BY CDR TOM GIBBONS, NAVAL SAFETY CENTER
I
have had the privilege to be associated with Naval Aviation Maintenance for more than three decades now. This includes duties in just about all facets and levels of leadership. From Vids Writer to CNATTU CO, I was exposed to myriad examples of good and bad practices that helped form my way of thinking. This business is pretty amazing and very complex. We strive, and sometimes struggle, to meet the production goals that result in successful mission accomplishment. No matter the level of maintenance, we pride ourselves on doing it correctly and “by–the-book”. Those practices equate to doing it safely, and meeting the mission safely is the goal of every leader in our enterprise. So why do we consistently let unfortunate events resulting from bad decisions creep back in to our maintenance practices? Why are we running support equipment into airplanes? Why are we damaging doors and flight control surfaces at an alarming rate? Why are we still using flimsy little fingers to align holes in much harder metal fittings (yes, for those of you that know me – I am missing a part of a finger - NO it wasn’t from that!)? I say “we” because if these events are happening in our outfits, and they are, leadership needs to be accountable for correction and prevention. There are many reasons why these adverse events are happening under our watch. However we have the means to prevent them. So here’s a list of 10 “golden” questions that have helped me focus myself and my peers build a culture of professionalism and quality over the years:
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10
Questions All Aviation Maintenance Leaders Should Ask
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Do you lead by example? Trust me, the more senior you are, the more people are watching you.
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Do you set high expectations or practice acceptance of low standards? Something I learned a long time ago - accept mediocrity and you’ll get exactly that. Set high goals!
Do you give your people time to do proper maintenance? Real time, like the book says – not “I used to be able to do it in this amount of time”.
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Approach-MECH Approach
