Negotiation, Leadership and a Motorcycle
Two topics have been on my mind lately. The first is negotiation. The recent fiasco in Washington between our elected “leaders” showed their clear inability to negotiate. Effective negotiation skills are important in our business and personal lives. How can someone say, “I am willing to negotiate,” while also saying, “I will not budge on this issue”? Those types of statements don’t build an environment for successful negotiations. They set the stage for an inevitable stalemate. The gridlock in Washington and the resulting government shutdown was a direct result of non-existent negotiation skills.
Effective negotiation skills are valuable for DOMs and other aviation maintenance managers. We negotiate with our bosses, our direct reports, our vendors and our customers. I believe that effective negotiation skills are so important that I asked J.D. McHenry to address the topic in this month’s issue. You can go to page 32 to read his article. (I wonder if we should send over a box or two of this issue of D.O.M. to Capitol Hill to get our elected officials going in the right direction.)
Successful leaders possess great negotiation skills. They also have other talents that set them apart. They lead by example and motivate their employees to follow them. They mentor others by selflessly sharing their talent and expertise.
A great example of selflessly sharing talent and expertise to help others was witnessed at NBAA2013 in Las Vegas last month. On the first day of the show, just after the doors to the exhibition opened, the management team of Jet Aviation St. Louis presented a custom motorcycle to former U.S. Army Specialist Chad Hembree. There are often some unique giveaways and announcements at NBAA. Some exhibitors spend lots of money to create a buzz and get people to their booths. A giveaway is one way to do that.
This giveaway was different. It was more than just a way to create some buzz and get people to Jet Aviation’s booth. It was a story of how a team of volunteer aviation maintenance professionals from Jet Aviation St. Louis came together to put their talent and expertise to work to create a beautiful custom motorcycle to give to a wounded warrior.
During the presentation, you could look around and see just how different this event was. There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd. Those fortunate enough to be at the booth during the presentation heard a heart-wrenching story of how Hembree and his fellow soldiers endured several days of intense battle in Afghanistan where Hembree lost seven of his fellow soldiers. They heard the story of how a team of volunteers from Jet Aviation St. Louis stepped up to the plate and, on their own time, designed and built a custom motorcycle that meets or (dare I say) exceeds the beauty of motorcycles created by guys who design and build custom motorcycles for a living. The motorcycle is a rolling piece of art that honors not just Hembree, but also his fellow soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
After the presentation, it was clear to us that we needed to tell the story of what Jet Aviation St. Louis dubbed Operation Hog. It is a departure from our typical cover story that profiles a DOM or other maintenance manager, but the story falls in line with great leadership skills — especially when it comes to volunteering and giving back. So, without further adieu, you can turn the page to read the story of Hembree and Operation Hog!
Thanks for reading! – Joe Escobar