Today I received an email rant from one of the marketing/tech recruiters I personally respect greatly, Marc Cenedella, CEO of TheLadders. He had an interesting observation which sent him off on a rant only another perfectionist can appreciate. Here are some excerpts from his message to me today regarding employees, the increasingly raggedy-ass airline industry, and what it should mean to you. [note - I bolded my favorite parts]
A grumbly Monday morning to you, Bryan,
...other people’s travel hell stories are about as interesting as other people’s "kids" or "new exercise regimen" stories, so I’m not going to bore you with one of those. And as a matter of fact, my recent flight on American wasn’t uniquely miserable. It was just run-of-the-mill lousy. But what really got me bummed out was my flight attendant’s outfit.
Katherine had gone to the trouble of wearing buttons with all sorts of sayings on her uniform. You know, when you’re on a flight on one of the legacy airlines, you kind of hold out hope that somebody - anybody - will give a damn. And like a drowning man might, I saw Katherine’s buttons as a statement. She cared! She was going to stand out against the ennui and mediocrity of her co-workers and let the world know that she, Katherine of American Airlines...was taking a stand! A stand for friendliness, and approachability, and caring about her customers...
...I am a bit of a nut for our customers. We love you. We answer all your emails within 24 hours, and 88% of them within 3 hours. We run all of our business out of the good old USA, right here in New York City, and don’t outsource stuff overseas...and we generally try to treat our customers like our family. So when I see somebody breaking out against the norm, standing up for customers, and daring to care, I can get pretty excited.
And so as Katherine approached me I strained to get my work weary eyes to read the fine print on her button. It was a light blue button with dark blue writing, and I could just about make out the words:
"I"
"Have"
"No"
"Idea"
"Why"
"I"
"Work"
"Here"
And I have to tell you, that was just about the most deflating, disheartening, dispiriting, depressing thing to read after a relaxing weekend. While I won’t share them with you here, the rest of her buttons were of an equally sour-puss nature.
And you know, Katherine and her type stand for everything that’s bad in the world. For every one of us trying to achieve great things, there’s a Katherine standing nearby ready to tear it down. For each of us trying to make the world a better place today, this hour, this minute, there’s a Katherine in the wings sticking her tongue out. And not only is there a Katherine, but there’s a company willing to hire her...
...And while Mom said if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all, I wish the Katherines...of the world nothing but failure. Failure in their campaign to pull down the productive people, failure in their efforts to keep winners from winning, and failure in the marketplace so that better people and companies can serve American Airlines customers.
So don’t be a Katherine!
His letter gets a little personal regarding good ol' AA (where I still hold my pre-board status), but as you can see, he is pissed. I join him on the piss when I come across 'katherine-esq' people who are pessimistic, argumentative, know-it-alls without the balls to get out and walk the walk. Agree with the tact or not, Marc shined a light on a problem in this world.
In addition to the pessimism and poor-me elements of the 'katherine' persona, there is also a mindset where many THINK they are smarter/better/richer/cooler/talented than everyone else, yet unwilling to step out and put their brilliance to the test, see if they can make a difference, or start something of their own, from the ground up and make it into something real. Carpe their own diem. I seem to see an increasing number of wanna-be entrepreneurs, bench racers, shadows, always quick with an opinion, rarely with a solution. I have completely lost patience for 'katherines', and frankly refuse to have them around me, around my business, and around my circle of friends.
I hope Fuze is forever devoid of Katherines. I encourage other employers to follow suit - sniff these people out and get rid of them. Marc concludes with a fitting sentiment:
You take your career and your work seriously, and we will take you seriously...whatever you do, don’t sell yourself short, and don’t let the Katherines of this world bring you down.
I’ll be rooting for you!
Warmest Regards,
Marc Cenedella
Founder & CEO
TheLadders.com, Inc.
I was so moved by this, that I just had to pass this on. AA will go on and on surviving but consider this a clear call out to all pessimists, nay-sayers, virus-spewing, jealous know-it-alls. Don't talk about it, be about it. If you're born to be a follower, then be a happy follower. But, if you aren't happy, instead of bringing others DOWN to your level, why not try taking yourself UP a new level [or 2]. You control your destiny. What you are or aren't, is ALL ABOUT YOU. The big blue marble is full of opportunity - this is quite possibly one of the best periods in history - opportunity wise. Make something of it, Katherines.
I will see those who choose the path of greatness in a winners circle someplace.
WBV
It's your future, you shape it, you're in the driving seat.
- The [real]Office
