In most businesses, the staff and in particular the key personnel are very important.  This is no more evidenced than in the aviation industry where key personnel often require specific approval.

How often have we heard the old management adage, that “People can make or break a business”, or that, “Our people are our best asset”, and at the same time, complain about the cost of training or about performance. 

Theory and the practice indicate that if you start with good people, most will willingly go to wherever management will lead them.  I have often used a phase (adapted for this context) of one of my oldest friends, “People want to follow a clearly defined road with little pots of gold to pick up along the way”.  In my experience, some aviation businesses do not clearly define the road, do not provide a road map, do leave pots of gold for anyone to pick up, and rely on people perceiving where to go and how to get there.

So how can these failings affect the performance of aviation businesses?  Contemporary evidence indicates that lack of business direction and generally poor leadership has a significant effect on individual’s attitude towards compliance with business policies and procedures and regulatory requirements.  People like security (even in today’s ever changing world); people like to know where they are going; people like to know that (if it is not them), someone is the big Chief, and they know what they are doing!

Sometimes during a consultancy, I ask staff members, “Where do you think that this business will be in 2 or 5 years?”  This simple question tells me so much about the business.  I can only readily recall one where most staff had some idea.  It is a company, which I believe, has a future and has a good safety and compliance culture. 

A simple one page Corporate Plan distributed to all staff outlining the Company Aim, the Objectives to support the aim, and Success Measures, will assist the business to grow, and the people will be more engaged in all manner of things including their attitudes and performance in compliance and safety matters.  It is a first step towards seting the culture of the organization.

So How good are your best people?  Answer; as good as those leading them!