How Top Aerospace Executives Set the Vision, Grow Their Business & Develop Talent
Episodes
Thursday Dec 01, 2022
Thursday Dec 01, 2022
When people think of what motivates a person to quit their job, money is the first thing that comes to mind, but very often it’s not even at the top of the list.
The reasons people leave an organization go far deeper than monetary gain, there’s usually a lot more they aren’t getting from their company. In fact, we can attribute a career move to 6 reasons. Identifying these reasons as leaders helps us improve our culture so we can keep the best people on our teams.
In this edition of Million Dollar Careers, we talk about retention and what makes people leave.
If you’re exchanging a known for an unknown, there better be a good reason, and it can’t just be money. -Rob Houghton
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- Why money isn’t the key driver for a change
Moving jobs is a highly stressful process, what makes someone willing to go through all that? - How to keep employee boredom at bay
How do you keep the A players who need to constantly be challenged engaged? - Why leaders have to create security for their people
Is high staff turnover due to companies actually quitting on their people?
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.
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
For how much time we spend on our phones, it’s astonishing how afraid people are of picking up the phone and just having a conversation. Progress is made and things come together in conversations that can’t be had via text and email.
Trying to force all communication through text and emails has led to passive aggressive texts, angry emails and other totally avoidable confrontations.
Why are we so afraid of getting on the phone? What are the only acceptable uses of email and text?
In this episode, I’m joined by my producer Matt Johnson for this edition of Million Dollar Careers. We’re talking about why we need to get over the reluctance to pick the phone.
No angry customer was ever made happy via email. -Craig Picken
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- Why delaying bad news is such a fruitless exercise
Are we avoiding tough conversations by communicating via text or delaying and aggravating the inevitable? - How to dissolve a tense situation and avoid a nasty confrontation
What causes our fear of the phone in the first place? - The ONLY times text and email are appropriate
If you’re on the receiving end of passive aggressive text or email, how do we deal with it?
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 OEMs, 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.
Thursday Nov 03, 2022
Thursday Nov 03, 2022
In nature, the rule of balance reigns supreme - things will always return to an equilibrium, no matter what. In finance, reverting to the mean is a certainty, a swinging pendulum will always return to center.
The employment market is no different - right now everything is irrational, and it’s driving everything from jet pricing to salaries, but eventually the music will stop.
The challenge is keeping your business stable while things rebalance and still being able to play the game at a really high level on handicap mode.
How do you retain the best people when you can’t afford the crazy salaries being driven by this market? In this episode, we talk about the challenges in today’s job market and how to deal with them.
This labor shortage isn’t temporary - it’s structural, it’s demographic and it isn’t going away. -Craig Picken
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- The truth every company must grapple with
Are your expectations realistic for the long-term or are you just making decisions on the sugar high of an irrational market? - Why the pressures on the job market persist
Will the employment market ever return to the normal we knew before, or will it readjust to a whole new normal? - How to eliminate barriers to success on your team
If it’s hard to find talent, how do you make your existing talent more productive?
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 OEMs, 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.
Thursday Oct 27, 2022
Thursday Oct 27, 2022
Resilience and determination are highly sought after traits, and sometimes that’s what it takes to stay in a challenging job or career. But when the environment becomes too difficult or toxic, we just have to cut our losses and quit.
But how do we know if we've reached the end of the line with our jobs? What can we do to prepare before throwing in the towel?
In this episode of the Million Dollar Career Series, Robert Houghton and I discuss knowing when to fold 'em.
If you’re thinking about folding, understand what it is that you’re looking for. -Craig Picken
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- How to identify a toxic job situation
What can you do to prepare for when you have to quit? - Why you have to know why you’re quitting
How can we avoid contagious quitting? - How having an outside advisor can help you
Why do we need the insight of someone else to know if we’re making the right move?
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.
