The Aerospace Executive Podcast

The Future of Business Aviation w/Scott Ashton

The future of business aviation is changing as companies recognize the benefits of using corporate shuttles and private jets. What will be the impact of smaller companies in the aerospace industry? Why do many companies use private jets as part of their branding tactics? And why will technology never replace face-to-face business meetings? In this episode, Scott Ashton shares on the future of business aviation.

 

Aviation is an entrepreneurial enterprise led by entrepreneurs. -Scott Ashton

 

Takeaways + Tactics

• While the goal is to lower the prices for business aviation, this is impossible at the moment, as the wages of pilots and other costs are on the rise.
  
  
• Many corporations are now looking into corporate shuttles to save time when sending their people over to engage with clients. In just a matter of hours, a corporate shuttle can fly back and forth, and this can’t be done by airlines.
  
  
• Video conferences, email interactions, and phone conversations don’t build the same amount of trust as a face-to-face meetings do.

 

At the beginning of the episode, we talked about the costs of business aviation and how corporations and smaller businesses save time by using corporate shuttles.

We also covered:

• The competitive advantage of smaller businesses in the aerospace industry
• Why a revival of the aerospace industry is only possible if we attract more young people to it
• How working for a small business is more rewarding

 

Many businesses use private jets as a branding tactic. Mid-level executives, engineers, and salespeople use private jets when meeting with clients, not necessarily because they need to but because it’s a branding and authority move. For many businesses, investing in a private jet is a business need when negotiating with clients.

 

Guest bio

Scott Ashton is the President on the board of directors at New England Air Museum, President and CEO at Corporate Service Supply and Manufacturing and a board member of EvoLux Transportation.

He has a diverse background that includes knowledge of finance, marketing, sales, finance modeling, mission analysis, and strategic planning. Scott is also an NBAA certified aviation manager and a certified flight instructor.

You can find out more about Scott here.

Don’t Change the Players, Change the Behaviors w/David Marquet

David Marquet show how Intent Based leadership turns compliant followers into engaged leaders— fueling performance and driving results.

 

Leadership isn’t about telling people what not to do. It’s about creating an environment where they can be great just the way they are. -David Marquet

 

Takeaways + Tactics

• People who feel valued drive results.  Make them a part of something big.
  
• A single leader who does all the thinking stifles growth and inhibits performance.  Force your teams to think, and they will grow.
  
• Top-down decisions forced on compliant teams don’t face scrutiny, and the results are often disastrous.

 

David Marquet expertly shows:

• How forcing people to make their own decisions will increase their job satisfaction and performance
• Why a great leader doesn’t need to know everything, but should continue learning
• How great leaders communicate in order to drive performance

 

Guest Bio

David Marquet is a nationally recognized speaker and the author of the bestselling book Turn the Ship Around!.

As the captain of a nuclear submarine, David experienced the power of intentional leadership and how much it changed his team. Today, he helps companies create leaders at every level and delegate flawless execution.

You can find out more about David’s approach to leadership and his educational materials here.

Leadership, Attracting Experts, and High Employee Engagement w/Krister Ungerboeck

 

Good leaders teach others how to become leaders themselves. As we grow our team, why is it important to stop giving answers and start helping others find solutions on their own? How can we attract experts to our company? Why should we strive to become better communicators? In this episode, Krister Ungerboeck talks about the most common leadership mistakes and what we can do to lead others to success.

 

Managers can be managed, but executives can only be led. -Krister Ungerboeck

 

For the Resources mentioned by Krister in this conversation, go to https://krister.com/aerospace

 

Takeaways + Tactics

• There is a big difference between leading small teams and larger ones.
• Good leaders teach others to ask the right questions… and find their own conclusions.
• The biggest enemy of entrepreneurs is ego. It’s okay to hire smarter.
• Empathy and high emotional intelligence are crucial qualities that good leaders develop.

 

At the beginning of the episode, we talked about how small teams are managed differently than big teams. Next, we talked about why it’s important to accept the fact that there are people who are better than us and more qualified to hold certain positions in our company.

