Avionics News March 2021 - 60

THE MODERN MAINTENANCE PROFESSIONAL
Continued from page 59

paper that is then scanned to a point where everything starts digitally at first and turns into paper when needed.
Before joining NBAA, D'Leon worked for 14 years at Gulfstream after leaving the Air Force. He said the library at his facility shrank over time until it was practically nonexistent. Completion manuals were the last to go, but now even with new aircraft,
all that information is on a USB stick. And the iPad Pro devices
mechanics use have a bigger screen and do facial recognition.
This is better than unlocking the device with a thumb print as with
the previous version, because a mechanic could have oil on his
finger spoiling the attempt to use the iPad.
Kevin Flynn, director of aviation maintenance for AbbVie, said
one thing he realized about new technology and the generation
gap in the workforce is to just " take it slow. " So if, for example,
a large number of records are going to be transferred into a new
system in January, it would be a good idea to notify workers a
couple of months early. Some workers are going to catch on to
how the new system works quickly, but some may need several
days to absorb the information. " It takes the pressure off to say we
are going to ease into this, " D'Leon said.
Video conferencing also is advancing in the industry with the
advent of COVID-19. Kiehl said everyone at Executive Jet Management has gotten a little more comfortable sitting in front of a
computer for a meeting. " I'm kind of excited to see where this is
going to go, " he said. " All of our folks in the field have access to
it via their iPhones or laptops or iPads, and I see that it is growing.
It provides access to see things in a different way, so I think it is
going to be a good opportunity. "
D'Leon then steered the discussion to the topic of safety, noting
that maintenance directors and aircraft maintainers manage risk
every day with every task being accomplished.
Hotchkin said safety is a nonnegotiable issue for her as director
of maintenance for Nike. She learned how to handle air safety in
the Navy where she spent time at sea managing flight operations
on a flight deck of a ship day and night. " It's pretty dangerous
territory, and safety is absolutely paramount. " She observed what
could happen if any corners were cut, and she manages risk with
her team today by talking through issues to gather ideas, discuss
them and see what everyone thinks. Then if the team doesn't feel
right about a new way of doing things, thinking it is not the safest
way, she makes the final decision. " I think leveraging all of the
brains in the conversation is really the best thing to do whenever
we are talking about risk. "
According to Campos, when he started in the industry, programs like the safety management system didn't exist. SMS has
put more structure onto safety in a way that is possible for people
to understand. Flight crews, technicians and line service personnel all have an app on their phone now, and they are encouraged
to report findings on things that should be recorded whether it is
aboard an airplane or on the ramp or in the hanger. " I have seen
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a huge shift to more of an embrace of the whole philosophy of
SMS, " he said.
To get personnel to report things involves removing as many
roadblocks as possible, Campos noted. So if they can log into a
single website where the password is saved and then the first thing
they see is a big button that says " submit a report, " it can make
a big difference to securing a report. " It doesn't even need to be
a hazard or incident report; they should just report anything they
see, " Campos said.
Campo said safety officers always originated from the flight
operations side of his organization in the past, but now there is
a safety officer in the maintenance department. Now everyone
understands SMS, and the organization has come a long way from
the time when people had difficulty explaining what SMS meant
to having everyone understand it and report issues that, in some
cases, have changed how the maintenance department operates.
" It really changes the culture; we've gotten people to really start to
think about what they are doing, " D'Leon said.
Another thing that is changing in the career field is that maintainers are not only rising to the level of director of maintenance
but beyond that to director of aviation and other senior roles in
their organizations, according to D'Leon. " The maintenance community is developing and growing some of the best leaders in our
industry right now, " he said. And developing the soft skills needed
to work effectively with different types of people is the key to that
type of advancement.
If a person is an expert technician but not ready with the skill
set needed to lead a team, then it is hard for his or her boss to get
him out of there and back into a technician role again. Selecting the right person to begin with who can handle the job is of
paramount importance. When selecting that person, Compos said
he looks for a kind, humble, hardworking team player, not the
antithesis to all that - not kind, not humble, arrogant, lazy and not
hard working.
Campos has worked for some bad bosses himself, so he has
a good idea of the type of person who won't fit in the leadership
role. " Disney is really big on team building, " he said and even
has entire departments do personality tests. Many technicians
and managers in the maintenance field are introverts like him,
but knowing the personalities you are dealing with helps a leader
navigate to focus on helping each individual in part by knowing
their communications style.
D'Leon and some of the other panel members read a book
titled " The Five Love Languages " by Gary Chapman, which provides insight in the different types of reinforcement that work for
different types of people. " This can be used in the workplace, and
to some extent, people are looking for these words of affirmation, "
D'Leon said.
Some are looking to be complimented on doing a good job,
while others are motivated to keep moving ahead solely by the
paycheck. " I think the key is to find out what motivates your
team and to realize that every person is different, " he said. You
can simply direct some employees to do a task, while others

Avionics News March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News March 2021