FROM THE PUBLISHER
What’s Holding You Back?
I was recently talking to a young person who I know about his career prospects and trying to give
advice on how he might be able to get ahead. Ignoring my advice, he said, “I’m doing exactly what I need to do when I need to do it!” My response was, “Ok then, glad you have it under
control.” But as I walked away, the response kept ringing in my head. After I had the opportunity to sleep on it, his response kept nagging at me more and more — “doing exactly what I need to do when I need to do it.” Then it struck me — isn’t that the defi nition of being stagnant? Isn’t that what someone would do just to remain where they are and not improve or move forward in their career?
By doing just what you need to do you remain static,
in place, and you don’t move. In fact, it can be argued that from a career perspective, as people around you try harder or the environment becomes more and more competitive, only doing what you need to do when you need to do it can actually result in you moving backwards relative to everyone else.
The same applies in business. A business that does only what it needs to do when it needs to do it becomes stagnant. As the business environment gets more and more competitive, its business begins to decline. Moving forward requires eff ort and creativity
BEYOND what everyone else is doing. As a business manager, it’s my responsibility to myself, my family and the people I work with to wake up every day and ask myself, “How can I improve myself today and how can I do my job better?” So I ask you — what can you do to improve yourself or your business today?
Appearance Matters
In this issue of Helicopter Maintenance is an article by Terry Peed discussing appearance in the workplace. I’ve never been a fashion expert and defi nitely prefer T-shirts and jeans or khakis as my wardrobe of choice. I’ve been a mechanic all of my life, and even though I don’t work on aircraft full time anymore, I still work on my own vehicles and repair everything around my home. Because of my own lack of emphasis on my personal appearance, I’ve always felt it’s not the clothes that make the man, but the substance. Even as I say that, I have always wondered why the pilots or fl ight crews seem to get more respect as they walk past in the hangar. As I get older (wait, let’s call it “more experienced”),
I realize that much of how we are treated depends upon how we portray ourselves. It’s not everyone else’s fault how they treat us — it’s ours. Certainly, I continue to have the utmost respect for the substance of a person. I’ve known many mechanics who don’t dress very well, but they are so incredibly skilled that THEY are whom I would put all my trust in when my butt is in the seat. However, I have noticed over the years that a mechanic who dresses well, keeps their tools well organized and presents themselves as a professional tends to get treated commensurate with their appearance. Now let me be clear — I’m not saying that any
particular type of clothing is more appropriate than another. A nice, clean pair of coveralls that is not torn and tattered is just as professional from a maintenance standpoint as a pressed uniform. What are your thoughts on appearance?
We’d like to hear from you. E-mail me at
gnapert@helicoptermaintenancemagazine.com.
Publisher, Helicopter Maintenance magazine
38
HelicopterMaintenanceMagazine.com February | March 2016
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