We also covered:

• Why a big monetary compensation isn’t enough and what else we can offer to high achievers
• Why being a lone wolf in the world of entrepreneurship can cost you a lot of learning opportunities
• How we can learn to communicate better with our team and the role empathy plays in doing so

 

Resources

For more aerospace industry news & commentary: http://northstaresg.com/

To learn more about Craig Picken and the NorthStar Group, visit http://northstaresg.com/

 

We can’t become better leaders and grow our business if we don’t learn to communicate more effectively. A crucial element in emotional intelligence is having empathy— the ability to put ourselves in somebody else's shoes even when we have nothing in common. Setting aside time for empathy exercises is crucial for leaders like us, as we have to connect, communicate and lead people on a daily basis.

 

Guest Bio

Krister Ungerboeck, The Leadership Archeologist, is a global leadership expert, award-winning CEO, coach, speaker and author. As the world’s first Leadership Archaeologist, Krister is a seeker of secrets. He’s a perspective-changing explorer who ventures beyond the edge of the comfort zone of most leaders and brings back tales of what he’s learned. He experiments with unique, sometimes outlandish approaches to building leadership skills in order to save leaders the time, money, and (possibly) embarrassment of experimenting on themselves. Go to https://krister.com/aerospace for a free Leadership Assessment and more!

Inspiring the Future Generation of Pilots and Engineers with Hank Coates

 

Hank Coates, President of the Commemorative Air Force, talks about how his organization inspires people to fight for their dreams.

Being a pilot or aerospace engineer was once considered a highly respected career path, but times have changed. How can we inspire the next generation to pursue career paths that are both in demand and high-paying?

 

 

A lot of young people these days don’t realize that there is a great career in being a pilot or an engineer. -Hank Coates

 

Resources

For more aerospace industry news & commentary: http://northstaresg.com/

To learn more about Craig Picken and the NorthStar Group, visit http://northstaresg.com/.

 

Takeaways & Tactics

• Young people truly seek the role models that the previous generations had.
   
• It’s important to remember the amazing acts of heroism that real people did in the past. This gives hope to children who live in poverty or discouraging situations.
   
• The United States is the current leader in aviation, but not for long. There’s a world-wide demand for pilots and engineers, and we will lose the lead without new and upcoming talent.

 

Defining Company Culture w/Laura Gallaher

Laura Gallaher is helping CEOs build their leadership styles and company cultures.

 

 

Self-improvement and self-acceptance are not on opposite ends of a continuum. They coexist. -Laura Gallaher

 

Takeaways + Tactics

• Like it or not, every business has a culture, and it’s set by the CEO.
  
  
• The development of amazing cultures is done with INTENTION and shaped by behaviors that are reinforced.
  
  
• To become great leaders, good leaders must acknowledge the flaws that are holding them back.

 

Guest Bio:

Dr. Laura Gallaher has worked in the field of professional and personal development since 2005. Laura is an Organizational Psychologist, Speaker, Facilitator, and Executive Coach. She is the founder and CEO of Gallaher Edge, which she started in 2013 and rebranded in 2018.
Her noteworthy career began after the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded upon re-entry in 2003, killing everybody aboard. Following the tragedy, NASA hired Laura and a team of organizational psychologists to change the cultural influences that were deemed to play a role in the accident. She worked for 8 years to positively influence culture, develop leadership capacity, and improve organizational performance at Kennedy Space Center. Laura was also hired to help manage the change associated with radical changes in the performance management process and philosophy at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.

Laura is an expert teacher, trainer, speaker and consultant, particularly in the concepts of self-awareness, accountability, trust building and team cohesion. Learn more at https://gallaheredge.com/

 

Focus on the Cause of Business Failures, Not the Symptoms w/ Alex Vorobieff

Many business owners get stuck in the details and miss the bigger picture. Alex Vorobieff, author of Transform Your Company, helps companies fix the root causes of business failures.

 

 

Hiring based on behavior is far more important than hiring on trainable skills. -Alex Vorobieff

Takeaways + Tactics

• Business transformation starts at the top.  Leadership must accept responsibility and affect change.
   
