A Pilot Contemplates How To Talk To The Big Boss

Professional pilots are highly trained in the many technical aspects of flight. This includes manual handling skills, the effective use of automation, and a heavy dose of academics on topics such as aircraft systems, navigation, aerodynamics, and performance, as well as weather.

In addition, over the past few decades “soft” skills have been introduced to include crew resource management (CRM) and threat and error management (TEM) to improve decision making and communications on the flight deck.

One topic that isn’t taught in the “schoolhouse” is how to communicate with your boss; in business aviation this may be a senior manager, a C-level executive, or a high-net-worth individual. Whether you’re a flight department manager or pilot, it’s likely that you’ll have to interact with your boss (or even their boss) many times throughout your career.

When it comes to aviation safety, these conversations may be related to funding a safety initiative or addressing an operational limitation such as an acceptable runway length.

Big Airplane, Little Airport

Case in point, a couple of months ago I had a conversation with a corporate pilot who flies a Gulfstream G650ER for a high-net-worth individual. His boss—let’s call him Mr. HNW to protect his identity—is a self-made billionaire from the software industry. In addition to owning a beautiful Gulfstream, he also owns a large yacht that is based near a small island in the Caribbean.

Here’s the problem: this small island has only one airport with a single postage-stamp size runway with limited instrument approach capabilities. To limit the exposure to risk, this flight department prohibits operations of the big jet at the little airport.

The solution: HNW, the principal owner of the aircraft, flies in the Gulfstream to a larger, better equipped airport on a neighboring island and then commutes to the boat by an Airbus H130 helicopter—after all, the yacht does have a helipad.

Prohibiting flight operations to the smaller airport makes sense. Following a risk assessment by the flight department, a dry runway at best was ranked as a moderate risk, whereas a wet runway moved it into the high-risk category.

As explained, under perfect conditions the Gulfstream can legally land at the airport, but the safety margins are just too thin. Frequent strong crosswinds, occasional pop-up afternoon showers, and a non-grooved runway make it too risky to routinely fly the Gulfstream into this small airport. Adding to the complexities, the airport lacks official weather reporting capabilities, other than, as told, “a nice lady talking into the end of a coconut.”

Before implementation of this solution, flight department leadership sat down with the principal and explained the many risks associated with operating the Gulfstream into the little airport and the safest option was to fly the helicopter to the yacht. All agreed that this was the best bet to limit risk and protect the company’s assets; it worked perfectly for more than a year.

Accordingly, the principal enjoys the 13-minute helicopter flight to the yacht; it has amazing views of coral reefs, outlying islands, and overflies the smaller airport where, as an aviation enthusiast, he likes to look at a derelict old Douglas DC-3 and several abandoned light twins in the brush behind a hangar. On occasion, he’ll see a Beechcraft King Air or an older straight-winged Cessna Citation on the FBO ramp.

On a recent trip to the Caribbean, the flight in the Gulfstream went well, upon arrival the H130 was awaiting the principal and guests. Another well executed flight, right?

Soon things began to get more complicated as the solution began to unravel. As the helicopter overflew the small island, the principal (he knows his airplanes) spotted a large-cabin Gulfstream snugged up tightly in the corner of the FBO ramp at the smaller airport.

According to the Gulfstream pilot, the principal said nothing until they landed at their home base near New York City. As the passengers were disembarking, the principal poked his head into the cockpit, armed with photos taken from the helicopter, and said, “Isn’t this a Gulfstream?” He continued by recalling, “I thought we could not land there…we need to talk” and exited the aircraft.

Becoming the Trusted Advisor

This is when my corporate pilot friend reached out via email. My initial reaction was to forward a list of past blogs on runway excursions and takeoff and landing performance (I’ve written a few) and some select accident reports, but then I soon realized that this was a horrible idea.

A billionaire doesn’t have the time, bandwidth, or technical aptitude to read articles from an aviation trade publication. Plus, he probably has no problem falling asleep at night.

