Airport Business

DEC 2015-JAN 2016

The airport professional's source for airport industry news, articles, events, and careers.

Issue link: http://airportbusiness.epubxp.com/i/618921

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 31 of 35

FBO SPOTLIGHT 32 airportbusiness December 2015/January 2016 By Douglas Wilson Yet, as fans of professional sports teams can attest, a group of all-stars does not nec- essarily coalesce into a great team. That is to say, a team is not simply the sum of its parts. A winning team is created by putting those with complementary skill sets together in an environment where their unique contributions are valued. In the FBO field there exists just such a formula, at least for line service. THE RULE OF THIRDS Few in the aviation field make a career of line service. Weather, whirling propellers and whin- ing engines create a cacophony that for most would result in miserable working conditions. It is a gritty, yet rewarding, endeavor for those who choose it. For others line service is a rite of passage; their destination is nothing short of the cockpit itself. And, for a different group alto- gether, it is a post-career landing pad, another deployment of sorts. Yet, it is these seemingly disparate groups of employees that can complement each other and make up a successful line service team. Achieving the perfect balance within that for- mula is best achieved using a rule of thirds. The first third, and arguably the most import- ant group in building a successful line service team, are career line service employees, or "lif- ers." While perhaps not the most HR-friendly term, it is in fact one of the highest compliments that can be made of a career line service employ- ee. Lifers are the familiar faces on the ramp to pilots and passengers, those who have worked line for years, day in and day out. They will be the same faces on the ramp when the other two groups come and go, and are, in a word, invaluable. The lifer's contribution to line service is far beyond just an expression of seniority. They actively mentor newer line service employees, greet passengers by name because they have known them for years, and seldom make a mis- take. They not only know what a Hansa Jet is, but FBO Best Practices The first step in solid FBO management is assembling a dream team. A s the years go by, it's common to look back at a specific point in one's career and ref lect on the fact that they were once part of a team of coworkers that constituted a "dream team" of sorts. Perhaps it was just a moment in time where everyone complemented each other's strengths; where a group of people truly worked so well together that their actions seemed as one. Even if not altogether perfect at the time, it sure makes for great memories in later years. Photo credit: Elliott Aviation

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Airport Business - DEC 2015-JAN 2016