Thursday Oct 20, 2022
Thursday Oct 20, 2022
It’s really easy to wreck a great career when you make decisions based on emotions and take action with no real vision, and unfortunately, we’re seeing a lot of that right now.
There are many people making career moves for the sake of it instead of taking a rational approach to make sure the job actually serves them long term.
Just like planes, your career needs a flight plan, measurable milestones and a realistic endpoint.
How do we simplify the decision making process? In this edition of Million Dollar Careers, we talk about the importance of starting with the end in mind.
Before you quit your job and trade a known for an unknown, make sure you know what the end is. -Rob Houghton
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- The cost of jumping ship without thinking it through
Why are many of the people quitting their jobs doomed to end up frustrated again? - Why vision and self-realization are so important
Are you on the path that leads you to your desired end point? If not, how do you change that? - Emotional moves vs. rational decisions
How do you take a measured and vision-informed approach to mapping out your career?
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 OEMs, 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.
Thursday Oct 13, 2022
Thursday Oct 13, 2022
There’s a lot of passive aggressive behavior in the working world right now, and doing the bare minimum isn’t just something employees do - companies do it too.
Quiet firing is the practice of slowly freezing out an employee hoping they self-select out, instead of just facing the issues head-on. It’s dishonest, unproductive and wholly unnecessary and entirely avoidable. How can you tell you’re being quietly pushed out? How can organizations refrain from quiet firing?
In this edition of Million Dollar Careers, we dig into quiet firing and why it’s such a bad practice.
Hiring authorities and supervisors really owe it to themselves, their company, and the individual candidates to confront the issue. -Rob Houghton
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- What to be on the lookout for
From demotions to reassignments, quiet firing takes on many forms. What are the subtle signs? - The people who’ll never get quietly fired
Can you take corrective action when you realize you’re being quietly fired? - Why quiet firing is the action of a cowardly leader
If an employer isn’t happy with an employee’s performance, why is it so critical to cut the BS and just let them go?
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 OEMs, 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.
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Even the most talented and driven people can find themselves feeling stuck in their careers, dealing with job circumstances that suck the life out of them.
From working with quiet quitters, to feeling like you’ve hit the ceiling in the organization or your capabilities not being noticed, how do you get unstuck?
What actions can you take to keep expanding and building up your profile? In this episode of Million Dollar Careers, we talk about navigating some of the common issues people face in their careers today.
Curiosity and questions will get you a lot further than confidence and answers. -Rob Houghton
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- How to become the smartest person in the room
Why is curiosity such a critical character trait of people with million dollar careers? - The power of a quiet hiring initiative
Do companies rob themselves of valuable talent by favoring external hires over the ferocious players within the organization with the potential to become superstars? - The smartest way to flex your expertise
How do you show your network that you have the mental capacity needed to excel?
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 OEMs, 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.
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
The foundation of a million dollar career is your ability to be so valuable and knowledgeable that people need you more than you need them.
You don’t have to be the CEO to have this advantage - you just need to master your craft, show that you’re an asset and position yourself strategically to use your voice when it matters.
In this edition of the Million Dollar Careers, Rob Houghton and I discuss how to become THE guy or gal in the organization, and how it supercharges your career.
You want to be the expert, you want to be the person people come to when they need something, and that’s where you get your freedom. -Craig Picken
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- The power of thinking differently
Being willing to go against the grain and “red team” is highly valuable, but how do you do it without upsetting the team dynamic? - How to build up your mental acuity
Making great decisions is key to a successful career, but how do we build that skill? - How to become an indispensable resource
How do you find and own a valuable corner to dominate in your industry or company?
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 OEMs, 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.
Thursday Sep 15, 2022
Thursday Sep 15, 2022
As the aerospace industry emerges from the last kicks of covid, mergers and acquisitions are a great barometer of the new developments, the big market needs and the concerns of both buyers and sellers.
Even though there’s still a little caution in the air, many corners in the industry are poised to make major moves going forward.
