FROM THE EDITOR HAVE PASSION!
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR JOE ESCOBAR
jescobar@DOMmagazine.com | 920.747.0195
W
hat is the secret to happi- ness? The answer is prob- ably different for every-
body. Here’s an observation: people who have passion and enjoy what they do are often successful, while “success- ful” people aren’t always happy. The maintenance managers we
have profiled in D.O.M. magazine have a passion for what they do. Each of them started out at the bottom. Whether it was as a mechanic or avionics technician in the military or the green mechanic on the hangar floor with the ink still wet on his or her A&P certificate, they began in those entry-level positions. They didn’t whine and complain about having to do menial jobs like fuel cell work and filter changes to begin with. Instead, they absorbed as much knowledge as they could from their peers. They rose up the ranks, passionately learning as much as they could along the way. They took advantage of opportunities to learn from those around them. They honed their skills and helped others succeed. While their passion isn’t for the money, money has come to them because of their passion for success.
This month’s cover story is about another example of passion leading to success. Who could say that Sammy Pence doesn’t have passion? What reason other than passion would drive someone to hurl himself off a horse towards a bull in the hopes of wrestling it to the ground? His employees see his passion as he spends his time on the floor listening to their concerns and ideas and helping them grow as individuals and employees. That passion has been evident to upper management at the company, as he has been given opportunities for career advancement. His success isn’t because of luck — it’s because of his passion and hard work. There are some who are content with having a job in aviation. They are the ones who might say, “I’m just a mechanic.” They show up to work on time and do their jobs. They are knowledgeable about the aircraft they work on and are comfortable working on the same aircraft and systems their whole careers. The opportunity to move up to higher-paying jobs that come with more responsibility doesn’t interest them. They are content where they are. There are others who hate their
jobs. They stumbled into aviation maintenance and aren’t happy. They don’t like the work they do and aren’t satisfied with the pay. They want to land jobs that pay more, but their negative attitudes get them passed up for promotions. They might get a job as a mechanic at another company, maybe even for more money, but they are never happy. Then there are those who have passion. They learn as much as they can about their craft, attend trade shows to learn about the latest technology, and attend manufacturer technical seminars to learn new
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information about the aircraft on which they work. Many obtain college degrees. They set themselves up for success.
Remember — a college education
doesn’t guarantee success, and neither does an A&P certificate or an inspection authorization. Degrees, certificates and professional licenses can open up doors of opportunity, but if someone uses their education and training to enter a career he or she isn’t passionate about, will success follow? Maybe, if their idea of success is making money, but they won’t be happy. I toured a maintenance facility in Indiana a few years back. The mechanics there were in the middle of a contract negotiation with the airline for which they worked. They were highly paid (some of the highest in the industry) with great benefits, but almost every one of them was miserable. One person told me he got physically sick every Sunday because he knew he had to go to work the following day. “I hate my job,” he told me. “But I am stuck here. I can move to a different part of the country and get a good job, but my wife’s family is from here and she doesn’t want to move. So I come to work and do a job I hate because there are no other jobs in this area that come close to the pay and benefits of this job.” Dentists make good money. But
we wouldn’t want someone who isn’t passionate about being a dentist drilling on our teeth, would we? So why should a corporate CEO want to hire a DOM to take care of their airplane if that person isn’t passionate about their job? Thanks for reading. Keep that passion burning! – Joe Escobar
DOMmagazine
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