Just like any pilot, your flight department needs to have consistent physical checkups to ensure that it’s performing at its best. Any problems, weaknesses, or issues must be identified and remedied before they can spread ill effects throughout the organization.
According to the attendees at AIN’s 2023 CALS, four critical areas need to be routinely examined to ensure that your flight department is physically and mentally ready to provide the safest transportation possible: organizational health, employee engagement, value-based leadership, and ongoing training.
Just Tell Me Where It Hurts
In most instances, a flight department is part of a much bigger organization. Because of that, while it falls under its company's cultural umbrella, its remote location means the team is required to work more closely together.
The result is that when left to fester, seemingly minor things can manifest into large problems in short order. That’s why open, clear, and consistent two-way communications are critical to a department’s health.
As one senior DOM explained, “One of the telltale signs of a healthy organization is when leaders (not just the boss) are empowered to confront an issue without fear of repercussions.
“It’s important to have a system health check,” the DOM continued. “At any point, someone can express how they feel about a situation. We are a small group, so it’s easier to tell when something is off.”
And when any offending practice or issue is identified, the group’s leadership must act to resolve the matter quickly. Failure to do so often undermines that person’s authority. Ignoring whatever it is won’t make it go away.
“Address the situation, and even if you can’t take action, acknowledge you have heard the issue and explain what action you will take when you can,” a chief pilot said. “Gaps between information received and application of that solution is where problems manifest or worsen.”
Across the board, the CALS attendees said that change is the number-one catalyst of internal issues. “Organizational health is really about how you identify and manage change. Especially in a high-performance culture like a flight department,” a flight department manager said.
Taking action to address issues quickly is more critical today than ever. With the aviation job market being so hot, employees will just jump ship instead of waiting for things to improve.
With a Little Help from Your Friends
Along with maintaining a healthy organization, good, honest communications—and the ability to affect change—are crucial to retaining today’s employees. Of course, some things are easier to talk about than others. A career in corporate aviation can be stressful. And it's not just the folks at the pointy end of the airplane who feel the squeeze.
“You can review your entire organization and get a pulse check of, ‘hey, my pilot group is physically languishing right now because they’re always on the road,’ or ‘our mechanics are behaviorally in a constant crisis mode,’” a senior flight department director explained. “If you identify this, you need to make them aware that they have sources for help. No one will judge them.”
While a mental health “first-aid kit” is something every flight department needs to have open and ready for anyone to use, most times, stress relief can be something as simple as employees knowing that you are listening to their concerns.
“Sometimes it’s as simple as they’re not getting enough rest or using their available time off,” a chief pilot said. “It’s so much easier to identify and fix their issues than having them leave the company.”
But historically, pilots and maintainers are extremely hesitant to admit they have stress- or fatigue-related issues. Department leaders must act their part and make clear that they are there to support their employees in whatever capacity they can. It’s OK to not be OK.
Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way
While we’re on the subject of leadership, let’s all agree that having the thickest logbook does not a good flight department leader make. To be effective, the person at the top needs to be part parent, part psychologist, part mind reader, and be willing to admit mistakes.
The CALS attendees all agreed that the number-one quality that sets a great leader apart from the wrong leader is a person’s willingness to clearly establish a department’s values and then stick to them.
“Leaders need to embody the company’s values,” a senior flight department manager said. “They need to support them but be willing to take action for change when necessary.”
“If a particular value or action is verbally stated but not demonstrated, then it’s no good to anyone,” a DOM added. “That’s the difference between a leader and a manager. You have to make it clear that company values are non-negotiable.”
While sticking to core values is critical, another mark of a great leader is knowing when to entrust the decision-making to someone else. “Providing growth opportunities for your team is really important today,” they continue. “Give people responsibilities but make them accountable. That balance is essential to increasing anyone’s capabilities and confidence.”
Recurrent Training Is Good for Everybody
Everyone in corporate aviation knows the value of recurrent training for pilots, but what about the rest of the department’s team? A&Ps, cabin attendants, ground handlers, and the entire support staff often go their entire careers without any formal updating of their skills. That’s not good for anyone’s job satisfaction or longevity.
“The lifecycle of a job is about three years,” a VP of Flight Operations explained. “The first year, you’re learning on the job. In the second year, you’re getting good at that job. In the third year, you start to train other people or get a stretch assignment. But it’s all informal training.”
While that may all seem fine, the issue is that without any set training goals, employees can become bored or lose focus, and that’s usually when they job-hop. No matter what the job is, consistent training is a proven way to help keep an employee’s enthusiasm and interest alive and growing.
One chief pilot said that as with a winning sports team, not everyone can play every position, but everyone can see their responsibilities and how they all fit together to achieve the common goal.
“When everyone understands their role and its value to the team, they are happy and want to be there,” the pilot said. “When people feel they have value and the company realizes that value, that’s key to providing the best experience to our passengers.”