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Most people can’t go a day without hearing or reading about how vital social media is for a business or how channels like Facebook and Twitter are revolutionizing our relationships and the way we communicate. If you are absorbed by social media on a daily basis, both personally and professionally, it can be especially difficult, at times, to remind yourself or convince others that social media is not the answer to all of life’s problems.
I encourage you to read Malcolm Gladwell’s recent essay in The New Yorker for an excellent commentary on the value of social media: Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted.
He provides some interesting examples and clear arguments for why activism and revolution didn’t, don’t and won’t require social media to have an effect. As with most of his work, I enjoyed this piece and echo much of his sentiment. My takeaway from this article is that in most cases social media serves best as a means to provide added value: compliments to the core.
A solid business model is probably not going to fail due to the absence of an active Facebook page or thousands of Twitter followers. If you have a bad fight with your best friend or family member, you’re probably not going resolve it on his wall or via Direct Message. However, most successful businesses, and people for that matter, look for and find ways to provide and receive added value. And this is where social media shines.
One person may love tagging her friends in photos on Facebook while a company may use the same channel to gauge customer sentiment after a new initiative. A co-worker may post daily updates on Twitter about lunch plans while his boss may use it to vent about computer frustrations and catch up on sporting news.
Whatever way you use it, you, and millions of others across the world, find this added value in social media. But the key to keep in mind here is that this value has not taken the place of the most important values or people in your life (I hope). As phenomenal and ground-breaking as social media is, it is still not a substitute for a solid business model, a strong friendship or a passionate movement.
JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater quit his job after an apparently heated exchange with a disobedient passenger. Reports say that when the plane was taxiing to the gate, he yelled at the passenger over the intercom, grabbed two beers out of the drink cart, opened the emergency exit and slid down the slide, onto the tarmac, out of a job and into Internet stardom. (Full story here.) In the days since the incident, Slater has dominated the headlines and has become somewhat of a folk hero. After all, who hasn’t wanted to put a jerk in his place or quit a job with a splash?
But, before you start planning your escape, there are a few things about this incident that you should keep in mind.
JetBlue gets it
A rogue employee, swearing at a customer is not exactly the image a company wants to present to the public. However, JetBlue, so far, has handled the volatile situation commendably. They’ve remained actively engaged with customers on social media, built upon a pre-existing solid brand image foundation and addressed the situation with a genius post on their company blog. Note in the post how JetBlue used this opportunity to spin the situation by using it as an opportunity to thank and acknowledge their employees. It not only served to boost morale internally, but also told customers that they don’t have to worry about flight attendants flipping out. In effect, “one loose cannon out of over 2,000 straight arrows ain’t bad.” Major props to the JetBlue PR team.
Context counts
This iconic “I quit” didn’t just happen out of nowhere. The allegedly unruly passenger has been the main focus, however, we also need to factor in that Slater reportedly was under a lot of stress at the time: his mother is dying from lung cancer, his father died of Lou Gehrig’s disease and he’s had issues in the past with alcohol and substance abuse. These may not be excuses for blowing up, but they are reminders that often, actions are caused by many contextual issues that can tip things from beneath the surface. Read “Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell for more on this concept.
Scarface is still the coolest quitter
Inevitably, media coverage of this story has resulted in references to famous quitting scenes on the big screen. The obvious scenes from Jerry McGuire and Office Space made the rounds, but Scarface’s “I-quit” scene remains my favorite. (Don’t click this last link if you can’t stand F-bombs.)
Never burn bridges
Yeah we’ve all had fantasies of setting fire to the sinking ship, but if this was your employee would you hire Slater back? Facebook pages, blogs and websites have been created to urge JetBlue to forgive and forget. But even if you love what he did, can you blame a company for not wanting to have an employee with this on their record? Furthermore, his position is on the front lines, representing their company and interacting with valued customers. I wouldn’t. You’ve got to be able to keep your cool, whether you’re on the ground or flying at 30,000 feet.
Would you hire him?
Tri for Les 2012: Lavaman
