The Night I Hired a Plane: What Customer Obsession Really Looks Like
It was 3 a.m. I was asleep. A call came in. A temperature-sensitive, life-saving pediatric medication had gotten stuck in a distribution hub. It needed to be administered that day — or a child’s life could be at risk.
I didn’t ask for permission. I hired a private plane. And that moment changed everything about how I lead in sales and customer experience.
This isn’t a logistics story. It’s a leadership one. Here’s what it taught me — and what it still teaches me every day.
1. Customer Obsession Isn’t Just a Buzzword — It’s a Decision You Make at 3AM
It’s easy to talk about being customer-obsessed. It’s harder to live it — especially when it might cost you your job.
In that moment, the choice wasn’t about KPIs or protocols. It was about a promise we made to a customer. A real person was depending on us to deliver. The chain of custody had to be protected. The timeline couldn’t shift.
Customer obsession isn’t a campaign. It’s courage, in the moment. It’s doing what needs to be done — even if no one would’ve blamed you for going back to sleep.
2. Every Customer Has a Customer. Never Forget the End User.
In B2B, we can get laser-focused on serving our client — but forget that they have a customer too.
In this case, the client was a major healthcare provider. But the true recipient? A child, waiting on a medication that couldn’t be late. That’s who I was thinking about when I picked up the phone and called a pilot.
Behind every delivery, every project, every data point — there’s a human being at the end of the line. That’s who we’re really serving.
3. Promises Made, Promises Kept — Even If It Costs You
We made a commitment to that healthcare provider: we would protect every package, every time.
When things go wrong, it’s tempting to escalate, to wait, to pass the buck. But I knew there wasn’t time for that. The only thing that mattered was keeping the promise we made. The one the client counted on. The one that, in this case, truly mattered to someone’s life.
Sales isn’t just about growth. It’s about integrity.
4. Logistics Meets Heart: When Data, Process, and Empathy Collide
People think logistics is cold. It’s not. When you do it right, it’s deeply human.
You follow the data. You respect the process. But you also trust your gut. You feel the weight of what’s at stake — not just in dollars or hours, but in lives. That night, I brought everything I’d ever learned — from Nordstrom-style CX to high-pressure delivery systems — into one decision.
And it’s followed me ever since.
5. Empower Your People to Make the Call — Literally
Here’s the truth: I didn’t have permission to do what I did. I just knew it was right.
That’s a culture issue. If your team doesn’t feel empowered to do what’s right for the customer — quickly, confidently, without fear — then no amount of mission statements will save you.
Leadership isn’t about guarding authority. It’s about trusting your people to protect the promise.
That story is years old now, but it’s still my compass. At every company I’ve worked with since, I’ve brought that same mindset. That same urgency. That same obsession.
Because while not every delivery is life or death — it is always about trust.
And trust is delivered one decision at a time.
– Katie Dame, Sr. Vice President, Supply Chain and Logistics Solutions