AMTonline Blogs

A few years ago, I read a book titled Fish by Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D., Harry Paul, and John Christensen. The book tells a parable of a businesswoman struggling to improve morale in her department (the work environment at her office is described as a “toxic energy dump”), and getting inspiration from the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, WA. The theme of the story is that if you choose to be positive at work, any job — even a dirty thankless job like working with slimy, stinky fish all day — can be fun. According to Fish, the four key points to boost morale and improve results at work are:

• Play. Have fun and create energy at home and at the office.
• Make their day. Engage fellow employees and customers and make each other’s day.
• Be Present. Be fully available and aware during conversations with people. It is about creating a greater sense of intimacy between individuals.
• Choose Your Attitude. Each day you choose how you are going to act (which “side of the bed” you will wake up on). The choice is yours and, the way you act affects others.

In order to truly create positive energy and workplace fun, everyone from the top down needs to buy in to the Fish concepts.

If that happens, even the “worst” job you could have like working in a fish market, working on the ramp in sub-zero temperatures or 100+ degrees, or dealing with a heavy workload can seem like the best job in the world.

If it doesn’t happen, then working in the “best” job you could ever have can still seem like just a thankless job working around slimy, stinky fish — like working in a toxic energy dump.

I have seen plenty of aircraft maintenance companies where the employees are happy at work. They have strong, engaged leaders that foster a positive work culture. Employees there work their hind ends off, and are happy.

I have also seen quite a few toxic energy dumps. The mechanics there are disgruntled and unhappy. Productivity suffers. Turnover is high.

What kind of work environment are you working in?

Thanks for reading.

Joe Escobar

A U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) news announcement this morning stated that in order to help solve the aviation delay problems in the New York area, Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters has appointed Marie Kennington-Gardiner as aviation czar.

As the newly appointed aviation “czar,” Kennington-Gardiner will coordinate regional airspace issues and all projects and initiatives addressing problems of congestion and delays in New York.

The news release can be read here.

Dictionary.com defines a czar as any person exercising great authority or power in a particular field: a czar of industry.

So, what’s the message being sent? If you really want something done, you appoint a czar?

Heck, while the DOT is in a czar appointing mind-frame, how about another czar appointment? We could call him or her the Level Playing Field Czar. This person would be responsible for ensuring all maintenance facilities are allowed to do business on a level playing field. This czar could begin by addressing the lack of drug and alcohol testing requirements for foreign repair stations.

If you could appoint a czar to spearhead an important industry initiative, what would the new czar’s title and job description be?

Thanks for reading!

Joe Escobar, Editorial Czar

AMT and AMTonline.com

What a crazy few weeks these have been for the airlines!

The Southwest Airlines inspection fiasco from a few weeks ago has led to Congressional hearings on airline safety that kick off today. Since the Southwest incident, Delta, American, and now United have canceled flights as they have been caught in their own inspection quagmires.

Aloha Airlines declared bankruptcy and stopped flying as of this past Tuesday. ATA announced today it has ceased all flights as it files for bankruptcy.

We have seen the airlines keep fees artificially low for years, choosing other ways (like outsourcing maintenance) to save money. If one airline raised fares, the others would normally stay low, resulting in a loss of customers for that airline. After all, the general public has changed from brand-loyal to cost-conscious customers.

I compared it last year to the airlines all bleeding money, with airlines posting losses in the millions for quarter after quarter. But no one wanted to stitch their own wounds. Seems they wanted to wait until some of their competitors died of blood loss. Then they could mend their own wounds and take business from their dead competitors.

Well, the funeral procession may have just begun. Can you hear the dirges in the background?

And lets not forget the FAA. It is part of the Congressional hearings that are taking place today, with current and former FAA inspectors testifying that the FAA has become too cozy with the airlines they are supposed to regulate. 

John Nance even came on Good Morning America this morning saying that the FAA has become ineffective and most inspectors are focused on retiring and not on doing their jobs. He suggested that to fix the problem, we need to do away with the FAA, get rid of every FAA employee, and start all over again with a new regulatory agency.

Kind of an extreme solution…isn’t it?

Thanks for reading,

Joe Escobar