Consulting 101: Bag Tags

Full disclosure: I'm Platinum.

If you don't mind, I'm going to make a generalization about all humans. Humans of all cultures have status symbols. Whether you wear rings around your neck or wear a crown atop of a throne made of games, each culture and civilization has some item that means, "I'm better than you. Nana nana boo boo." The consulting world is just as primitive as the British Royal family but instead of the family jewels we have bag tags.

At each level of your travel  career you'll hit milestones. These milestones, coincidentally enough, are based on the miles you've traveled AKA Butt-In-Seat miles. Only the truest of road warriors can fully appreciate these crowning achievements.

As I stand in line to board a plane, I take inventory of who's corralling into the inevitable half circle surrounding the boarding door. I immediately start judging people based on the little luggage tag on their suitcase. That little piece of plastic effortlessly creates a caste system in which my fellow passengers fall in. Vacation travelers think we're all crazy and spend too much time away from home. But while they're spending money on vacations, we just spend points.

Below I've created a comprehensive table of status vs. reaction to status. HERE is some info on each status