Are you in control?  Do you need to feel you are in control?  Certain personality types do indeed need to be in control.  There is a a clear human factors term for this … “Perceived Control”.  According to Human Factors in Aviation published by Academic Press, “many experiments document its positive benefits in minimizing effects of stressful situation”.

The book used it to illustrate why pilots may not be keen on automation in the cockpit — they want perceived control.  They want to, and probably feel they have to, control their environment as they are responsible for the safety of the passengers and aircraft, and for the timeliness of the flight.

I’m sure you can relate to this … think of an unpleasant or uncomfortable situation you may be in .. let’s say your team members are stressed [nah!] and one particular team member’s reaction [not response] to shout aggressively.  This, in turn, stresses you out and makes for a rather unfriendly and unhealthy environment. 

For you to feel you are in control of these events, you may strike a deal with the person that when you think the other person is coming on too strong, that you put up your hand [remember "Talk to the Hand"?].  You may never put up your hand, yet you truly believe you are in control of the situation – that you can stop their aggressiveness at any time simply by putting up your hand.

That can allow you to not become as stressed, to handle the situation more easily. 

What actions do you take so you believe you have control of the situation?

Wow … talk about two completely separate perspectives!  In this article about Notre Dame’s 2009 Commencement Speaker:

In a statement issued Monday, the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president, said Obama will be honored as an “inspiring leader” at the commencement.

“Of course, this does not mean we support all of his positions,” Jenkins said. “The invitation to President Obama to be our Commencement speaker should not be taken as condoning or endorsing his positions on specific issues regarding the protection of human life, including abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Yet, we see his visit as a basis for further positive engagement.”

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“President Obama has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred,” Bishop John D’Arcy said in a statement issued Tuesday. “While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life.”

“I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well,” the statement continued. “I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith ‘in season and out of season,’ and he teaches not only by his words — but by his actions.”

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David Constanzo, communications director for the Cardinal Newman Society, said Notre Dame’s tradition of inviting sitting U.S. presidents to its commencement should be rethought.

“There is a time when policies need to be reconsidered in light of the fact that the individual invited may have a history of standing in direct opposition to some of the most prominent aspects of our faith — the biggest case in point is that of the pro-life agenda,” Constanzo said. “The obligation of Notre Dame as a Catholic institution is to follow the directives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who clearly stated in 2004 that Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles.”

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George Weigel, a Catholic theologian and distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said the invitation is not a “neutral act” and will significantly damage Notre Dame’s reputation in Catholic circles following Obama’s decision to reverse restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and for family planning groups that provide abortions.

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But Ralph McInerny, a philosophy professor at Notre Dame for more than 50 years, likened the invitation as a “deliberate thumbing of the collective nose” at the Roman Catholic Church.

“By inviting Barack Obama to be the 2009 commencement speaker, Notre Dame has forfeited its right to call itself a Catholic university,” McInerny wrote in a column for The Catholic Thing. “It invites an official rebuke. May it come.”

Can you see both sides?  People’s perceptions are their reality — I don’t see an amicable solution to this situation – do you?

Did you watch Week 4 of The Celebrity Apprentice?  What a prime example of conflict in the workplace .. sometimes passive aggressive, sometimes downright attacking.  Claudia vs. Melissa … a classic re-enactment of how two very strong personalities clash.   And Donald’s response?  Certainly not to tolerate emotions infiltrating the workplace!

If you have not seen this episode, in the US check Saturday evening …. it may be a repeat.  The teams are selling cell phones.

Let me know what you think!

Or are they going overboard?  From Aviation Industry Press – Daily Newsletter Wednesday 18 February 2009

Ground all twin turboprops?

The former chairman of the US National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) has stunned the aviation community with his recommendation to ground all twin-engine turboprop passenger aircraft until the end of the on-going investigation into a recent fatal accident of a Bombardier Q400 near Buffalo, New York. He argues that due to the lower speed, ice can build up quicker on turboprops than on jets and can lead to greater ice accumulation.

Icing may have been a factor in the Buffalo crash - the pilots reported “significant” icing on the approach to the airport. Other flight crew reported icing conditions on the night of the accident, including pilots of similar types to the Q400, none of which were considered “severe”.

 

Aside from possible ice build-up, controversy surrounds whether or not the pilots should have had the autopilot engaged before the crash. While current regulation requires the flight crew to disengage the autopilot only in “severe” icing conditions, the NTSB has in the past recommended to the FAA that it may be advisable to fly the aircraft manually in light-to-moderate icing conditions. This point, however, comes back to the question of whether or not the ice-build up was “severe”. The NTSB investigation team has thus far denied allegations the Colgan Air were acting incorrectly by keeping the autopilot engaged.

 

It is no wonder the FAA and industry have dismissed the radical recommendation to ground all twin-engine turboprop aircraft. However that it came from the former chief accident inspector himself - while the investigation is still going on and no clear indication of the cause has been given - is a surprise indeed.

- Michael Gubisch, staff writer, Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance

Is this another instance of targeting what is the most visible and not focusing on the real problem, the root cause? Or is it simply reacting to the public’s perception so it appears that action is being taken. 

Aviators and non-aviators, let me know what your opinion is on this topic.

Can you imagine …. anyone in the Trump family claiming they are a victim?  “The Donald’s” daughter, Ivanka, told FOXNews that “I am sorry for everyone but we are in the same boat,” Trump said. “We had to terminate our contract because our agreements weren’t obligated either.”

