I recently was a guest in a leadership empowerment seminar given to all pursers of the Philippine Airlines (PAL). Over cocktails, I came to learn that one of the flight pursers was actually a neighbor when I lived in my father’s quarters in Camp Aguinaldo; another was a high-school classmate of a first cousin; another was the niece of my father’s colleague in government; and one has a son who is currently my student in Ateneo Law School. When asked to give share some insights about leadership, I simply asked them to remember one word—connections.
As leaders in every flight where pursers are tasked to supervise up to 18 flight attendants and stewardesses, and are charged with the safety and convenience of up to 370 passengers depending on the size of the aircraft, I told the small group to make the effort of connecting with their subordinates, as well as their passengers when the situation warrants it. The so-called six degrees of separation really does exist, and the world is truly small. We will all encounter people who will, in some way, be connected to us. I told the pursers, then, that each and every passenger will have their stories to share that will somehow connect to them, one way or another. These connections, in turn, create rapport and help establish a personal relationship needed to make things better for each other and for everyone else connected in that relationship. Good leaders who can truly connect with their subordinates open the gates toward a better and more open communication—a critical ingredient in relationship management.
In the corporate setting, business leaders need to connect with their customers as much as with its employees. Accessibility fosters connection. PAL has taken all kinds of initiatives to keep employees engaged to promote participation in all activities and to solicit feedback from customers via e-mail, Facebook, web sites and all other communication channels.
More recently, PAL appointed Jessica Abaya as the chief customer experience officer to oversee and analyze all customer information collected from surveys, complaints, feedback and wish lists. Since she has joined PAL a few years back, Abaya has been trying to understand the psyche of each passenger—how he thinks, what he wants and why. As her team is about to acquire a more sophisticated business-intelligence tool to have real-time monitoring of customer sentiments, Abaya is charged with consolidating all information gathered from all passenger connections or, as more known in the industry, customer touch points. With Abaya’s professional experience and organizational skills, I have seen a number of improvements, that PAL has introduced to increase the desired customer experience. And the ultimate objective of staying connected is to know the desires of the heart of travelers who fly PAL.
In personal relationships, especially those families with relatives and friends overseas, there are many ways to stay connected. The desire to stay connected is brought about by the proposition that we were all made to love each other. Children were raised to love everyone in the family because of blood connection. Partners and friends stay and hang out together because of chemistry or connection. And keeping in touch, by way of a phone call, an FB or IG post showing what’s keeping us busy, or a token gift is one of the simplest ways of showing our affection to our loved ones. In the process, these gestures will open doors for more love to flow all around. Connection allows for more love and vice versa. When we are connected, we allow ourselves to give and receive love.
In the Bible, Acts 17:26-27 says, “From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and, perhaps, reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us.” God is everywhere, and He has created men and women to stay connected, in love and through His spirit. His design was for families, friends and even strangers to have a way to express their love for each other. And as I recall, whenever we pray for someone, we are offering them the purest form of love. Connection, in whatever setting, is truly integral to harmony among people. We simply have to do our part to be and stay connected. It’s the best way to know and understand the desires of the heart.