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"A little repentance can go a long way in strengthening relationships and enhancing productivity at work."
During Lent and this season of repentance, it's a good time for repentance at work.
For Christians, Lent is 40 days of praying, fasting and examining the heart for anything that needs cleansing. Modeled after Jesus' 40 days of fasting and praying in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry, Lent is a time of prayer and cleansing in preparation for God's work of resurrection at Easter. Lent includes repentance, a turning from sin to face God.
Repentance, not a popular topic in Western culture, is even less popular in the workplace. Yet a little repentance can go a long way in strengthening relationships and enhancing productivity at work.
This past week, JetBlue Airways practiced repentance with its customers. On the heels of a week of long delays, canceled flights and poor customer service due to weather, David Neeleman, JetBlue's founder and CEO, sent an apology to all JetBlue customers.
Neeleman's apology included: "Words cannot express how truly sorry we are for the anxiety, frustration and inconvenience that we caused. This is especially saddening because JetBlue was founded on the promise of bringing humanity back to air travel and making the experience of flying happier and easier for everyone who chooses to fly with us. We know we failed to deliver on this promise last week."
In addition to the apology, Neeleman articulated "immediate corrective steps" that JetBlue was taking, as well as an "industry leading action," a customer Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights includes specific compensations for departure delays, cancellations and ground delays (e.g., a $50 voucher for two to four hours, and a free round-trip ticket for more than six hours).
Of course, the apology and the customer Bill of Rights are only the first steps. Authentic repentance includes a change in behavior. Neeleman recognized this and asked customers to give JetBlue a chance to regain their trust: "You deserved better — a lot better — from us last week. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust, and all of us here hope you will give us the opportunity to welcome you onboard again soon and provide you the positive JetBlue Experience you have come to expect from us."
Apologies are rare in the business world. JetBlue has taken a courageous step in apologizing and articulating a customer Bill of Rights. I hope we will see this courageous statement bear fruit, resulting in real change in its operations. In a world where errors are too often addressed with "spin" rather than repentance, I hope that JetBlue's apology will become an "industry leading action," inspiring other companies to practice repentance when the need arises.
Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations," works with healthcare leaders, nonprofits and Fortune 500 companies to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com .
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