Some time ago when bad weather forced a commercial flight to divert to Hartford, Connecticut, some 106 miles north of its destination, the plane sat on the runway there for four hours -- without air-conditioning, food or water -- as babies wailed and adults anguished in the darkened cabin. The next day, the airline, which explained that the Hartford airport lacked the customs personnel to process an international flight, offered this response: "We would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologize for any inconvenience caused." Beginning with this example Daniel Pink makes the case that companies are talking 'professionalese' to keep customers and colleagues at a distance, when what people crave is openness and honesty. Then he issues a special challenge to each one of us...
