The Power of Pivot - NOLA Solo

In this blog post, I will share some personal lessons learned about characteristics of an agile mindset inspired by a recent trip to New Orleans. One of the Agile values that I personally embrace is the flexibility and willingness to respond to change rather than following a strict plan, which sometimes requires experience, a risk management posture complimented by a willingness to compromise and agree to trade-offs.

Earlier this month, I ended up traveling solo on a trip originally planned for two to celerbate birthdays with my husband in one of our favorite cities - New Orleans, LA. Just getting to New Orleans was a comedy of error highlighted by many "pivots". Ryan and I had planned to drive. When my husband could not travel with me, I invited my daughter (Marah). A week before the trip, she was unable to travel. I "pivoted" again, inviting a former work colleague and life-long friend who is retired to join me. She offered for us to use her vehicle for the drive but the day prior to leaving, she became ill with pneumonia. Less than 24-hours before departure, I checked Priceline for flights, pleasantly surprised that I could fly for less than the cost of parking. In the spirit of adventure, I threw caution to the wind and booked one of the Priceline "deals" without the benefit of knowing details on connections, departure/arrival times or airline.

My United Airlines flight connected through Houston with departure and arrival times that were not ideal but still less than the time it would take for me to drive alone. The flight was slightly delayed leaving Louisville International. About an hour in the air, the Captain announced over the intercom there was bad weather in Texas. A bit later, he returned to announce that ATC (Air Traffic Control) attempted to reroute the plane around the storm but that there was not enough fuel, so the plane was stopping in New Orleans to refuel before continuing to Houston. My initial reaction was a slight fist pump, muttering "yes" under my breath while the passenger next to me sighed in exasperation.

My mind immediately went into mitigation mode. Thankfully, I worked in airlines during early years of my career, preparing me for this scenario because I had Pjs, a change of clothing, chargers/devices and medication in my carry-on backpack. I saw an opportunity to exploit the situation, so I asked the flight attendant if I could deplane at MSY forfeiting the second leg of trip.

This pivot to exploit an opportunity required handoffs. A four-hour early arrival in New Orleans meant that my checked bag could not be retrieved plane-side. The Captain was able to get approval for two other passengers and me to deplane with a UA supervisor escort directly to terminal baggage claim to arrange for delivery of our luggage. My bag arrived less than 24-hours later the next day. I arrived in New Orleans during daylight, comfortably settled into my room and enjoying crab cakes at the Blue Bayou on Canal Street. Ultimately, it was a fair trade-off. I was thankful for the flexibility of United Airlines to embrace my "lean" travel perspective...the Captain was advocating for us, mentioning "it makes no sense to make passengers travel to Houston just to come back to New Orleans."

Lessons learned from this "adventure":

1. Focusing situationally on the existence of a bottleneck is a waste of energy.

2. Exponential returns can be gained when energy is focused on identifying a solution to exploit a bottleneck that solves a problem.

3. Risk management contingency planning helps prepare for situations where a pivot becomes an opportunity or a necessity.

4. A willingness to compromise is key enabler of a pivot.

5. Tradeoffs may be necessary to ultimately achieve an intended objective.

6. A mindset that responds to change instead of following a plan is foundational to being flexible for a pivot.