So said Stephen Slater the JetBlue flight attendant who abandoned ’plane at JFK Airport in New York down its emergency inflatable slide triggered by him. He couldn’t leave quickly enough. In doing so he has become a bit of a Twitter and Facebook sensation.
Why did he do that? 
Some say it was abuse, both verbal and physical, from an arrogant passenger that made him ‘snap’. Others in Queens NY claim “he lives with his cancer-stricken mum. His father died of Lou Gehrig’s Disease two years ago”. I wonder if his company knew anything of his life away from work.
Fran Metcalf, writing recently in The Courier Mail newspaper argued that good employers notice the changes in team members’ attitudes and growing absenteeism. They understand these signals as key indicators of possible disaffection with the company, and deal effectively with these symptoms of hidden issues. She warns that “most companies don’t know anything is wrong until it’s too late”.
The Culture Doctor works with companies and other organisations like yours to develop accurate descriptions of your existing corporate culture. These descriptions are taken from the point of view of your team members. Usually their experience of the real culture bears little resemblance to the ‘shiny brass plaque’ at the front door proclaiming the virtues of the organisation. That is a scary scenario for any community of beliefs - your company. It is more important to know what your people really think than to be lulled along in a ‘fool’s paradise’.
Your existing corporate culture can be described and measured. Once you know what it really IS, then you can develop strategies to realign words and behaviours. Voice must equal touch if you want your people to follow you and release their crucial discretionary effort.
Importantly, The Culture Doctor leaves you with the instruments to continuously and transparently measure company alignment with what’s important to your most valuable asset – your people.
Contact us for help with this #1 productivity issue.
