Travel can be incredibly stressful, especially air travel. A lot of my time lately has been spent passing through airports on my way to speaking engagements.

Air travel is laden with stress. Some passengers fear flying. Some are overwhelmed by the confusing TSA security procedures. Others are anxious about delays, missed connections, and lost luggage.

The cumulation of these stressors can lead to unpleasant encounters between passengers and airport staff that may not happen under less stressful conditions. For airport staff, the situation is akin to dealing with individuals suffering from hangriness.

Until hangry individuals eat, they are irritable, irrational, and easily agitated. In traveling, the over-stressed don’t need to be fed food; they need to be fed happiness.

It behooves airport leadership to place good teammates—those gifted with the ability to feed others happiness—in positions where friction between staff and stressed travelers is most likely to occur. Their placement reduces tension.

A recent encounter with a shuttle bus driver named Harold reminded me of this fact.

I had just dropped off my rental car and was rushing to catch the shuttle to take me to the terminal. As I neared the pick-up spot, I watched the shuttle bus start to pull away. I was already running late and stressed about missing my flight. Having to wait another twenty minutes for the next shuttle did not thrill me.

The driver must have saw me hustling toward the pick-up spot. To my surprise, he stopped the bus, backed up, and waited on me. Words cannot express how much I appreciated his kindness and understanding.

Once I caught my breath and settled into my seat, I realized that I was the only passenger on the bus, which made the driver’s gesture even more appreciated. The driver, a thin, middle-aged African American man named Harold, asked me if I minded if he “turned up the tunes.” After what he had just done for me, I obviously had no objections.

For the second time in as many minutes, Harold surprised me. He proceeded to sing along with the song on the radio—Frank Sinatra’s “Mack the Knife.”

Harold unabashedly belted out the lyrics. His enthusiasm and clear zeal for life put a smile on my face. When I exited his shuttle, I wasn’t stressed about missing my flight or anything else for that matter. I was happy and grateful for life’s unexpected gifts.

Traveling has caused me to unfortunately witness the worst of humanity and, occasionally (like my encounter with Harold the Shuttle Bus Driver), allowed me to experience the best.

I happen to be a genuine Frank Sinatra fan. I like “Mack the Knife.” The song’s upbeat, but it’s about a murderer and doesn’t exactly carry a joyous meaning. I am fonder of Old Blue Eyes’ “When You’re Smiling.” The opening lines of “When You’re Smiling” express the emotional contagiousness of a good teammate’s attitude:

When you’re smilin’, the whole word smiles with you.
When you’re laughin’, the sun comes shinin’ through.

Being cognizant of the potential effect your emotions have on others is an important component of being a good teammate. You never know how deeply stepping outside of your comfort zone, sharing your vulnerabilities, or transmitting your positivity can impact someone else’s life.

As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.

Lance Loya is the founder and CEO of the Good Teammate Factory and the creator National Be a Good Teammate Day. He is a former sports coach turned bestselling author, blogger, and professional speaker, who inspires TEAMBUSTERS to become TEAMMATES. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or through his weekly Teammate Tuesday blog.

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