The Lawyer Who Lost Her Clothes

Louise and I had a great chat up there in the clouds about work, life and the universe. We were flying from Melbourne to Canberra in a twin-propeller aircraft with around 30 other passengers.

Not much happens in Canberra on a Sunday evening, so the airport was pretty deserted as we waited for our bags at the carousel.

Several passengers, including us, were attending the Franchise Council of Australia’s National Convention, due to start the following morning.

Louise Wolf, a respected lawyer, was chairing the opening legal symposium. I was delivering a keynote the following day on trends in managing franchise relationships.

We continued our conversation for another 15 minutes as the baggage carousel rattled around in circles, empty.

Then suddenly it stopped. We all looked at each other because, instead of our bags appearing, an embarrassed-looking Qantas official near the baggage claim office called out to us.

“Ladies and gentlemen. We loaded additional fuel onto your aircraft, so we didn’t have the capacity to also bring your bags. They will arrive tomorrow sometime. Please queue up at the window so we can take details of where to send them.”

Some people groaned and rolled their eyes. I laughed at the ridiculousness of them telling us only now, when they’d known all along, and having only two staff to deal with the pandemonium.

Louise, with just a T-shirt, jeans and a handbag, turned pale. “My clothes! My makeup! I don’t have any deodorant! What am I supposed to wear for my opening address tomorrow?”

A little empathy goes a long way

Stuff happens when people travel, and airlines, more than any industry, should be prepared for this.

So while I was slightly miffed by our predicament, I was more concerned by the lack of empathy in how the official delivered his announcement.

There was no acknowledgement of the inconvenience or the possible consequences for passengers who needed their clothes and other essentials. No apology for knowingly flying us to Canberra without our luggage. And no explanation for why we were left standing at the carousel for 15 minutes without being told what was happening.

Just a matter-of-fact announcement to queue up at an understaffed window.

When unpleasant changes choose us, we often experience a predictable emotional sequence. First comes shock or disbelief, followed by a sense of loss or inconvenience, and then frustration or anger at the unfairness of what’s happened.

When these emotions are acknowledged with genuine empathy, those on the receiving end are more likely to settle into acceptance and start looking for solutions. But without that acknowledgement, people can get stuck.

I teach this stuff, so I was curious to observe passenger reactions. Some had already moved into anger and were plotting their revenge on the airline.

Louise had moved from shock to loss. “I’ll stink! I don’t have a change of underwear! I don’t have any makeup!”

I tried to reassure her that we’d find a solution and called the hotel where we were both staying. I explained our predicament and asked what they could do to help. 

The best the woman on the phone could offer was extra bathrobes.

To lighten the situation, I suggested to Louise that she could open the convention in her bathrobe.

Turning lemons into lemonade

As it turned out, this is exactly what she did.

To her credit, Louise turned a potentially embarrassing situation into something memorable.

The following morning, she walked onto the stage in her hotel bathrobe and explained how the airline had left our luggage in Melbourne. The audience laughed and applauded.

But it got better.

With a flourish, she undid the bathrobe and threw it aside, revealing a brightly coloured Hawaiian shirt that was so big it hung off her like a dress.

She explained she’d borrowed it from her legal colleague, Derek Sutherland, a large man renowned for his colourful Hawaiian-shirt collection. The audience roared with laughter. 

But Louise wasn’t finished. She then unbuttoned the Hawaiian shirt to reveal a smart business outfit she’d borrowed from her friend, Emily.

The audience loved it!

Louise had transformed an unfortunate situation into a wonderful opening for the convention, aptly themed Evolve. And she looked fantastic. You can watch Louise’s hilarious opening in this LinkedIn video clip.

From victims to victors

I took away two insights from this experience.

First, when things go wrong, a little empathy from those responsible can make a big difference. People don’t expect everything to go perfectly, but they do want their frustrations or difficulties acknowledged and taken seriously.

Second, while we can’t always control what happens to us, we can choose how we respond. By acknowledging, accepting and adapting to an unexpected situation, and adding a little creativity, we can turn a frustrating experience into something positive.

And sometimes, all it takes is a bathrobe, an oversized Hawaiian shirt and a bit of humour

Until next time,