D.O.M. Blogs

I attended a presentation by Dr. Tony Kern a few years ago at the NBAA Maintenance Management Conference (NBAA MMC). Dr. Kern discussed professionalism. He gave us some things to think about concerning what it means to be a true professional. Some would say they are professionals because they follow all the regulations strictly. He disagreed, saying that was akin to saying, “I do what I need to get by — I follow the MINIMUM standards.” The purpose of Dr.

Everyone probably knows a few lawyer jokes such as, “What’s the difference between a good lawyer and a bad lawyer? A bad lawyer makes your case drag on for years. A good lawyer makes it last even longer.” “How do you tell if it is really cold outside? A lawyer has his hands in his own pockets.”

We can joke about lawyers, but the sad truth is that our industry is burdened with an extreme amount of litigation. It is a scene that plays out all too often. An aviation accident happens. People are injured or killed. Lawsuits are filed seeking compensation for these injuries or deaths.

I have interviewed many aviation maintenance managers over the years. Just about every one of them would tell you that they developed their leadership skills by observing and learning from others as they climbed their career ladders. They adapted the positive skills from great leaders and learned what not to do from bad leaders.

I don’t tend to watch much late night TV. I’m usually in bed after the weather forecast is finished on our local news. But on a recent business trip, I found myself channel surfing after the local news and stopped when I saw Kevin Spacey being interviewed. I don’t remember which talk show it was, as I was paying close attention to what Spacey was saying. His message was inspiring – "Send the Elevator Back Down!"