Where are big firms looking to participate right now? How can buyers and sellers approach the deal so everyone wins?
In this episode, managing partner of Coeptis Consulting Group, Chuck Adams, shares what’s happening in M&A and what we can expect over the next couple of years.
There’s uncertainty around the economy, but there are still some good solid deals going on. -Chuck Adams
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- Why the frenzy died down in multiples
Are we seeing a compression of multiples caused by covid, and when can we expect them to pick back up? - How to tap into a global market
What kind of opportunities are emerging markets creating for aerospace operators? - What’s driving open operators to sell
How should buyers approach the owner operators who are selling a business that’s really close to their heart?
Guest Bio
Chuck Adams is the managing partner of Coeptis Consulting Group. He brings years of experience to the firm with a background in the aviation/aerospace, automotive, and industrial goods industries. His deep, technical engineering expertise, combined with his business background, provides our clientele with a comprehensive, technical-business examination when providing our services. Prior to co-founding Coeptis Consulting Group, he spent over six and a half years at GE Aviation providing engineering & business services, interacting with internal & external production and MRO shops around the globe on various product lines, including the CFM56, LEAP, GE90, and CF34 commercial lines, as well graduating from GE’s Engineering Development Program. Before GE, he also spent time in the automotive, food manufacturing, industrial goods, construction, and video game industries. Additionally, he has founded a few companies, including a profitable residential & commercial construction firm in the local Idaho area, and is well-versed in data analysis, including programming (Python, MATLAB, SQL, and more). Chuck holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boise State University, a MS in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University, and an MBA from Indiana University.
To find out more, go to https://www.coeptiscg.com/ or phone 253-720-9058.
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 OEMs, 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.
Thursday Sep 08, 2022
Thursday Sep 08, 2022
The pandemic created a unique set of circumstances for private aviation; an alignment between the forced adoption of technology and the emergence of a new type of consumer has given the sector an incredible boost in demand and volume.
A monumentally entrepreneurial organization like Sentient Jet is primed for this private aviation gold rush, and on the forefront of evangelizing the sector.
What are some of the pieces they are lining up to continue expanding market share? How is tech fueling their organizations growth?
In this episode, President and CEO of Sentient Jet, Andrew Collins shares why the last few years have been so fruitful for private aviation and what the company aims to accomplish.
We’re trying to remove as much friction as we can from private aviation and generate the most positive experience. -Andrew Collins
Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- The truth about market rationalized pricing
Is the idea of the democratization of business aviation an unrealistic oxymoron? - Why Sentient Jet is investing in eVTOL
Can aviation create a frictionless and convenient way to do short distances? - The rise of a new customer
How has this post-pandemic era impacted what business aviation customers expect? - Sentient Jet’s main focus
How can the private aviation industry improve the experience for a growing customer base?
Guest Bio
Andrew Collins is the President and CEO of Sentient Jet, he is responsible for a $450 million consumer travel and aviation business that has rapidly flourished over the last six years. Under his leadership the company has benefited from both a digital and business model transformation, in addition to an organizational restructuring. This includes setting market, product, and brand strategy, integrating a full suite of retail and wholesale technology applications, tripling sales, optimizing client acquisitions costs, and significantly moving top-line revenues, while also evolving Sentient into an EBITDA-positive entity. In addition to running Sentient Jet, Collins is a lead executive at parent company OneSky where he is focused on M&A, operations, and revenue management activities. In 2021 Collins led the acquisition of Halo Aviation in London and integrated the company with Associated Aircraft Group (recently acquired from Sikorsky Lockheed Martin) in NYC to form OneSky’s Vertical Lift division, creating a global fleet of 24 helicopters and a platform for the future of flight. Inclusive with this effort was an order for 200 eVTOL (electric vertical take off and landing) vehicles from Embraer’s EVE.
To find out more, go to https://sentient.com/.
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 OEMs, 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.