Adam Fuller

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?