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As a current Delta Air Lines captain with years invested with this company, I wanted to express my great appreciation for
your work in Airline Without a Pilot. I ordered it prepublication, received it Monday afternoon, and just finished
reading it this evening (while again in a hotel on a trip). I have long maintained that the story of Delta would be
a model case study for any business school wanting to demonstrate how NOT to run a business, with a particular emphasis on
the difference between "management" and "leadership". Your book effectively does this and is "spot on" in so many areas,
particularly in your discussion of the management/employee relationship necessary in a service industry. In the military
we used to say, "Take care of your troops, and they'll take care of you." Sadly, I have learned that all too often
this adage does not transfer into the business world. This does seem strange, since everywhere that philosophy
is tried, it meets with incredible success. Again, my experience with the "Harvard MBA's" (Leo Mullin, Michelle
Burns, et. al.) has been that they merely learned how to transfer company assets into their pockets and then move on.
You also confirmed my negative instincts about many in the "consulting" industry, but your common-sense approaches truly bring
a breath of fresh air into those discussions.
I was absorbed as I progressed through your book (read
in 1 evening), and I could not help but keep repeating to myself, "This guy GETS IT!" You effectively recorded
and discussed so many events that have been churning in my mind (and stomach) for so long, but had thus far evaded public
scrutiny. My sincere hope is that your book will effectively shine a very bright light on the real causes for Delta's
demise. My only (constructive!) criticism is that I wish that you had dealt with Mr. Grinstein's ultimate responsibility and
subsequent lack of accountability for his abdication of his duties for so many years as harshly as you did with Mr. Mullin's.
I would like to think that our current "management" will
take to heart your suggestions offered in your book's closing chapter. Again, sadly, I have no confidence that they
will do so and am therefore already making plans for an alternate career (outside the airline industry!), as are many of my
compatriots. I will be posting a recommendation on our pilot's forum this evening that your book be required reading
for all. I wish you much success with the book, and should you make the "book-signing" circuit, I hope to be first in
line to shake your hand. Again, I wanted to offer my heart-felt thanks and a commendation for a job well-done.
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