Most people know by now that Jet Blue had a huge faux pas with their airline recently and it upset a great deal of people to say the least.
Although I wasn't personally affected by the events that took place, I did receive an email from the company which I can only assume was sent to all of their customers.
What struck me was the heartfelt apology, embarrassment and disappointment they expressed about what happened. Along with this email was a video apology from the founder and CEO, David Neeleman. As I watched the video, I saw a man who was no longer a CEO but a human being with vulnerabilities, concerns and nervousness. He wasn't reading from a cue card, his comments weren't polished or overly prepared. As a matter of fact, it actually felt as though he were speaking spontaneously from his heart, in the present moment.
Watching the video, I truly felt for this man. He was in a difficult position and it took courage to show himself in this light. He did what he felt was in the best interest of the company and his customers, as well he should. It's not important if someone influenced him to create the video. What matters most is the fact that he did step up to the plate.
It's so easy to get on the bandwagon with others and verbally rip apart companies when mistakes are made. Often forgetting that those behind the scenes are real people, just like you and me. People make mistakes all the time. Yes, some mistakes have a bigger impact than others, and this was a big one.
Decisions were made that may not have been the best call in the moment, but it was still a human mistake. And when someone is willing to come forward, take full responsibility, admit to their mistake and sincerely do what they can to make up for the mistake, perhaps we need to remember that we're all human, we all make mistakes and we're all doing the best we know how in the moment. Because of that, I believe it's worth finding it in our hearts to drop the judgments, forgive and move on the next time we find ourselves on the receiving end of a human mistake.
I've included the video link if you haven't seen it and would like to.
http://www.jetblue.com/about/ourcompany/promise/index.html?source=ap_2promise
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