In December of 2006, hundreds of units were sold and $32 million collected for a luxury resort project in Baja California. Buyers were recently told by developers that the project has gone bankrupt. Now those buyers are suing Donald Trump, but Trump claims he just licensed his name to the project, but was never its developer.

Attorney Daniel King represents 69 buyers who lost money in the deal and alleges the buyers were misled by trump.

“The evidence, all throughout the time that the buyers were being sold the units and throughout the time after the units were sold to them, it was constantly represented…that this was a Trump development and he, in fact, was the developer,” said King in an interview with FOX Business Network correspondent Louise Pennell.

Were the buyers mislead?  Was the property misrepresented?  Did the potential buyers hear what they wanted to hear?  Did they draw inaccurate conclusions?

It wasn’t what was said, it’s what they think they heard.

Your words, voice tone and inflection can elicit powerful emotions from others, without you realizing it.

“Fightin’ Words” are those words that can trigger your emotions and cause you to become defensive.  In my leadership and communication workshops, participants do a skit using as many of these words they can.

Although each group comes up with different words, there are some that are universal:

• “But …”
• “Yeah-but…”
• “Whatever…”
• “Yeah, right…”
• “It’s not my job / responsibility…”
• “My workday is done…”
• “Like I said before…”
• “In my previous email I said…”
• “And…?”
• “What’s your question?”
• “I don’t understand this..can you explain it to me?”
• “You didn’t tell me!”

A fellow traveler in the Orlando airport said one of his fightin’ words was any sentence starting with the word:“Look”

I’ve been twittering on this, and thanks to Jason for “take care” and “can you tell me why?” and Galynn for “you people”.

How about you? Twitter Me or Contact Me and let me know your personal fightin’ words.

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In the stresses of today’s political climate, we become inwardly focused.  We are less cognizant of how we respond to our internal customers – pilots, schedulers/dispatchers, mechanics, flight attendants, even our boss – than we are to our external clients – executives, admins, passengers – and those other personalities we deal with – FBO’s, line service personnel, handlers – fall somewhere in between.    Being aware of how you react to stress is key to avoiding conflict.  Read my blog for details on regression and how it impacted the 1982 Malaysian Airbus accident.

With the massive thrust of technology putting our communication in a high-speed time warp:

“When you draw your own conclusions from a story or symbol,” Ingram said in his lecture, “you are engaged in the creation of the message, you are active in creating meaning. That affects commitment.”

Consider direct versus symbolic communication: direct missives — such as a mass email — are fast and clear, they create authority and allow little room for misunderstanding. However, they are not very powerful messages; the more people who receive the message, the less power the message contains.

“Direct communication can be cheap talk,” said Prof. Ingram. “It doesn’t have much credibility.”

How often are you involved in the creation of the messages you receive and the meaning of those messages?  Are you drawing your own conclusions, or are you letting others interpret their data for you, and you are content with their results?

It’s not what you said, it’s what they think they heard.

America’s vanishing cars

Wow …. sounds like the beginning of “Without a Trace” or the ending of “The Ghost Whisperer” when, in those shows, people fade away.  Will we be on the highways and see cars disappear, right before our eyes?

The article focuses on how the number of new cars is declining and this number is now lower than the number of cars turned into junkyards.  It continues to say that the economy is contributing to fewer miles being driven.

Let me ask you … what went through your mind when you read the first line of this blog?

It’s not what was written, it’s what we think we read.

In a recent Business Journal,  an HR consulting firm assures executives that their staff are not working harder, thankful they still have a paycheck. 

If telling your team members how much you appreciate them, how valuable they are to the company, and how you value their service is difficult for you, you may have problems. 

The good news [or the bad news, depending on your comfort zone] is that throwing money at your employees is not necessary to show your appreciation.  Positive feedback is at an all-time important high now. 

Thank them for their loyalty, for their dedication, for their “hanging in there”.  Thank them for taking on more work than they had before.  Buy them pizza for lunch, or chicken or sandwiches.  Let them leave 30 minutes early on a Friday.  If they sit at their desk a long time, take them snacks.  Or a cup of coffee. 

Be specific when you thank them … and let them know what impact they had to the company.  Let them know that they are an integral contribution to the company’s bottom line.

Making them feel like they matter and are important to you will increase their loyalty to you.  And who doesn’t want more loyal employees?!

If you have a creative way to show appreciation, comment here and let us know.

Thoughts are remembered more easily when you create a mental picture in the mind of your reader or listener.  The following is thanks to my Fort Worth FireFighters and Fort Worth Policeman students.  I recently traveled up to Fort Worth and was greeted enthusiastically by Battalion Chief Johns, Lt. Stevens and the rest of the class:

Controlling the the finite skills of comm under extreme duress

Even a blind hog finds an acorn every once in a while

Identify the box, make sure people don’t stray to far from the edges, be nice and play fair…all that stuff we learned in kindergarten

The leaders are in the trees pointing us in the direction and the managers are behind us sharpening the axes and feeding us to keep us moving through the forest

We had a recruit in this class and in those simplistic terms he would not play fair, carry his own load, he actually became a cancer to the rest of the class

Just like cancer cells multiply if you do not treat them or remove them, if we would have not up held the standards, his attitude would have spread to the rest of the class