{"id":36144,"date":"2017-04-13T04:45:32","date_gmt":"2017-04-13T09:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=36144"},"modified":"2017-04-13T04:45:32","modified_gmt":"2017-04-13T09:45:32","slug":"united-extreme-ownership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/united-extreme-ownership\/","title":{"rendered":"Why United\u2019s PR Disaster Didn\u2019t Fly"},"content":{"rendered":"

United Airlines CEO Oscar Mu\u00f1oz apologized<\/a> Tuesday afternoon to the doctor who was forcibly removed from an over-packed Chicago-to-Louisville flight on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n

Mu\u00f1oz called it a \u201ctruly horrific event.\u201d \u201cNo one should ever be mistreated this way,\u201d he said, pledging on behalf of his company, \u201cwe take full responsibility and we will work to make it right.\u201d United would \u201cfix what\u2019s broken so this never happens again.\u201d<\/p>\n

But will that be enough to restore the billion-plus in lost market value<\/a> and regain the trust of countless consumers? It\u2019s hard to tell at this point because of how badly he bungled the crisis when it mattered most.<\/p>\n

How Not to Apologize<\/h3>\n

Mu\u00f1oz initially offered a defensive, legalistic apology Monday in public and then backpedaled on most of that in a letter to employees that quickly leaked to the public.<\/p>\n\n

In that letter, Mu\u00f1oz called his customer, Dr. David Dao, \u201cdisruptive and belligerent.\u201d He said that United employees \u201cfollowed established procedures\u201d in calling in airport security who \u201cwere unable to gain his cooperation and physically removed him from the flight as he continued to resist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Airport security did this by bloodying Dao and dragging him down the aisle of the plane. Outraged passengers whipped out their smartphones and let the world see what was happening.<\/p>\n

By first evading responsibility for the situation, Mu\u00f1oz turned a terrible mistake that could have cost United thousands of dollars into one already costing hundreds of millions and which could easily end his job.<\/p>\n

Own the Narrative<\/h3>\n

While it\u2019s good to see United\u2019s CEO do the right thing, even belatedly, the rest of us can take a lesson right now from his mismanagement of the crisis. If circumstances ever force you to address a public disaster, take a deep breath first and remember these three facts.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. There\u2019s always a narrative.<\/strong> That\u2019s especially true in times of crisis. People are going to tell stories about your organization, some of which you know are off-base, false, or agenda-driven.\n

    The important thing to know is this: In the middle of the crisis, nobody cares what you think about that. In fact, what you have to say isn\u2019t going to break through that narrative unless you recognize the second fact.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. Extreme ownership is the only way to control the narrative.<\/strong> Take a page out of the Navy SEALs and own the failure<\/a>. Take full responsibility from word one. Say,
    \n

    \n Something went terribly wrong here. The full responsibility lies with my organization\u2014specifically with me. We will do whatever it takes to make things right and learn from this experience so that it never happens again.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    A sincere statement like that throws water on the fire\u2014maybe not enough to put out all the flames, but enough to keep them from burning down your organization.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    You can correct false narratives, judiciously.<\/strong> You have to be careful here. It\u2019s easy for it to come off like excuse making. But if you fully own the problem, you might earn enough credibility in the moment to address angles and solutions that steer the narrative your direction.<\/p>\n

    If Mu\u00f1oz had exercised extreme ownership from the start, he would have been in a much better position to tell a positive story about how his airline normally works and will work better going forward.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What Might Have Been<\/h3>\n

    When critics snark<\/a>, \u201cWhy not stop overbooking instead of beating up passengers when you do? Oh right. Money,\u201d Mu\u00f1oz might have shown how overbooking really isn\u2019t the problem here.<\/p>\n

    Instead, after owning mishandling the situation with Dao, Mu\u00f1oz might have shown how the modern overbooking\/bidding system<\/a> has been a boon to consumers. It ensures fares aren\u2019t inflated to cover empty seats and that flights aren\u2019t grounded in the event of accidental overbooking. People forget, but that\u2019s how it used<\/em> to work\u2014costly and inconvenient.<\/p>\n

    Even when the bidding system doesn\u2019t work, federal law mandates involuntarily bumped passengers are owed several times what they paid for the fare. Editor David Freddoso recently gave up his seat<\/a> and ended up \u201cabout $1,200 better off for the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t