The flight department leadership are aware of the risks, thus the prohibition of operating at the small airport; they just needed a clean approach to present this information to their boss.

Then I remembered a presentation that I made at the 2016 CHC Safety and Quality Summit in Vancouver entitled “Communicating Safety to the C-Level Executive.” Once I found the presentation, I realized that there were some pretty good tips that may help in this situation.

To level set this conversation, an important point to remember is that an ATP certificate does not equal an MBA degree or other advanced degree—there are some major differences. Similarities may include the way you care about the organization, eat, and drink, but that’s about it.

The most obvious difference is that a C-level executive and a pilot speak two different languages. “C-speak”—the language spoken by high-level executives—is linked to business drivers such as increasing market share, reducing risk, decreasing operating expenses, or reducing employee turnover. Pilots and flight department leaders, on the other hand, converse in aviation speak—a language filled with acronyms and technical jargon that don’t translate well into terms that relate to an organization’s business needs.

Furthermore, the primary role of a high-level executive is to chart the strategic direction of an organization. As such, they may not be involved in the organization’s day-to-day operations and may not understand the intricate details of operating a complex aircraft or running a flight department. So, it’s important not to load the conversation with a lot of complex technical details.

Communicating with executives requires the presenter to be clear, concise, and confident. A recent Forbes article, “How to Talk So CEOs Listen,” offers advice on how to become more effective when communicating with senior leaders. One executive v-p from an industrial company said, “Team members need to stop being afraid and start acting like peers to me.” Another recommends, “Show up like a peer with a point of view.”

After all, in a flight department leadership role, a solid goal is to become the “trusted advisor” to the executive team. That is why they hired you!

Universally, C-suite leaders get frustrated when a speaker is reluctant to take a stand. It is okay to respectfully “rock the boat” and then there are times when it’s appropriate to be neutral and offer options or choices. Move beyond the role of a “pleaser” and take on the strategic role of an executive peer that requires “bringing recommendations about outcomes and benefits to the table.”

If your boss asks, “What do you recommend? You are the expert,” then you’ve reached the level of a trusted advisor.

Three-minute Conversation

Now let’s go back to Mr. HNW and the other Gulfstream. This conversation shouldn’t take too long; do your homework but don’t rehash past presentations on safety management system or go into the gory technical details of aircraft performance. In fact, it’s recommended to prepare a brief three-minute conversation since it’s common for C-suite meetings to be cut short.

First, a reminder that the decision to prohibit Gulfstream operations at the small island airport was based on a consensus between the principal and flight department leadership. This decision was based on reducing the level of risk to the operation while maintaining a high safety margin. This discussion should be related to risk reduction—a common business driver.

Next, a brief discussion on upholding the organization to the highest safety standards, while other operators may choose, based on convenience, to operate with a lower safety margin and are willing to accept more risk. Again: reducing risk and protecting assets.

Reliability and schedule integrity are another benefit to using the larger airport. Using the smaller, less capable airport could result in frequent diversions to other airports.

Finally, the G650ER was purchased due to its ability to operate long-haul business trips from the U.S. to Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Adding another aircraft type, with better short runway performance characteristics, for the Caribbean trips would increase operating expenses, potentially add headcount, and reduce operational flexibility—all of which are negative business drivers.

Here’s one more pro tip from the Forbes article: stop presenting using Powerpoint slides. According to the article, this may be appropriate for certain settings but often this presenting style has an “amateur, junior-level element” to it. All too often the presenter gets flustered by interruptions or questions and seems more intent on getting through the slides rather than having a genuine dialog. Bottom line: slides don’t get respect; conversations that reflect real life do.

Communicating with your boss is completely different than interacting with a colleague on the hangar floor. The conversation should be genuine and direct. Don’t get bogged down in technical details—that’s not what your boss wants to hear. There are many resources available to better understand how to effectively communicate with higher-level executives—it’s worth the effort to learn more.