“My manager attended a leadership seminar,” my correspondent related. “He came back a changed man.”

“He kept it up for a week. Sure was nice while it lasted.”

Ever come back from an inspirational event all charged up and ready to make a difference in the world? Ever wonder, a few weeks later, what happened to your inspiration?

What happened was the Epiphany Half Life (EHL).

This is a tale of three departures and their lessons for IT leaders.

Departure #1 is Steven Slater. In case you’ve been living in a cave, Slater, a JetBlue flight attendant, experienced an intense customer relationship opportunity with a passenger who retrieved her luggage before the plane reached the gate.

That’s when Slater achieved greatness: