All You Need is Love

The article on page 46 of our November issue from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, “All You Need is Love,” is responsible for my current ear worm of the Beatles’ song playing over and over in my head. It also got me thinking about workplace culture. I had never thought about “love” as it relates to the workplace.

We typically associate love with family. We love our family. We respect them and would do whatever it takes to help them out. We are there for each other in the good times and bad.

Shouldn’t that love apply to every aspect of our lives — including the workplace? We should respect each other. We should do whatever it takes to help each other out. We should be there for each other in the good times and bad! We should show empathy towards each other — understanding that external factors can have an effect on attitude and performance. We should treat each other as family!

And yes, there will be disagreements. Even in the best relationships, there WILL be times we disagree. But just because we disagree doesn’t mean we need to be angry or hateful! We can respect each other’s differences and strive to either resolve our disagreements or agree to disagree. 

I have visited many maintenance facilities where it is obvious that love and respect for each other is present. Those are the places where employees are engaged and happy. Those are the workplaces where employees do whatever they can for the benefit of the team and the company! I had discussion with a DOM at NBAA that plainly told me, “I love my team! I will do anything I can to help them be successful!”

As I read King Aerospace’s recent press release (November DOM issue, page 61), it stood out that it is company striving to do it right! King Aerospace’s mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of others. That mission is supported by eight cornerstone principles that range from mutual respect and trust to a no-excuses, team approach. Team members earn the gold wings they wear on their uniforms. It is their colleagues, not management, that determine who has earned the right to wear them. That is a positive example of love and respect in the workplace! You can’t make a positive difference in the lives of others without loving and respecting each other!

Unfortunately, I have also witnessed toxic work environments. Workers don’t get along with each other. Many have the attitude of, “What’s in it for me?” Bosses aren’t leaders — you can’t lead by being verbally abusive and distant to your employees. Workers don’t share their knowledge because they think that doing so would jeopardize their job security. Those companies often suffer from high turnover rates. They constantly spend time and resources just trying to keep their heads above the water. Oftentimes, those companies eventually fail!

And what can be a more toxic example of a dysfunctional workplace than our current “leaders” in Washington, DC? Political disagreement is nothing new — however, the hatred that many of our so-called leaders are spewing out on a continual basis (on both sides of the aisle) is amazing! Nothing is getting done. There is constant hate and distrust between just about everyone. They aren’t doing what needs to be done for the good of our country. They are only interested in doing whatever it takes, no matter how hateful or disrespectful, to maintain their personal political power. 

Come on everyone — let’s show a little more love and respect for each other!

Thanks for reading, and we appreciate your feedback!

Joe

About D.O.M. Magazine

D.O.M. magazine is the premier magazine for aviation maintenance management professionals. Its management-focused editorial provides information maintenance managers need and want including business best practices, professional development, regulatory, quality management, legal issues and more. The digital version of D.O.M. magazine is available for free on all devices (iOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle).

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Joe Escobar (jescobar@dommagazine.com)
Editorial Director
920-747-0195

Greg Napert (gnapert@dommagazine.com)
Publisher, Sales & Marketing
608-436-3376

Bob Graf (bgraf@dommagazine.com)
Director of Business, Sales & Marketing
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