Losing It Over the Nuts

According to Mashable. . .this really happened.  

A Korean Airlines flight from JFK to Inchon  had completed boarding and was pulling onto the tarmac.  Sitting in first class was the airline's Vice President of In-Flight Experience.  Apparently it is de rigueur that first class passengers receive their complimentary macadamia nuts on a plate.   So when the hapless flight attendant handed the vice president her portion, STILL IN ITS PACKAGE (!), the VP was incensed.

I  am a first class passenger and I want my nuts on a plate, dammit!

As opposed to taking the flight attendant aside and offering coaching, or better yet, a question ("Just curious, why did you opt not to use a plate for my nuts") off stalks the VP in search of a more senior flight attendant who can provide the procedures manual because, you see, apparently as VP of In-Flight Experience, your word isn't sufficient enough, YOU NEED TO POINT IT OUT IN THE MANUAL because. . .

I want my damn nuts on plate. , ,

Upon the news that the more senior flight attendant could not find a copy of the manual,  the VP was so properly infuriated that she insisted the plane turn back to the gate so she could kick said flight attendant off the flight.

I don't care what the cost. . .I want my nuts on a plate!

There are so many things deliciously wrong here:   failure to coach through a wrong, defaulting to pointing out a transgression per the manual. . .but here's the big one. . .the failure to scale corrective action.  While the VP of In-Flight Experience was correct in pointing out that the customers were to be served nuts on a plate, she was exceptionally wrong in turning back an entire plane of customers over such a comparatively small transgression.   She failed to see the bigger picture and react appropriately.

Unfortunately, it is a common occurrence to see leaders take outscaled action over stuff that really nobody cares about:

"Yes, the entire event was lovely, but for $100,000, I would have expected the ham balls to be bigger."

Seriously?

"We are not starting the meeting until the chattering is over."

Really, Mr. or Ms. First Grade Teacher?

"I found a mis-placed comma on the first page, I'm not reading this until you can assure me you can use proper English."

Such as the proper English you will use in your  letter of resignation.

Truly, in the defense of quality, details are worthy of attention. . .but not tantrums.   Let's be sure that our reaction is appropriately scaled, and constructively executed, to the size of the transgression.   Let's not lose our minds over the nuts. . .

By the way, said VP resigned her position when she returned to Korea - not only did she lose her mind. . she lost her job.

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