The Three Elements of a Successful FBO Internal Culture

By John L. Enticknap and Ron R. Jackson, Principals, Aviation Business Strategies Group (ABSG)

Customers can get the feel of an FBO from the moment they make first contact, whether it's over the phone, website, email, social media or in person. The feel or impression they get is a direct reflection on the organization's internal culture, which is characterized by the tone and demeanor by which the FBO communicates and delivers its services.

Every FBO should have an idea of the image or impression its internal culture projects. Is it warm and friendly or cold and indifferent or perhaps somewhere in between?

Often times internal culture takes on the persona of the leadership of the company. As an example, let's look at Southwest Airlines. For many years, the company was led by Herb Kelleher, the colorful principal who fostered an internal culture that gave the industry no-frills, low-cost airfares characterized by peanuts — the only snack served in flight. If you've ever flown on Southwest, you would probably have the impression that the flight attendants are full of energy, have a lot of fun and love their job.

At its corporate headquarters at Dallas Love Field in Dallas, Texas, the same kind of culture exists as it does onboard the aircraft. The walls are filled with employee photos having fun, and its human resources department is called the People Department. This is further testament to Kelleher's operating philosophy of people first, customers second and shareholders third. He felt that if you treat your people well as a priority, then this will translate into happy employees, which create a team-spirited culture that proves to be customer centric.

For the FBO industry, many customers who are loyal to specific FBO brands indicate they are driven in their choices by three main internal cultural elements:

                1. A strong safety culture.

                2. A customer-centric or conscious culture.

                3. A team-spirited culture.

In talking and working with many FBOs through our FBO Success Seminar, customer service training program and operational consulting initiatives we find the most successful FBOs incorporate these three internal cultural elements.

With the advent of the Safety Management System (SMS) and IS-BAH registration programs, FBOs are investing more and more in safety risk management. They are finding that aircraft operators, particularly those that fly internationally, are casting a discerning yet favorable eye towards FBOs that have instituted a strong safety culture.

Please leave a comment on this subject below. If you have any questions, please give us a call or send us an email: jenticknap@bellsouth.com, 404-867-5518; ronjacksongroup@gmail.com, 972-979-6566.

ABOUT THE BLOGGERS:

John Enticknap has more than 35 years of aviation fueling and FBO services industry experience and is an IS-BAH Accredited auditor. Ron Jackson is co-founder of Aviation Business Strategies Group and president of The Jackson Group, a PR agency specializing in FBO marketing and customer service training. Visit the biography page or absggroup.com for more background.

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FBO Tip of the Week: Example of Contagious Company Culture: You've Got to Love Southwest Airlines, Part 3 of 3

By John L. Enticknap and Ron R. Jackson, Principals, Aviation Business Strategies Group

In this final blog post about developing a contagious company culture, we'd like to share a short case study of a celebrated aviation services company that has put it all together and shines above the rest: Southwest Airlines.

True, they're not in the FBO business, but for the sake of this blog post, let's call them kissin' cousins.

• Company: Southwest Airlines
• Commenced Operations: 1971
• Years in business: 44
• Years of Profitability: 41 plus and counting
• Market Positioning: Low-cost fares
• Market Positioning Symbol: Peanuts
• Founder/Figurehead: Herb Kelleher

Many have attributed the contagious company culture instilled at Southwest Airlines to Kelleher, a rather colorful business figure who once accepted the challenge of Kurt Herwald, then the president of the FBO/MRO Stevens Aviation, to an arm wrestling match for the right to use a marketing phrase: Just Plane Smart.

"A company is stronger if it's bound by love rather than fear,” Kelleher has said while describing the internal culture at Southwest Airlines.

Perhaps coincidentally, Southwest started its operations at Love Field (DAL), Dallas, Texas, and still marries the heart symbol/graphic with its brand name.

Not so coincidental is Southwest's consistent profitability and its reputation for extreme customer loyalty. The two harmoniously go together, like peas and carrots. And at the heart of its customer loyalty is an internal culture that thrives on purpose.

In past blog posts we've talked about developing a company vision statement that is forward looking and describes what a company wants to become. Southwest's vision statement is: "Our vision is to become the world's most loved, most flown and most profitable airline."

But Southwest also created a purpose statement that essentially states why a company exists: "We exist to connect people to what's important in their lives through friendly, reliable and low-cost air travel."

Both the vision and purpose statements are meant to inform and inspire the primary employee stakeholder group. And to drive home the basic tenets of the purpose statement, Southwest developed a series of short videos. Although you can find them on YouTube, they are primarily targeted for viewing by employees.

They're slices of life and highlight the efforts of employees who go the extra mile because the internal culture inspires and gives them permission to do so without hesitation. Click here to view the video about the company’s vision and purpose statements.

In summary, a contagious company culture is one that is contingent upon a management style that nurtures instead of controls. It acknowledges and celebrates its employees’ strengths and encourages good employee behavior while recognizing their contributions.

As we teach in our Don't Forget the Cheese! FBO customer service training program, what employees seek most from an employer is not a monetary reward, but simple recognition of a job well done.

What has your FBO done to create an outstanding company culture? Let us know in the comments.

About the bloggers:

John Enticknap has more than 35 years of aviation fueling and FBO services industry experience. Ron Jackson is co-founder of Aviation Business Strategies Group and president of The Jackson Group, a PR agency specializing in FBO marketing and customer service training. Visit the biography page or absggroup.com for more background.