What Flying Standby Taught Me About Change Management
My little sister is a pilot at United Airlines. She's incredibly talented, endlessly inspiring, and also the reason I’ve had access to some of the best travel perks imaginable — including the chance to fly standby.
At first glance, flying standby feels like a golden ticket to spontaneous adventure. But if you’ve ever done it, you know it’s not all glamour. In fact, it’s one of the most humbling ways to travel. And surprisingly, one of the best real-world crash courses in change management I’ve ever experienced.
Learning to Let Go of Control
When you travel on standby, nothing is guaranteed. You might get a seat, or you might get bumped. Your destination could shift at the last minute. Your perfectly planned itinerary might unravel. And even with your bags packed and the airport in sight, your journey might look completely different than what you expected.
At first, this used to stress me out. I would try to control every possible variable. I’d refresh flight load reports obsessively, create backup plans, and feel deeply frustrated when things didn’t go according to plan.
But over time, I learned something far more valuable than a perfect itinerary. I learned how to embrace uncertainty and grow through it.
You don’t control the flight schedule. You don’t control who gets that last open seat.
But you do control how you respond when your plans shift.
Change Management, Standby Style
What started as a lesson in air travel quickly became a powerful analogy for how I approach change in my professional life.
Whether you're boarding a plane or managing a project, change is inevitable. The question is not whether change will happen. The question is whether you’ll be ready to adjust, adapt, and keep moving forward.
Standby travel taught me to:
📍 Let go of control to make space for flexibility
📍 Have a plan B, and sometimes a plan C
📍 Stay calm under pressure even when time is tight and decisions are unclear
📍 Celebrate small wins, like getting a seat on a later flight, or re-routing through an unexpected but beautiful city
These same principles show up every day at work. Whether it's shifting timelines, evolving priorities, or changes in team structure, my mindset determines whether I spiral or solve.
Helping Others Through Change
In a workplace, successful change management is not just about reacting well on your own. It’s about helping others do the same.
True change management is about preparing, empowering, and supporting people. It’s giving your team the tools and mindset they need to face the unknown with confidence.
This might mean clearly communicating the “why” behind a change, creating opportunities for feedback, or simply acknowledging that the process can be bumpy and still worth it. It might mean reminding your team that the first version of the plan doesn’t have to be the final one - and that’s okay.
Real-World Growth in Unexpected Places
I never expected standby travel to teach me so much about leadership and agility. But that’s the beautiful thing about experience. Lessons often show up in the least likely places, if you're willing to pay attention.
Today, I feel more equipped to handle unexpected challenges because I’ve lived them - at airport gates, on rerouted flights, and through last-minute plan pivots. And more importantly, I’ve practiced choosing calm over chaos, adaptability over anxiety.
Your Flight May Be Boarding… or Changing
So here’s my question for you:
When was the last time you had to pivot professionally?
What did it teach you about yourself, your team, or your ability to adapt?
Whether you’re managing a project, leading through transformation, or simply trying to stay afloat during unpredictable times, remember this: your mindset matters. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to stay open, stay grounded, and keep moving forward - even if your route looks different than expected.
