Front Last to First
Rekindling the motivation to change
“My leadership team had to relearn the lesson
that it takes more than free pizza to sustain
best-in-class performance.”
—Dan, naval aviator, commercial airline pilot, and “Top Gun” leader
Chapter at a Glance: The principles established in previous chapters come to life through one leader’s journey to rebuild lost momentum. Follow this exceptional leader’s journey as he guides his leadership team combining top-down disciplines with frontline engagement to transform performance of their airline from last to first. Subheads have been added.
IT’S 0600 HOURS on the tarmac. Dark. We’re looking across five gates with parked aircraft. Ramp crews scramble to load bags, position equipment, unhook hoses, and get ready to push the first bank of departures.
Standing with me is my newly appointed ground operations manager and the airline’s longtime change consultant and facilitator. The conversation unfolds.
Rick: Dan, I thought these gates were designated like the training zone we had set up when I was here last time. I don’t see any trainers, and the rostering looks pretty thin for five gates. And we look to be short a Lecktro (vehicle for tugging and pushing back aircraft). I’m not sure this bank of aircraft is going to go out on time.
Me: Roger that.
Rick: Okay. It looks like the first gate is pushing out. Is that a Coke bottle in the hands of the wing walker (LED wands are standard equipment for ramp employees assigned to guide the aircraft out of the gate)? What happened to the ramp equipment kits installed as part of the Pit Crew initiative?
Scott: The ramp supervisors tell me the ground crew doesn’t have time to check things like that.
Me: Roger that.
Rick: Why is that arrival aircraft taxiing into the zone? And what are all those aircraft behind it doing? We’re not finished pushing back the departures. There’s no space for them!
Me: Roger that.
This wasn’t my first tour at our largest hub. Five years earlier, my career shifted from flying to leading ground crews. It happened on a frigid morning when I glanced from my cockpit and saw our CEO, in his tan cashmere topcoat, unloading bags. The message was clear: things were messed up. Instead of heading home, I offered to help.
Discover how Dan and his team transformed performance from last to first by harnessing the power of employee ideas with enlightened top leadership.
