Of Work Things

"f86sabre" (f86sabre)
07/03/2019 at 19:39 • Filed to: Worklopnik

I had opportunities to to talk two leaders about positions in their orgs today. One was for a spot where I would have responsibility for all moving vehicles that we have around the airports except the planes. All trucks, belt loaders, tugs, bin loaders, bag tractors, deice and stuff like that. 15000 powered vehicles and another 25000 items of support equipment. Pretty much a 24/7 tactical role in the company with 15 managers and 300 technicians reporting up to it.

The other role was in our customer care team that is part of reservations. This team works with already ticketed customers prior to their flight. It is looking at process, strategy and internal communication paths in the company. A total staff of 12 including one manager. Totally a strategic spot.

I currently lead an engineering team of 63 including 4 managers. I could keep doing what I’m doing, take on a crazy tactical role or a more cerebral strategic spot. Definitely an interesting fork in the road.

DISCUSSION (30)

MrDakka > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 19:47

Isn't a "strategic role" usually a byword for more money more problems?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 19:48

Already “ticked?” Was that a Freudian slip?

My $0.02: the ground support equipment gig is support and any appreciation shown or paid would be mere lip service, in my experience. Are those 300 technicians union? If so,

Operations? Gotta be cut out for a role like that. If you want to be the Duke of a larger feifdom, then that strikes me as a strategic move.

Stay where you’re at? Decide you want to be what you already are when you grow up? At 54, I made that decision and I am happy with it and pursuing other interests and doing my job the rest of the time.

Age is a factor in all of this. Are you ready to take on some gigantic new learning curve at the current stage of your life? Does your company respect solid managers who are content and not climbers?

For Sweden > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 19:51

Des Customer Care include driving the Porsches

f86sabre > For Sweden
07/03/2019 at 20:06

That would be Airport Customer Service. On point question though. I walked by our COO’s Porsche Panamera Wagon thing today. It was lovely. One of the first into the country. He makes something like 40x more than I do and I do ok. He gets nicer things.

For Sweden > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 20:09

As long as it’s not the FOQA/FDAP/etc route. I spoke to a mid-level data analyst/incident animator at JetBlue. He was living in Brooklyn with a family on $70,000/year. Eek.

f86sabre > For Sweden
07/03/2019 at 20:12

I’ve seen our safety team’s stuff a few times. I want to say we have a software package that largely automates that and uses google Earth for terrain . If they need something fancier they can get it.

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 20:15

I have never seen a tactical role that wasn’t completely oversubscribed, but I work in a different industry.

For me, I would prefer to be in a strategic role more. Unless something is really really wrong they seem to go home more on time and with less stress, even though the work may be technically more challenging.

ttyymmnn > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 20:19

The risk averse voice in my head asks which position has the lowest probability of things going horribly wrong. And which one would require the most hours.

RacinBob > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 20:20

I guess the question is what role do you actually care about. You have an interesting decision.

Do you care more about “software” meaning customers and the people that serve them?

Or do you care more about “hardware” meaning the stuff that has to work reliably and efficiently in order for the enterprise to succeed.

One other wild card. What area do you feel you would really like to disrupt with Artificial Intelligence?.......

RacinBob > RacinBob
07/03/2019 at 20:20

PS - I am really good at Hardware......

f86sabre > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
07/03/2019 at 20:25

All good points. I’m 44. Was a working engineer/lead engineer for 10 years; manager for 8 and GM for a little over 2. I have the best engineering GM gig in the company. Easy. We’ve done some cool stuff and had a real role in making the big D the operation it is.

I have also seen and done about all you could hope to do as an engineering leader. Am I good with a learning curve? Yes. I came to the realization today that I’m craving something hard to dig into.

I do realize that if I make a move like those described I’m potentially stepping away from some equity that I have built up in the industry. I could get a job at a number of places pretty easy right now I think if I wanted to. I also recognize that a move could unlock some doors that I don’t even know exist today. Delta does a good job of supporting and developing good leaders, so you never know where it will go. I was told that with t he care/res role that I could expect to be in front of our President, COO and head of marketing reasonably quickly. Awesome and terrifying all in one.

We are non union except for pilots and dispatchers.

f86sabre > MrDakka
07/03/2019 at 20:26

Same money as I’m making now. Unsure of the problems side. Part of the team’s role will be to act as raining internal consultants looking for best practices. Kind of a different thing than I have been doing.

f86sabre > ttyymmnn
07/03/2019 at 20:30

They told me flat out that the role working with the ground support equipment was massive hours, you can guarantee calls from the highest levels if key equipment breaks and that some of the equipment comes from the 1960s. So, yeah.

