Communication is Key to Solving Everyday Workplace Issues

January 8, 2016

Perhaps the most universal workplace challenge is how to deal with issues that arise when interacting with coworkers and customers – and schedulers and dispatchers are not immune to these problems.

Bob Hobbi, president and CEO of ServiceElements International, Inc., along with other members of his team, will address the daily workplace challenges flight department personnel and vendors face during the second-day general session at the 2016 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2016), Jan. 19 to 22 in Tampa, FL.

“It’s about everyday life in a flight operation in business aviation,” said Hobbi, who has been teaching organizational development and adult learning in aerospace and general aviation for 35 years. “Our scenarios will simulate learning points about how to manage issues that come up on a day-to-day basis in our world, followed by a panel discussion about the learning points and how people can use these scenarios to address situations they may be confronted with at times.”

The points to be discussed were developed from a poll conducted in June 2015 by the Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee. That survey asked respondents to detail their most frequently recurring challenges when working with coworkers and vendors. It also asked them to note their top communication-related frustration when working with associates, management or customers.

For that reason, one of the primary issues to be examined during Hobbi’s session is how to improve communication.

“A couple of the scenarios we will offer are about the very subtle situations that could have been averted with just a little bit more communication,” said Hobbi, who chaired the 2015 NBAA Leadership Conference, and is on the association’s Business Aviation Management Committee. He also is an airport commissioner in Scottsdale, AZ. “The primary learning point is, if you sense a perception, whether it be from an internal teammate or a passenger or a passenger’s representative, don’t leave it alone. That perception needs to be addressed.”