Older and wiser? Nah!!!

I have been thinking a lot lately though. It all started with issues that I had at work. My supervisor had been trying to meet with me for months. I had succeeded so far in avoiding her. First I really dislike her. She's an idiot and I had no desire to talk to her. Second, she had scheduled a meeting a while back and failed to show up. She gave me a bogus excuse but after that I just decided that was not part of my job to make any effort and go out of my way when she obviously did not care. She then went on vacation, then I went on vacation and time went by. Finally she gave me a direct order (that I couldn't refuse without disciplinary repercussions)to meet with her. On the day of the meeting I was so mad. I was upset that she threatened me when she failed to show up for a meeting that she had scheduled herself. Were any disciplinary actions taken against her? Of course not. But there I was to get reprimanded for three dependability issues.
The first time we met I was borderline rude, telling her that I was an adult and did not need to be lectured like a kid because I was late for work. She gave me her "What can I do to help you?" speech and I told her to hurry up so I could go to my flight.

The second time we met, I obviously had calmed down and thought about the situation. As the saying goes, "you catch more bees with honey than with vinegar". So my approach was totally different. I finally accepted the fact that these people will never know me for who I am, nor know how I work. Their perception of me is what comes up on the computer screen: "Late for briefing in March; called in sick in December...and so on". There is no supervision when I work, so this put the lazy workers and the people who do a wonderful job on the same level. As long as you're never late and you never call in sick, you can go on for 40 years being the laziest flight attendant and never be called on it.

As I was talking to the supervisor, I made the conscious decision that I would not let any of this affect me anymore. First, whether or not they know that I am a good flight attendant is not important, as long as I know that I am! Second, I can only control what I do. I have no power over anybody else's actions. Someone's laziness will not affect my personal performance. I do my job well regardless of my co-workers' own will to work or not. I will not get upset when someone does not meet the standards that I hold myself to. If they can live with themselves, more power to them. Third, while being sympathetic to a customer issue or problem, I will not take on United's shortcomings. A co-worker described our situation in a few words that really summed it all: "it's like working in an office where you have to bring your own chair, desk, and supplies in order to work". We get to work, and the company does not give us the tools that we need to do our job. "You don't have any ice? Well we don't want to take a delay, so no ice". "Not enough cups for 2 services? Have the passengers hang on to their cups". "5 pillows for 156 customers? Tell them to use their jackets". The sad part is that no matter how great your crew was, what the passengers will remember is that they asked for a second drink and were told that there were not enough supplies. Since the company does not listen to us, now I give out the Customers Relations phone number, so people can call directly and express their unhappiness. I used to get upset and frustrated, because I wanted to help but there was nothing I could do. Now, I listen, I emphasize, but i will not look like the bad guy anymore.

Although I was always great with the passengers, I feel that I am in a better place now, just because of this shift in my attitude. I will do all that is in my power to make sure I remain under the radar but I know that I cannot stress about that either. Things happen. If there is an accident on the freeway and I get to work late, I will not lose sleep over it. I will get written up but that is not the end of the world. The exceptional service that I give to my passengers is what I focus on, not the doings of a few who are just trying to keep their jobs.

I am older for sure, but maybe I am a little bit wiser as well.