Experts Share Tips for Better Flight Operation Culture

Recent data indicates that workplace discontent is a serious issue among some industry flight operations employees.

“According to a poll I conducted, just 44% of people in business aviation are happy in their jobs,” said Jenny Showalter, founder and chief motivational officer at Showalter Business Aviation Career Consulting. “Many are just going through the motions, or looking for new opportunities, or feeling stuck or burned out. And I would venture to guess that a lot of this comes down to culture.”

It’s no wonder, then, that finding and keeping the right people and operating at peak performance levels can be a serious challenge for business aviation leaders.

These Are The Big Hurdles

Experts pointed to a couple of key challenges to creating a cohesive, high-performing culture. First, the business aviation workforce is increasingly diverse. Today’s workforce spans multiple generations – Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers (though Boomers are quickly aging out of the workforce). And it includes many ex-military servicemen and women, who may be more used to strict workplace hierarchy and top-down management styles than their non-veteran peers.

It’s important for managers to be mindful that running a high-performing operation often requires managing people with a wide range of career goals and cultural preferences.

Another key challenge to building a better culture is leadership style. Some flight operations are run by micromanagers; unfortunately for them, few employees enjoy being micromanaged. Some are run by well-intentioned but ineffective leaders, who tend to make promises they don’t keep or change workplace rules without explaining why they’re necessary. This can undermine the trust between leaders and teams that is important to the best flight operations.

In many cases when a leader departs, there’s a “next man up” approach to replacing that person, in which a senior team member assumes the leadership role regardless of whether they have the skills needed to run a successful team.

Foundational Pillars for Success

For Dustin Cordier, an Air Force veteran and founder and head coach at StepZero Coaching, two foundational pillars underpin successful flight department leadership.

“I’ve seen business aviation leaders with very firm, very strict management styles succeed, and I’ve seen leaders with more nurturing and inclusive styles succeed. In every case, the successful leaders have really, truly cared about their people and getting to know them. You can’t fake that; it’s obvious to your people if you are,” said Cordier, vice-chair of NBAA’s Business Aviation Management Committee (BAMC). “Additionally, successful leaders really, truly want to get better as managers, and are deliberate about continuously improving their leadership skills.”

Other best practices for building a better workplace culture include:

• Create authenticity, transparency and accountability. To build the trust that binds truly great teams, leaders must be trustworthy. This means being honest about who you are and what you want your people to do (and why). And it means being vulnerable enough to be accountable when you’ve made a bad decision or otherwise led your team astray, rather than allowing blame for mistakes to fall on the entire team. If you take these steps, your team will trust you more – and you’ll be creating a stronger, more cohesive culture that encourages workplace ownership, responsibility and collaboration.
• Make expectations clear. Leaders need to be aware that, especially with a diverse workforce, not everyone will have the same understanding of what’s expected of them in the workplace. “Different people have different ways of seeing the world, so you need to be clear about expectations to align everyone on how your team gets things done,” explained NBAA BAMC member Samantha Garrison, director of flight coordination at The Wonderful Company.
• Communicate continuously. Our experts agree: High-performing flight departments hold regular staff meetings. These meetings are not top-down presentations; they’re two-way conversations that reviews department performance, analyze ways to do better, and discuss obstacles to success and how to overcome them. “It’s amazing how many people I’ve met who tell me their flight department has never had a team meeting,” said Showalter. “That’s a recipe for problems.”
• Provide professional development opportunities. Most people are looking to grow professionally and are looking for an employer willing to invest in their growth. Providing your people with professional growth opportunities is a sure way to improve their skills and workplace performance and engagement. And there are plenty of relevant resources you can make available to your team, from regional safety standdowns to NBAA’s Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) program and certificate programs for safety managers, schedulers and customer service professionals
• Recognize and reward. “There’s a saying that I really love,” said Cordier. “How do you know if someone needs a word of encouragement? They’re breathing.” And it’s true: Everyone benefits from a kind word. And formally recognizing and rewarding your people for their contribution to your team’s success not only encourages them – it makes them more engaged in and dedicated to their work.