The airport professional's source for airport industry news, articles, events, and careers.
Issue link: http://airportbusiness.epubxp.com/i/311874
May 2014 airportbusiness 21 GROUND CLUTTER Ralph Hood Certified Speaking Professional; Member, Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame GROUND CLUTTER Ralph Hood Certified Speaking Professional; Member, Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame T he April 2014 issue of INC. magazine lists 35 ques- tions, from different sources, that business people should ask themselves. Do the questions apply to airports? Well, your airport is a business, isn't it? Here are a few that I found particularly interesting: "What should we stop doing?" —Peter Drucker If you don't know who the late, great Peter Drucker was (he died in 2005), put down this magazine and look him up. What indeed are you doing at your airport that you should stop doing? I don't know, but then I'm not running your a i r p o r t . U n d e r CEO Jack Welch, General Electric decided that they should stop com- peting in industries in which they couldn't compete near the top of the heap. It worked for GE. "What counts that we aren't counting?" —Chip Conley, Joie de Vivre and Global Hospitality I'm not familiar with Mr. Conley, but what a great ques- tion! In my current Airport Business blog (www.aviationpros. com/blogs/ground-clutter/, I discuss the difficulty of airports keeping in touch with their passengers/customers. I will never forget the time an airport staff person told me that airlines, not passengers, were their customers. That's true, but passengers are also their customers and they do count—big time. "Are we paying enough attention to the partners our company depends upon..." —Ron Adner, author, professor, Tuck School of Business Here's a question that definitely applies to airports. Just replace the word partners with the word "vendors" and it all makes sense. There's a reason many airports are now working more closely with vendors and even training them in some ways. Those vendors see, serve and talk with your passenger customers every day, and you really do depend on them to make your airport comfortable and pleasant. "Are we changing as fast as the world around us?" —Gary Hamel, author and management consultant Airports do seem to be keeping up very well, but we're facing unimaginable changes in everything. There's an article in AW&ST; this week that wonders if SpaceX really can "unleash space solar power" by harnessing sunlight energy and sending it to Earth via a microwave beam! I surely don't know, but do know that Fortune named Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, Business Person of the Year in 2013. As the song says, "better get ready." Do You Know The Questions? Airports do seem to be keeping up very well, but we're facing unimaginable changes in everything 954.975.2100 DMEAirfeldSales@astronics.com www.Astronics.com Together We Can Light the Airfelds of Tomorrow At Astronics DME, we are working to light the future of airfelds. Our advanced Navigate Series ® LED lighting solutions are specifcally designed to: • Maximize energy savings on your airfeld • Signifcantly reduce product lifecycle costs • Exceed FAA ETL certifcation and "Buy American" requirements Astronics DME offers unparalleled service, seamless airfeld upgrades and a full range of airfeld lighting products. www.aviationpros.com/10777413 Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision. PETER DRUCKER airb_21_Ralph.indd 21 5/2/14 9:51 AM