Leadership Lessons From The Hangar

An aircraft hangar is an interesting place. Not only does it house airplanes, but it can also serve as the maintenance facility for an aviation business. On the one hand, a hangar is static - quietly providing shelter to important and very valuable assets. Yet, when used as a repair facility, a hangar is a vibrant location where airplanes come alive. It is fun to spend time in hangars and over the years, I have learned quite a bit from the hangars themselves as well as the mechanics that I've observed. Here are a few leadership lessons from my travels around these hangars:

1. Flexibility is valuable. Hangars that serve multiple purposes are worth more than the single-purpose variety. This simple observation is immediately applicable to leadership. When leading others, an ability to connect with people at all levels is a highly coveted skill. Most leaders are comfortable when managing or directing those who are similar to themselves in style, education or technical skills. Far fewer leaders possess the talent to equally motivate and inspire a team of individuals with vastly different backgrounds or experience. This skill can be developed by seizing opportunities to work with a broad range of people. Volunteer organizations often attract a diverse range of individuals and are a great way to build your personal network.

2. Everything - and everyone - has a limit. There is a term in aviation called "stacking the hangar." It applies to the art of carefully maneuvering aircraft of various shapes and sizes into a storage hangar, maximizing space to fit as many aircraft as can safely be accommodated. Nevertheless, there is a limit. Trying to squeeze that very last plane into a corner of a full hangar runs the risk of expensive damage and downtime. The same is true for humans. Even top-level performers have a limited amount of mental energy or physical capacity. While it may appear that your superstars can tackle an extra task, offer opportunities to reprioritize rather than layering on more. Pushing a group too hard or constantly holding team members to unrealistic deadlines when plates are already full can quickly result in disengagement, job dissatisfaction and potentially even physical illness.




Hangars Can Offer Valuable Lessons


3. Put down the screwdriver and go to lunch. Mechanical work can be frustrating. Repairs that seem easy can become complex and challenging when a fastener breaks, holes don't quite line up or an unseen crack appears on the inside of a casing. Generally, when things don't go quite right in the mechanical world, problems multiply. This causes a seemingly simple task to become increasingly demanding. It is precisely at this moment that the best mechanics know to put down the screwdriver and go to lunch. Many times, returning to the repair task with a clear head and relaxed psyche will result in smooth and quick progress. In the leadership world, when chaos reigns and matters seem to be spinning out of control, leaders are well served to insert a pause, relative to the scope of the situation. Small challenges might be soothed with a quick coffee break, while larger ones may call for a hiatus of a day or longer. Although it may seem counterintuitive to deflect time away from a project that is souring, fresh perspectives and re-energized brains often reach breakthrough far more effectively.
4. Judge the space needed and give a bit more. I once encountered a young man who had just attempted to fit an airplane with a 10-foot tail under a door opened to about 9.8 feet. The sound of metal scraping on metal was clear indication that providing just a little more space would have been nice. When asked why he did not open the door a bit more (since it was possible to open the door to a height of 12 feet,) the young man indicated that he simply thought it would fit. This situation holds a wonderful leadership lesson with a parallel to work-life balance. Do all that you can in this area for your employees and then, give just a little more. True work-life balance is hard to achieve in the 24/7, fully wired world in which we live. Providing employees a little extra space by carefully respecting family time or giving an unexpected block of time off is an inexpensive form of recognition that pays enormous dividends in engagement and productivity.

The next time you pass by an aircraft hangar, think about the activities that may be occurring inside. It's likely that someone is just about ready to put down the screwdriver and go to lunch, soon to return with a fresh perspective, renewed energy and important focus to solve the most challenging problems.

Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit

A reader of my recently published book suggested that I weave aviation into my leadership-focused blog. Flying is a passion, one that has been part of my life for more than 33 years. I thoroughly enjoyed writing a book about my aviation experiences. Initially, I failed to see any relevance between the world of flying and my blog's focus on helping leaders and organizations be the best they can be. And then, it came to me...

The Cockpit is a Great Place to Learn Lessons in Leadership.

The aviation industry has concentrated heavily on improving the cockpit work environment, through a technique called crew resource management (CRM.)  CRM has been successfully applied in many other work environments, such as surgical suites, where team interaction is critical to success. It may sound magical, but CRM is, in fact, nothing more than an adaptation of proven leadership techniques. 

Teamwork is critical in aviation. Captains and first officers often shift roles, with the "pilot flying" serving as the leader for that specific flight. The best flightcrew teams operate in pure harmony, demonstrating great leadership in action.

There is indeed a connection between my flying passion and the world of leadership. Let's look at a few specific leadership lessons gleaned during many years in the cockpit:

1. Communication is key:  Effective flight crews rely on solid communication. Unless a team frequently flies together, good communication is the only way that one crewmember can understand what the other is thinking or might need during any phase of the flight. In larger workplaces, open and frequent communication streamlines work, avoids confusion and enables team members to rise to the needs of others in the workgroup. Team members must ask for what they need. Human beings - even those who lead - are not mind readers. It’s important for leaders to stay connected, but it's equally critical for work group members to speak up.
2. Structure supports success:  Checklists are the backbone of aviation. They're used religiously during many phases of flight, even by pilots who have logged tens of thousands of hours in a specific type of airplane. Why? Because structure - the routine of carefully following a pre-action checklist - ensures that nothing is missed. When chaos rules, leaders can support work teams by adding a measure of structure. Clear work plans, well-understood tasks, and a solid focus on expected outcomes are examples of the many ways that leaders can infuse a measure of structure for their teams.
3. Look beyond the obvious: One of the early lessons learned by any pilot is to take a step back and scan broadly. Take, as an example, the task of preparing an airplane for flight - known as preflighting, in aviation-speak. Student pilots learn to use the aforementioned checklist in connection with broad-scanning when they are preflighting. Take a large view of the whole airplane as you walk toward it - don't just tick off the checklist items. In the business world, we speak often of a big-picture focus. Details are important, but learn to use them and the structure that they bring, in connection with a broad view of the project and the desired outcome.
4. Keep the coffee brewing: Flight crews often train in simulators, where challenging situations can be safely created for accelerated learning.  I recall a simulator lesson with my flight partner, who happens to be my spouse. Our instructor created many system failures, yet we worked together to ensure a safe and uneventful landing. Along the way, we added a bit of fun to the demanding task by commenting, “we need to keep the coffee maker going, no matter what, lest our passengers revolt.” Of course, there were no passengers in this make-believe environment.  What’s the parallel for business? The little things matter. Great leaders don’t have to do great things. None of us needs to be Superman or woman, with cape afloat in the breeze. We can often instill a sense of trust by ensuring that the little things – like the coffee maker – keep humming along.

Any work team, from a small flight crew to a large technical project group, is inspired, motivated and propelled to success through outstanding leadership. Conversely, if the leader is lacking in skill or engagement, he or she will drag the team down, placing them in the dangerous position of an unintended stall or a destructive tailspin. 

Many useful leadership tidbits can indeed be gleaned from the world of aviation. In my next blog post, we’ll explore a few leadership lessons from the hangar. To whet your appetite, here’s a hint:  "Put down the screwdriver and go to lunch."