On Monday morning I flew to my Grandfather George's funeral. George Gluszak was a man of virtue, honor, integrity, love and devotion who knew how to roll up his sleeves and get the job done, and kick your butt when necessary to get you moving along too. Everyone who knew him loved him and is better off because of him. I will share more about Grampa George in a later message.
During my second flight, I sat behind two kids about five and six years of age, and across from a four year old and diagonally from a two year old. Next to me was their Mom. I felt I was going to have one of the worst flights ever. All the thoughts of screaming kids, crawling over seats, throwing stuff ran through my mind. And well, the flight ended up being one of the best I had ever taken.
Mom had it all under control. She took a moment to make sure the seating arrangements were correct. She negotiated with another passenger to change seats so that her kids would all be adjacent to her. She spoke lovingly and commandingly to each of her kids and was prepared for the flight. She spoke at a different level to each kid, making sure each one understood her.
In a bag, kept under her seat was everything she needed. She had toys for the kids, different snacks and even reading materials for her husband and herself. She spoke to the kids throughout the flight when necessary, made sure each of the kids played nicely with each other and even shared their toys, knowing who liked what best. At the right moment she pulled out little cups and filled them with a healthy snack for the kids, and kept the kids entertained, under control and happy throughout the flight.
These kids were living breathing children, buckled into seats for over an hour and they didn't fuss or make any sort of ruckus during the entire flight. They only asked when we were going to land a few times, and each time she gave them a real expectation. I was so impressed that I complimented the Mom saying that many managers could learn a thing or two from her. I then asked her how she got so organized and on top of things.
She told me that she used to not be prepared and after a few very embarrassing episodes decided she needed to get her act together and started planning based on what she knew she needed. "Preparation is the key" she told me. She packed her bag in sections with each item she would need. Toys in one zip-lock bag (when all the toys were given out, she showed her kids the empty bag so they would not ask for more toys), snacks in a different bag, cups in another. She timed when to pull each item out from experience. She learned from previous experiences and perfected her pattern of leadership and management.
After the flight, I felt that I had learned something from a master manager and leader. It was an honor to fly with those kids all around me, and watching an artist at work keeping everything moving along smoothly.
Enjoy!
Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
<http://www.berenberg.net/> http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/502-533-9336
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