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“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Albert Einstein
My daughter made me a t-shirt for Christmas with the above quote on it attributed to Albert Einstein. Instead of the actual written quote, it uses numbers and letters as in the headline. It was a thoughtful gift!
One key factor in professional development is the ability to change. If we are not willing to adapt and change, we will remain stagnant in our careers.
Our industry is anything but stagnant. Just look at all the changes that have taken place in just the past decade or so. The use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is on the rise. Aircraft fuel efficiency has improved through lighter materials and better engines. AI has been adapted in aviation for uses such as predictive maintenance and fault analysis. Drones are now widely used and are now approved for use beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). Electric-, hybrid- and hydrogen-powered aircraft are being developed.
As aircraft maintenance professionals, we must embrace change. We must get comfortable being uncomfortable. If we remain within our comfort zone, we will never grow. Instead, we must make a point to step outside our comfort zone on a regular basis. As we make efforts to step outside our comfort zone, we find that our comfort zone expands.
Many of us began this process when we earned our A&P. We learned from peers and mentors. The basic technical knowledge we learned in school continued to expand as we accomplished different tasks and learned aircraft-specific maintenance and repair procedures. Our maintenance knowledge expanded and changed as we progressed in our careers.
That change continues when we become leaders and managers. Our technical knowledge and skills often get us promoted to management positions. If we rest on our laurels at that point, we are setting ourselves up for failure. We must now continue our learning journey by changing our focus to expanding new skills. We must understand our employees’ strengths and weaknesses to help them succeed. We evolve as managers and leaders. What type of managers and leaders we become is often based on personal experience. We learn from our past managers. We adapt the good traits while avoiding the negative ones. We network with our peers whenever possible to share best practices and learn from each other’s successes and failures.
One way to do this is through conferences. NBAA has two conferences that focus on leadership and management. The first is the NBAA Leadership Conference taking place in San Antonio February 2-4, 2026. The NBAA Maintenance Conference is another great opportunity to hone our skills as aircraft maintenance professionals. It will take place May 5-7, 2026 in New Orleans.
In closing, we launched D.O.M. magazine in 2008 to be THE resource for those that had moved beyond turning wrenches. As we enter our 18th year of publishing, rest assured that we will continue to provide the leadership and management information you need to learn and change. If there are any topics you specifically want to read about, please reach out to us. After all, this is YOUR magazine.
Here’s wising you a prosperous and successful New Year!
Joe Escobar