The road to heaven must be going opposite to the way I am heading now. I knocked the door, and this little guy with the moustache scratching his face says: You may come in. The door is unlocked. I came to discuss the results of the last CAA audit we went through last week. The air is fresh and thickens my breath, which makes me feel good. My boss asked to help this guy. He was a bank manager before he landed in the aviation industry. Learning, acquiring new skills has always been the backbone of my life, so I agreed on helping.
As I always do, I was reviewing quality and management publications to benchmark my insights of right things to be done and how to achieve them to manage the company aligned to mission, vision, values and objectives. It’s sort of an obsession to make things right in my life. My mom had told me when I was a kid: Whether you solve an algebra problem or make butter bread, you have to do it properly!
We were reviewing all the records and he was insisting on figures. We did not discuss anything about preventive measures or management. He was telling me he was better than last year, because the auditor did not detect any findings this year. Last year we had nine findings. So, we improved! he shouted with this aggressive excitement matching his insensitive manners. I just came to work for this airline and saw things like this:
- Dangerous goods not accepted using the required checklist.
- Training not always delivered, but records were always made and signed like actually done.
- Security threats not analyzed for risks to the operation.
- Instructors not selected as to the requirements set out.
- Pilots check rides outcomes not scrutinized by anyone though performance was not proper.
I remember sending my report to my boss: the CEO. He told me he had no time to discuss this with me. He had to attend a bunch of meetings with a gas and oil company for a contract renewal. I thought these non-conformances I found are also important to be solved not only for the contract, but to preserve passengers’ lives and company assets. No way. We did not have that meeting.
Then, I was at my office opening a blog link that aligned with no doubt to my insights: Compliance is a path that tells me I am rendering services pursuant to standards, but still management is not necessarily assured. Management must be the umbrella of my compliance. What does this mean? It’s not words game. Just speaking in Layman’s terms: My management must drive me rendering services with a process-based approach. Standards are there. They are indicators that I must meet, so industry and users feel sure. To comply with them, company employees need to understand that one part of what they do is the input for the next step, and this will make the difference. This will assure the product or service matches the terms, the requirements, and the compliance. Once we understand this, believe me, we are making management: The ultimate and essential objective.
But what was the message I read in this cognidox blog? It says that “in 2017 KPMG noted that nearly half of all companies interviewed in a global study functioned with only a basic approach to quality processes in place. From this baseline and without an understanding of what a more holistic approach to quality management could achieve, there might be little incentive to do much else than ‘tick those boxes’ and carry on with business as usual. On the other hand, the McKinsey study we explored in this blog a few weeks ago showed that in every case where a company accepted the ‘quality challenge’ – the commercial and creative benefits to the business were felt almost immediately.”
I had to turn back home to see my little kid and his sisters. My wife called me to warn me on a surprise dinner. I still have to buy a new book to read this week. No rush is safe. That is my management, but I am so happy and willing to be with my family, which is my compliance that I am not sad these two are not always matching. But a kiss from them makes it all clear.
