JetBlue Flight Attendant…REALLY?!!!

Overnight, Steven Slater has become a folk hero of sorts. As you have probably already heard, Steven Slater is the JetBlue flight attendant that quit his job in a flagrant fashion. You can check out one of the news stories at: Steven Slater, JetBlue Flight Attendant Out on Bail.

We have all had trying times during our careers. Maybe you’re and expansion stage CEO who is looking for investors and getting nowhere; maybe you are part of your company’s technical IT support and have to work the weekend again! These are situations which can be extremely frustrating and trying on the nerves. These are the situations that make people want to lash out inappropriately in an attempt to vent and soothe their mental landscape. It is rare that these releases occur as Slater’s did, though it is likely that many people, if not most, have at one time or another fantasized about undertaking a walk-out as grand as his. This is why so many people are idolizing Slater’s actions.

For those of you not “in the know”, Slater was trying to prevent a woman from getting her baggage from the overhead bin while the plane was still taxiing when the luggage hit him on the head. Apparently the woman did not apologize and that was the “straw that broke the camel’s back!” He got on the intercom and proceeded to curse at the entire plane and quit. His next move is what landed him in prison overnight. He took a beer or 2 from the cooler and deployed the emergency slide, then proceeded to slide to the tarmac below and headed home.

Not Many of us will ever do anything like this and, while Steven Slater’s actions allow those of us harboring these fantasies to live vicariously through him, the majority of us know that these small bumps will pass. There are likely many lessons that can be gleaned from Slater’s actions, ranging from customer service to employee HR services. Perhaps the most relevant lesson for those of us in the operational support field to learn from this is to be aware of our employees’ needs and be on the lookout for changes in behavior.

Like Slater, I sometimes get frustrated by workplace situations (albeit I rarely have to deal with the type of frustrations a flight attendant deals with daily). However, I have learned to take these frustrations in stride. The truth is that I love my operational support position — and the frustrations that come with it — here at my small Boston venture capital firm, OpenView Venture Partners, and will not be acting out like this anytime in the near future!