• Root Cause Analysis is a valuable tool.  Don’t just accept a defeat… identify what caused it.   
   
• Core Values MUST be factored into the hiring process.  Companies AND executives must be aligned.

Teaching skills is easy. Training or teaching behavioral patterns is not. Identifying good cultural fit is done via identification of core values, and what makes a culture unique. What are YOUR core values?

 

Guest Bio:

A highly sought-after speaker, business alignment coach, and the author of Transform Your Company, Alex Vorobieff has helped scores of business owners replace chaos with clarity and finally attain the success they’ve always imagined. Alex is the founder and CEO of The Alex Vorobieff Company, a premier business transformation company. Go to alexvorobieff.com for more information, or contact Alex directly at alex@vorobieff.com

Don't Put "A+" Talent Through "B" Processes w/ Matt Johnson

A+ players know their worth.  Putting them through B processes will turn them off.

Understand the difference between an A+ and B players:  what turns off the A+ player during the hiring process, and why low level administrators should not manage the hiring process. Matt Johnson and I speak about how companies should treat A+ talent.

 

 

Takeaways + Tactics

• A+ player knows their numbers and achievements . B players don’t.

• Hiring processes for entry level workers and executive level candidates are different. Most A+ players won’t stand for being treated like an applicant.

• During the good times, companies are more likely to hire B players to ease the workload.  During hard times, the rockstar will stand out.

 

Learn More About Your Host:

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior level leadership, sales and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well known aircraft OEM’s, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers.

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity, and hit the business goals of the companies he serves.

 

Guest Bio

Matt Johnson is a marketer, entrepreneur, musician. As founder of Pursuing Results, a podcast PR & production agency based in San Diego, Matt runs a worldwide virtual team helping business coaches and agencies break in and dominate new markets through podcasting.

How Great Leaders Keep Employees Happy w/Axel Meierhoefer

Strong leaders build strong teams. Dr. Axel Meierhoefer shares why companies need great leaders, and how to spot one.

 

 

If you can go to work every day and do something you believe in that’s meaningful and has a purpose, then the money is basically out of the picture. -Axel Meierhoefer

Takeaways + Tactics

• Companies focus too much on teaching management skills to their executives, at the expense of teaching leadership skills.

• Failure analysis and victory celebration are both keys to growth.

• The biggest motivator for millennials is having a sense of purpose.

• Good leaders communicate how employee actions impact the overall business.

 

Why Attracting the Right People is the Best Growth Strategy w/ Bob Sullivan

Bob Sullivan is the Chief Admin Officer for OneSky Aviation, the parent of Flexjet, Flight Options, Sentient Jet and SkyJet.

OneSky Aviation is great at adapting to market shifts and new customer demands. Bob Sullivan gives us a peek inside one of the most successful private jet companies in the world.

 

 

Business is going to have ups and down, but if you surround yourself with the right people and do the right things, you will prosper. -Bob Sullivan

 

Takeaways + Tactics

• As a company, being privately held gives you the advantage of not having shareholders looking over your shoulder.

• To survive in this industry, the business must be managed with a long-term outlook.

• Filter candidates based on personality assessments that are culture focused. It’s important that they know how an entrepreneurial organization is different.

Rules to Get A+ Talent w/Matt Johnson

 

What are the traits of A+ Players, and how do we get them? Matt Johnson and Craig Picken share insight on finding A+ talent.

 

Nothing drives businesses more crazy than people who are afraid of making decisions. -Craig Picken

 

Takeaways + Tactics

• The two most important business assets are intellectual capacity and ability to adjust to rapidly changing markets
• Hiring Managers MUST be immersed in the hiring process.  It cannot be outsourced.
• “A” Players will hire other “A” Players, “B” Players will not.  “A” Players WILL NOT WORK for “B” Players. 
• The more people involved in the hiring decision, the less chance an A Player will get hired.
• “A” Players will fix the problem.  “B” Players, in the budget, will not.