Category: corporate citizenship

Who you work with matters more than where

Sarat PratapchandranLeave a comment

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Neil Giuliano

We live in a frenzied marketplace characterized by clutter, silos, toxic workplaces, overnight successes and a constant glorification of failure.
Former Mayor and a leader in the national LGBT movement, Neil Giuliano, gave clarity about work while addressing the ASU Lodestar Center’s annual nonprofit conference. Here is a reflection of his thoughts.

  1. Think about who you are working with rather than where. Every morning, do you want to go to work with individuals who won’t give you a chance to make a difference? If you are not accomplishing things together, even if you are working for a Fortune 100 company, you are not doing meaningful work. And, your job description won’t get you where you want to go. Reflect on this and I’m sure you will count just a handful of places where people mattered more than the job.
  2. Define yourself first or else others will define you. The only way to define yourself at your workplace is to do what you have to do and ask for forgiveness later. Great leaders  know how to set the tone and culture of an organization but there are just a handful around. So,  take leadership in your hands and do not allow tiny minds in big silos constrain you.
  3. Give time and funds to tinker. This will allow employees to bring in new ideas, improve efficiency and experiment with failure. You need to set apart some risk capital to innovate. Has any employer given you funds to tinker? Highly unlikely.
  4. Break down things at work and create substance. Stay focused and break down complex ideas into simple tasks as this is now the greatest trait in business. A car business owner told me last week that he is having a difficult time managing millennials who spend more time on their smartphones rather on the job at hand.
  5. Stretch, grow and take risks and do not let age constrain you. Even if you are 20 or 60, you need to work hard on constantly creating a better you. Be harder on yourself and make changes fast.
  6. In the end, take care of yourself and reflect again on who you work with rather than where. Leave the marketing and human resource folks to glorify the meaningless where.

Making the ask at 35,000 ft: How Emirates does it.

Sarat PratapchandranLeave a comment

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Can you make an ask at 35,000 ft?

On a recent international flight on Emirates Airlines, the flagship airline of the Dubai government, the pilot asked charitable support from passengers like me to give to the Emirates Airline Foundation, a non-profit charity. This is, despite forking out a fare that could get me a used car or  feed over 200 hungry people  back in the United States.

Airlines sell credit cards, offer miles, nickel and dime passengers with excess baggage fees and push stuff. Emirates does all this and adds philanthropy to the mix. “Please give us your donations in any currency so that your funds can go towards supporting the Emirates Airlines Foundation,” the pilot announced at the beginning and the end of the flight. And of course, the customary thank you. They remind passengers to put your donations, however small and in any currency in an envelope and pass it on to the cabin crew.

The Emirates Airline Foundation supports children’s needs and does worthwhile projects in India, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, to mention a few. Their mission is to support humanitarian organizations around the world working to improve the lives of children in need. Donations are  accepted in any currency and they use 95% of the funds to provide direct support to entities working to help children in need.

Passengers can also donate their miles that can later be used to fund travel for doctors, engineers and other volunteers working on humanitarian missions worldwide. You can also buy a signature Mont Blanc pen for $788 and Emirates will contribute 20% to the Foundation.  This is obviously targeted at the wealthy sheikhs traveling in first and business class across the Middle East. They might buy one just to sign up the customs form.

I was thoroughly disappointed at the quality of the ask at 35,000 ft as it was similar to a pilot announcing the weather. In the two routes I took, the ask came in between the pilot asking you to fasten your seat belts or thank you for taking the 14.5 hour non-stop flight. At this stage, my only thought was to jump out of the plane and not put loose change in an envelope to save the world.

We may soon see airlines hiring “flying fundraisers,” who at 35,000 ft could make a direct ask at passengers in first and business class. With tactful prospect research on the wealth profile of those occupying those seats, making an ask in the skies might just be a fun gig.

However, pitching philanthropy to the economy class. might be a tough ordeal. My Seattle-Dubai flight that I  fondly christened The Curry Express was filled predominantly with Indian techies, their wailing new borns and care-giver parents who were just waiting for the 14.5 hour ordeal to end.

I do not think anyone got the concept and I did not see any loose change going into envelopes.

Emirates has tactfully promoted the program internally through their information and entertainment channels. On The Curry Express, perhaps I was the only one who watched these out of curiosity.

The rest tuned in to Hollywood or Bollywood.