02.06.11 Displaying Bad Moods to Customers Is Unacceptable (Orig Ng 29)

29. The Case of the Unpredictable Eighth Wonder

Magezi peered through the windows of the Cessna Caravan as it glided over the Usambara mountain range; on a chartered flight destined for the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ – the Ngorongoro Crater.

After a smooth take-off in Dar es Salaam, the pilot, Captain Tuwesa had invited the passengers to ‘sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight’.  Had things been different, Magezi would have heeded by stretching his legs, closing his eyes and taking a nap.  But such luxury was difficult, considering that the plane was full of board members from the organisation where Magezi worked.  

Despite the reassuring drone of the plane’s engines and a few chats here and there, the mood of the bosses in the aircraft cabin was a bit sombre.  This was understandable given the circumstances that had led to the trip.  

Recently, one of the organisation’s donors had visited Magezi’s project.  But although the visitors had been impressed with the progress, they had regrettably hinted that funding may be discontinued due to the global financial crisis.  As soon as the guests had departed, Magezi’s CEO had instructed that a strategic planning meeting be organised so that board members could deliberate on the way forward.  Ngorongoro had been chosen as the suitable venue for the event; and, Magezi as the coordinator.  Financial concerns for the trip had not been an issue since such meetings could be accommodated in the organisation’s administrative budget.

As Magezi looked at the lushy green Usambara landscape, he could not help but thank God that he (Magezi) had been wise enough to hedge against the risk of unemployment.  For behind every one’s back, he had proactively applied for another job in a reputable UN organisation; just in case!

Fortunately, God had smiled on his application; for he had already received a call inviting him for the interview.  The drawback though, was that the interview was due in three days’ time…; on Monday afternoon.  

Initially, Magezi had worried whether he would make it to the interview given the ‘Ngorongoro meeting’.  But his fears had been allayed by the itinerary, as the bosses were to meet only during the weekend and fly out on Monday.  Plus, consultations with Captain Tuwesa had indicated that they would be in Dar by 11.00 am on the day.  

“I have to make it to the interview come hell or high water”, Magezi reasserted in his mind, as the dreadful thought of unemployment made his skin crawl.  

His thoughts were interrupted by Captain Tuwesa’s confident voice informing them that they were about to land.  A reasonably smooth descent, a soft landing, a distant screech as the aircraft came to a halt, and they were in Ngorongoro.

The meeting was successfully completed on schedule which meant that the team was ready to depart as scheduled, on Monday morning.  Good enough, Captain Tuwesa dropped at the hotel on Sunday evening, assuring Magezi that everything was set for the departure.

Magezi woke up very early the following morning, haunted by the urgency to get to Dar well in time for the interview.  But as soon as he had completed all the check-out obligations, Captain Tuwesa showed up at the hotel’s reception desk.  One look at the pilot’s face was enough to alert Magezi that the pilot had some unpleasant news.  “I regret that we will not be able to depart on schedule…; the weather has just changed and it’s too foggy to fly out of Ngorongoro this morning”.  Magezi exclaimed in amazement, “I don’t understand, the sky looks clear to me!”  But no sooner had he said this that a slight drizzle started, followed by a very heavy downpour.  

A few desperate discussions with Captain Tuwesa, and Magezi was horrified to learn that unpredictable foggy weather was common in Ngorongoro.  “This is why there are no scheduled flights here as one just never knows what the weather would ‘do’ next”.  Magezi’s hopes dwindled when the pilot looked at him helplessly.  “Moreover, I am not in position to estimate the time of departure as the forces of mother nature are out of my control” the Captain added.  

As you may have guessed, Magezi ended up missing the interview and becoming jobless six months later!

I referred to this story when emphasizing to some officers recently about the need for consistency in the way service providers present themselves to internal and external customers.  During our discussion I compared unpredictable changes in weather to erratic changes in people’s moods; and the consequent problems that such a habit can cause in the workplace.  I lamented about employees whose moods notoriously changed like the Ngorongoro weather; warning that such tendencies commonly led to bad service as the culprits could hardly be relied upon!

I emphasized that service standards should not be compromised simply because one woke up on the ‘wrong side of the bed’; adding that people who manifested this problem needed to remember that everyone got a bad mood once in a while.  The only difference was that ‘the disciplined others’ took care to control themselves to the extent that customers could not notice that the providers were ‘having a bad day’.