Welcome to the Week... Meet Sean

Good Morning & Welcome to the Week:

This week, I took some much-needed time off with my wife (Laura). We used a time while both our kids are out of town at camp to escape into nature, go on hikes and go somewhere for a few days where there is limited cell phone coverage.?

At the beginning of the trip, I flew to #chicago to take Zach, our 12-year-old son to sleep away camp and Laura and I planned to meet in #calgary after she handled sending Sloane, our 15-year-old daughter to running camp with her high school cross country team in #northcarolina .?

After a choked-up goodbye (from this dad - not Zach, as he was like “peace out”), as I dropped him off at a high school meeting spot in Chicago, I headed to the airport for a long 7 hour wait for my flight to meet Laura.

While at the airport, I was in a #Delta Sky Club settling in before my flight was scheduled to depart. It was a good time to catch up on some work, read, personal development (I mean, how many times do I have an entire Sunday without the pulls of everything at home.) With this framing vs a long wait to bear, these were hours to treasure.

?As I settled in with my laptop out, book I am currently reading (called?Four Thousand Weeks – Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman,?for those who may be curious) and some snacks and a drink, I heard the most cheerful voice asking people if they needed anything or how their visit was. I saw one person give this man a hug, another gives him a fist bump and another shakes his hand. One after the other over the course of an hour. He was helping co-workers, and beyond friendly.?

In this course of all these goodbyes, he enthusiastically asked me repeatedly (but not in an overbearing way) if I needed anything from drinks to a Chicago #viennabeef hot dog that he described like it was developed with culinary and artisanal flair. After about my 3rd of 7 planned hours in this club, I decided to dig deeper and learn more about this individual.

I introduced myself to him and he shared that his name was Sean, and he was from Chicago. He then proceeded to ask me my name, where I was heading, how long I was on my wait for a flight, why was I heading there, etc. When I told him 4 more hours, he said, “man, we’ve got some time. You’re going to be taken care of today. I got you, my man.”?

I said to him, “Thank you Sean. You certainly have a following here in Chicago.” He said, “it makes life way more fun to get to know the people here.” He said, “this place is amazing” (we were in the new Delta lounge that opened 4 months ago) and “I want to have fun with everybody.” “Between the others working in here and the guests, I am going to bring the fun every day. That’s how we do it here in the Delta lounge.”

I asked him how long he has been with Delta. He said, “I don’t work for Delta. I work for a company that manages the clubs.” I was thinking to myself, Sean is acting the way he is not because of any external reason. He is acting this way because he is fully present. He wants to create connections with people. By doing so, he is engaged and getting the most out of each day.?He decided how he wanted to show up and he does this each day.

I thought I was seeing a repeat of a video that was introduced to me years ago called?Pouring Happiness. If you have not ever seen this, it is an incredible testament to how one shows up to anything they do in life each day. It will blow your mind. If you are on in any level of customer service in life (we all are) the video may change your life. You decide. #customerexperience

When you take a job in an airport, it is no easy feat. It involves a long drive, parking in a garage, then a walk to a tram to a terminal, then a daily trip through security and a decent walk to your work destination. In many cases, this would challenge a range of emotions as airports can often do today.

Not Sean. It was like he was energized by it all. He chose how he showed up and he showed up with an unparalleled energy and ability to connect simply because he chose to care.

As my 7 hours ended, I collected my belongings, and I gave Sean a proper fist bump and told him I look forward to seeing him again. I gave him a tip to demonstrate my appreciation for the above and beyond way he took care of me for the day… like it was his mission. He then gave me a hug and for the 2nd time of the day I got a little choked up saying goodbye thinking about the journey he went through to be here and how he chose to show up.?

Each day, we have a choice. The story I tell myself is that if we all chose the Sean way, our lives and can get to a level none of us have even imagined. It’s up to each of us to take that chance to see what happens.?#fitlifefoods #customerloyalty #customerservice #entrepreneurship #welcometotheweek #davidosterweil #motivation #habitsforgrowth #compassgroup #deltaairlines