won’t happen all at once, but it will happen. Standards will need to be clarified and developed in areas where they don’t
exist today. Everyone will need to be held accountable for delivering to the standards, and good performance must be
acknowledged and recognized.
I hope this short note provides a glimpse of what we are going to do together. I am a firm believer in communication, so
you can expect a great deal more in the near term. For now, allow me to say it’s a privilege for me to have joined this
team, your team, and I look forward to serving you in a caring and respectful way.
Hector
Usually, I can start a letter and get to the point right away. Today, I am struggling because there are so many of you I
have not yet met and because there’s so much I want to say. Do I begin by talking about my personal values so that we
can start to get to know one another, or do I talk about the future direction which I envision for InFlight Services? In the
spirit of satisfying both objectives, allow me to do a little bit of both, even if I have to write again with more detail at a
later date.
My Thoughts on People Management
When I accepted my new responsibilities, I did it with the view to create the best InFlight organization in the industry,
where every member of the team is considered to be part of a group of outstanding individuals. To accomplish that
mission over time, I believe we must discard the concept of management in the traditional sense with its images of cop,
referee, or dispassionate analyst. Instead, we must work to unleash the energy and talent of every member of the team to
become the very best we can be. My job will be to create conditions that make service excellence possible and to remove
the barriers that get in the way of delivering the kind of customer service we all want.
Along the way, I commit to a participative approach where different points of view are respected, where the decision
making process is not arbitrary, secret or closed. I value inclusiveness most of all, honesty, respect, mutual trust and a
caring attitude in everything we do. I learned these simple values when growing up and I have found that they work in
every circumstance no matter how challenging.
The Path to High Performance
Our company has made significant inroads in the last year in achieving operational reliability as a critical first step. Now
we must devote our focus to customer service—to greater consistency and to delivering the things that customers truly
value. To achieve that goal, we will need to focus on three key components: 1) the material product itself; 2) policies and
procedures that are customer friendly; 3) personal service with an attitude to serve. I believe all three areas are
interrelated and they are not mutually exclusive; all three must happen simultaneously. It will be a journey to be sure, it
won’t happen all at once, but it will happen. Standards will need to be clarified and developed in areas where they don’t
exist today. Everyone will need to be held accountable for delivering to the standards, and good performance must be
acknowledged and recognized.
I hope this short note provides a glimpse of what we are going to do together. I am a firm believer in communication, so
you can expect a great deal more in the near term. For now, allow me to say it’s a privilege for me to have joined this
team, your team, and I look forward to serving you in a caring and respectful way.
Hector
This can all be accomplished without spending a dime on the inflight product.
