THE SUCCESS STORY OF THE YEAR!

Last Sunday afternoon, I opened my e-mail and found a message from First Officer Handel Wellington of Spirit Airlines (pictured above) asking me to telephone him, and here's my success story of the year. While staying at a Hilton Hotel during my relocation, I was using the computer in the hotel's Business Lounge. Many pilots were overnighting from a regional airline whose name I couldn't help but overhear. When the other pilots left the room, I casually struck up a conversation with Handel and learned that he too flew with his comrades for a deeply troubled carrier (I won't name out of respect for what they truly tried to accomplish). The fact of the matter is that their business plan is impaired. I'm no expert, but after 14 years of covering commercial aviation as a journalist, I asked Handel if I could give him my feedback on his employer. The airline he flew for when we had this conversation is about to collapse any week now. I was frank, and told him he needed to get the hell out of a very bad situation before the company came crashing down on his career dreams. A fine young man, we shook hands and talked for about 30 minutes about my recent interview published in Airways magazine last February with the always colorful Gordon Bethune, best-selling author of the book, "From Worst To First"--the true tale of how as CEO, he and his employees turned around a battered Continental Airlines (today ranked the best among the "Big 6" to fly). I saw a bright and determined young man who was about to be out of a job. So, I gave him the e-mail to Gordon's secretary and told him to "drop my name and make a brief introduction" after I called her to give her a "heads up"--which I did accomplish. My hope was that my referral would get Handel hired on at Continental. He never received a reply. (Gordon, I know you are "consulting" with the fellows over at Northwest Airlines with the pending Delta merger, but back then you had plenty of time to call my friend. You owe me a drink! Fly me in and we'll tie on a few benders!).

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Over 6 months later, Handel called to thank me. As it turned out, he started taking a look at the company after listening to my feedback about what I thought was going very wrong with the airline, and he began seeing the problems I outlined. With this in mind, he began sending his resume out and today, Handel is proudly flying with a fine carrier--Spirit Airlines! Handel wanted to credit me for transitioning him from a regional carrier to a big airline where he now flies the Airbus A319 and A320's for Spirit. Unfortunately, I was NOT the reason Handel succeeded. I have an old saying. "I am merely a catalyst and a conduit" in the sense that I may not have "the answer" to some one's problem, or even be well versed in their industry. But I have a knack for networking them to someone who can. "There are no accidents" and we both agreed this was a matter of Faith, and I just happened to be placed in his path. Many people have helped me enormously along my own path in life. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I learned to network from my late friend and former apparel industry president, Bob Maroon. Bob taught me that "Networking is nothing more than increasing the flow of quality people through your life". Recently, a friend called my way of living as "paying it forward"--a reference to the film, "Pay It Forward" starring Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey. It's a nice compliment. But truth be told, it isn't accurate. I just sincerely feel that I have a responsibility to incorporate what I do for my friends in need into my life to the point where it has become as natural as breathing. And no people, this isn't being a braggart. In fact, where I have failed in my own life is occasionally forgetting that the rest of the population doesn't necessarily share my philosophy.

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Regardless of what is or isn't happening in our own situations, we can take a step back by helping others. In so doing, we take a break and renew our own sanity and experience a good feeling of self worth, especially when the outcome is successful. I keep it simple. And yes, one thing I DO believe in, having become wise of the "ways of the world" (corporate America) is "What goes around, eventually comes around", and from the many blogs I read weekly, we each have experienced at least one boss from Hell who will eventually wind up there. So, keep the Faith!

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Fortunately, Handel found his place with a great company--and it was HIS talent that carried him through the interview and screening process and not mine! But I am grateful to Handel for his kind words and I'm very proud of his achievement. So, when you fly Spirit Airlines, I can tell you that you will be in good hands with an exceptional pilot at the helm named Handel Wellington! May this story inspire all of you!

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Listening to: a spate of Rolling Stone CD's after first researching interesting stories behind them. Today, it's the excellent "Voodoo Lounge".