Building Strong Teams to Meet Industry Challenges Continued from page 35 The strongest 20% of your teams drive 80% of the company value, and they really don’t like working with weak or disenchanted co-workers. The tenure of employ- ees does not always correspond to their effectiveness. Recently, a client of mine recently released his Chief Pilot because he was difficult to work with. No, he can’t “afford” to replace him, but he will. The organization needed a stronger, more resilient player who will lead through turbulent financial times. Yes, companies may be laying off people. But that doesn’t mean better teams can’t be simultaneously built with new people. As one CEO once said to me in 2008, “bring me someone who can make me a lot of money or save me a lot of money and I will hire him.” Now is a great time to be recruiting and rebuilding. In the meantime, give the “A+” players who you truly rely upon assurance, a small bonus, gift card, weekend away, or token of appreciation for their efforts. The ges- ture will be invaluable. Risk: It may seem counter-intuitive, but now may be time to take some calculated risks. Why? Because doing nothing is a risk, too. The best employees, seeing challenging business conditions, will present and deliver simple initiatives the company or organization can act upon to make or save money. Great employees want to be engaged and they want to help the business. Most have very good ideas for those willing to listen. Get them engaged. Listen to their ideas. Leadership: During crises and chaotic times, employees will seek and embrace strong leaders. There is no better time to start “management by walking around” and embracing key employees at the personal level. For the foreseeable future, managers need to step up and become leaders. Leaders need to become “Patton.” Where Do We Go The financial crisis of 2007-2009 brought very dif- ficult times to business aviation and changed the land- scape for many. COVID-19 MAY do the same. Nonetheless, new compa- nies were born, some were merged, some became stron- ger as others went away. Where there is crisis there is also opportunity. The past decade also saw the introduction of multiple new airplanes from Cessna, Embraer, Gulfstream, and Pilatus and hundreds of upgrades to cockpits and cabin systems. Fractional operators rebounded with newfound strength, as did services com- panies, charter/management companies, and FBOs. Once the proverbial germs settle, there will be new oppor- tunities for those seeking them. Aviation is a resilient industry; the cycle starts again. The next few months will be a good time for leaders to batten down the hatches, carefully pick and strengthen their teams, and drive a winning people strategy. Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, a boutique executive search firm based in Wilmington, NC, Craig is focused on recruiting senior level leadership, sales and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aero- space industry. Clients include well known aircraft OEM’s, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. Since 2009, he has personally concluded several hundred executive level searches in a variety of disciplines. Aviation Business Journal | Spring 2020 37