The other gig has more direct contact with our top level executives. That could be awesome or they could snap their fingers like Thanos.

f86sabre > RacinBob
07/03/2019 at 20:33

I’m good at hardware too, but I have also come to enjoy the people side. There are some big process stuff in there too that I find interesting.

I’m more excited about the res/care stuff right now because it is so different from where I have been.

ttyymmnn > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 20:36

That first gig feels like being a relief pitcher: to be successful, you have to WANT to be in the game in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded. That’s not me.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 20:39

I am an engineer and will always be an engineer. The management things I have to deal with are really not what I signed up for but I have to do them. I really like “projects” and working with smart and nice clients. I guess think about what you are good at and what you like to do.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 20:40

What I wouldn’t give to talk to some of the engineers that worked on the Volt and/or Bolt...

f86sabre > ttyymmnn
07/03/2019 at 21:01

Pretty much. The previous holder of the job was in there for 20 years. 20!

f86sabre > BaconSandwich is tasty.
07/03/2019 at 21:03

In a good way or in a “come here and let me slap you” way?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 21:05

Sounds like you have the world at your fingertips and you are not too old yet.

I envy your dilemma.

...craving something hard to dig into...

Whom do you report to? Have you expressed this craving to that person? Maybe what you want is not a career change, but a special project ...

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That’s VP talk. Do you have the chops for upper management? Do you have an MBA? You gotta be cut out for that stuff.

Here’s a question: do you want to leave behind the role where you can see stuff getting done for ultimately a role where you become the director of Yada-Yada and only do meetings and politics?

Delta does a good job of supporting and developing good leaders

What does good leaders mean to you?

DarkCreamyBeer > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 21:30

Customer care role has more upward movement potential, so I’d do that.

ttyymmnn > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 21:33

That’s a long time. I wonder how his blood pressure is.

f86sabre > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
07/03/2019 at 21:34

All good points of consideration. I’ve been very lucky in my career, but I’ve made s good bit of my own luck.

I report to a director and have told him about what I would like to be able to do. We have an MD and local VP who have some different ideas about what we should be doing and that plays into things. I’ve done special projects and that’s been fine. Learned a lot.

If it came down to it I think I could hang with upper management. I’ve been around our divisional leadership enough to know there is no magic there and that they put their pants on just like me...using a six handed robot and a lot of butter. Now, our last three CEOs have been very interesting people who I don’t know if I could hang with.

Seeing physical things get done is satisfying, but I appreciate looki ng at the business side as getting a big machine to run smoothly. Lots of the same muscles get stretched.

Definitions of good leaders very. In my opinion a good leader understands the task at hand, has a reasonable vision for competing that task, has the right people, with the right training and tools to do the work and encourages them to get it done without getting in the way. They also build more leaders and encourage people to grow who want to grow.

You are asking good questions!

AestheticsInMotion > f86sabre
07/03/2019 at 21:45

Wow.

That first position sounds like the kind that completely takes over every waking minute of your life. Whatever you choose, good luck!

Leadbull > f86sabre
07/04/2019 at 00:57

Why limit yourself to these options? I hear the guy who runs the credit card division got sacked because he thought 30,000 miles only gets you to Houston and back.

RacinBob > f86sabre
07/04/2019 at 01:51

Res/ Care - Like assisted living.......?

BaconSandwich is tasty. > f86sabre
07/04/2019 at 08:27

I n a good way. I'm hoping my next car (in 2-3 years) will be a first generation Volt. I hear almost nothing but good things about them. I'm trying to learn as much as possible about EVs, their design, etc. I figure the next generation of hot rods will be electric, and there's a lot of neat potential there. I think it'd be awesome to use a Volt battery pack and shove it into a homemade Locost, instead of the usual gas engine.

f86sabre > RacinBob
07/04/2019 at 08:41

Basically, res is reservations. They handle the booking and point of sale. Care works with the customer after the sale is made, but does not include interactions at the airport.

f86sabre > BaconSandwich is tasty.
07/04/2019 at 08:44

I have a friend who is a senior mechanic at a big GM dealership in town, he says the Volts are pretty good cars.

I would love to see one of the OEMs come out with a selection of electric “crate motors” that came with batteries, controllers and motors that could be used in multiple applications.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > f86sabre
07/04/2019 at 12:14

I'd love that as well. It kind of sounds like GM did a good job on the Bolt motor, almost like they planned on using it in a variety of vehicles. I'm not sure if you've seen it, but there's a Camaro they have done up with an electric motor, and it sounds like they thought about offering it as a crate motor option. I think it's unlikely they would do so, but I do think it's coming.