Flying Planes but Serving People

Recently, I was boarding a flight in Denver. I scanned my boarding pass and waited in a slow moving line down the jet bridge. I heard a warm male voice greeting passengers as they boarded. I couldn’t yet see him, but I could tell he was standing outside the plane to the left of the door by the jet bridge controls. 

“You’re wearing your soccer jersey. Did you have a tournament this weekend?” 

“Hello, ma’am. Good afternoon.” 

“Hey little man! How ‘bout a fist pound?” 

As we inched forward, my curiosity grew. Who was this friendly, hospitable man? A baggage handler? A flight attendant? A mechanic? As I turned the corner about to step onboard, I was surprised to see the man: it was the captain.

He smiled and extended his hand to shake mine; I thanked him for the warm greeting. “My work involves flying quite regularly,” I said. “In all my travels, I’ve never seen a pilot stand outside the plane and greet passengers. I’m curious: do you do this before all your flights?” 

“Every time.”  

“Wow, that’s great. Why do you do it?”

“I fly planes,” he said, “but I serve people. If I forget this is about people, I should quit my job and do something else.” It was a little thing, but it left a significant impression on me. 

Leader, why do you do what you do? What is your “why”? And what little thing could you do that might make a lasting impression on others?