I wrote last week about an email United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, sent to employees. At the time, I commented that his message to employees was something every leader could learn from.
In the email, Kirby talked about how proud he was of his team for handling a series of disruptions to operations due to storms on the East Coast as well as a shortage of air traffic controllers.
“I wanted to say thank you for the incredible work you did this weekend under what were unprecedented challenges,” Kirby said. “I know it was very tough on each of you, and it’s not over yet with weather continuing today on the East Coast. But I want you to know that I’m proud of you.”
The part I didn’t mention — which is arguably the most important piece — is that the message you send isn’t just about the words you use. As much as your team is listening to what you say, they’re also watching how you act.
That’s not especially profound, but it’s certainly something worth mentioning if you’re pointing to an example from a CEO and using it as a lesson for every leader. It became particularly important when, after publishing that piece, news reports revealed that while customers and employees were dealing with extensive delays and cancellations, Kirby flew on a private jet out of New Jersey’s Teterboro airport.
Look, a lot of CEOs use private airplanes when they need to get somewhere and want to avoid the mess that can sometimes be commercial aviation. I guess that’s what you do when the airlines are canceling flights and you can afford the expense of a jet all to yourself. The problem is, it’s a really bad look when your airline is a part of that mess.
Kirby later apologized for the incident in a statement. “Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home,” Kirby said. “I sincerely apologize to our customers and our team members who have been working around-the-clock for several days — often through severe weather — to take care of our customers.”
Again, those are all the right words, but if you’re a United customer or employee, you might be wondering whether Kirby actually means it. After all, he said all the right words about being proud of his employees, but the truth really is that actions speak louder than words.
It’s true that taking a private jet was insensitive, and Kirby does owe them an apology. The thing is, he should have known it was a bad idea. If you’re running an airline and 150,000 of your customers on the East Coast are having their travel plans disrupted — for any reason — yours should be as well.
It’s not just that he made a mistake, it’s that he made a decision he should have known would not go over well. Whatever he would have missed out on by not taking that private flight can’t have been worth the hit to his credibility. Leadership, after all, is all about influence, and influence is all about credibility.
In the past week, I’ve heard from a number of United pilots and employees who were frustrated by Kirby’s original email because even if it says all the right words, it wasn’t supported by their experience with him as a leader. That’s maybe the biggest problem any leader can face.
Ultimately, your credibility comes down to whether people can trust what you say. Do your actions line up with your words? In this case, Kirby’s actions make it harder for a lot of people to listen to his apology.
I stand behind the idea that the way leaders communicate with their teams is incredibly important. The part I was wrong about is that it’s always about a lot more than just what they say. How you lead really does matter.