YoPros and a Sense of Purpose

?By Andy Nixon

In the employee landscape today, the importance of career satisfaction heavily outweighs financial compensation.?90% of millennials would trade money for a workplace purpose.??

What is a sense of purpose? This term often comes up while speaking with YoPros about what they want in a career. Boiled down, individuals work hard, driven by goals he or she has; not because they “must work”. For the younger generation, that purpose could simply be attending industry functions. Take this young man’s experience – “I was banned from attending business aviation events.” he mentions. “My boss at the time made me share the location on my phone to prove I wasn’t attending BACE last year.” Wow. Not only is that illegal, the company did not provide a phone, but shines a light on the fact management needs guidance, much like we claim the YoPros do. Much like a personal relationship without trust, this working relationship did not go far.

As a third party, our company often hears “we at?insert aviation company?do things differently than our competitors.” No, you don’t. With dependable labor hard to come by right now, many companies in our industry are providing financial incentives in the form of hiring bonuses or retention bonuses. Incentives we don’t see are clear paths to management, healthy doses of PTO, and other perks that many companies outside our industry provide. Teach the younger generation life skills many of us lack. Can you imagine being a YoPro and working for a company that provides financial education, tips on taxes, or other useful information? One incentive we initiated for our team linked performance to the company paying for flight hours. Our closing rate increased, the sales team went flying, and we brought something enjoyable to the table. Carve a path for the YoPros in your organization. Provide a road map that if followed, will unlock new responsibilities and challenges. Keep in mind that adding the aforementioned items should also include a vacation or pay increase to accompany it.

As a business, do you express interest in what your employees want? When employees leave, do you take the exit interview seriously or just wave a hand at the quitter? Not all who leave are disgruntled. A majority are searching for some type of enlightenment. The value of suggestions obtained by asking others is vast. Unfortunately, many leaders surround themselves with the dreaded “yes men or women” who agree with everything management says. Although it boosts the ego, company health will suffer. On the YoPro side, they leave due to being pigeon-holed or frankly don’t find the work rewarding. I always joke that I was a terrible employee. I could never just “go with the flow” of an established business. I become bored with the routine, which was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it led to my wife and I starting MRO Insider. A curse because upper management didn’t like my drive, leading them to wonder why I couldn’t just come to work, sit down, and be grateful to have a job.?

The drive from the younger generation makes long-time employees with deep roots feel pressured to perform at a higher level. In the real world, even founders get fired. In our industry, we leave people in key positions because finding another employee is difficult.

Autonomy with YoPros is another management technique that can do wonders within your organization. By providing autonomy, leadership steps back and becomes a guiding hand when needed. Leadership will also find themselves dishing out genuine compliments on the work being completed, without micromanagement. Our team knows they can do?almost?anything to make our users happy, and they do. Along the same line as autonomy comes schedule flexibility. YoPros know the job must be completed. Many don’t understand why, due to a lack of communication and feeling like part of the overall team, but they know it must be done.?

Looking into my past and future, I realize I’ve been granted one life. I know I’m searching for more than a work retirement party with a cake. Loyalty is a great thing for any business but providing a work environment and career path that is exciting and challenging will have employees sticking around for genuine reasons. They will share your vision and excitement and carry those forward. My employees make me look good.?

I invite everyone to reflect on the driving force for getting up in the morning. What do we strive for? Money? Not really. Many folks young and old need enough to be comfortable and have fun. After those needs are met, it’s time to think outside the box. Offer me a couple of “mental health days” each month to regroup. Give me a goal that awards a trip for two somewhere warm, and then watch me crush it. If I choose to leave your organization, don’t throw money or incentives at me to stay. You should have offered that when you recognized my value.?

As an employee in business aviation, be aware that leadership is busy during these challenging times. If you have a chance to form a council or committee, take the initiative to find out what works and what does not. Present it to leadership and you will be surprised by how responsive they are. If they aren’t responsive, polish your resume. It takes a village to run a successful business. If people are willing to pitch in and share an understanding of the course, changes can be made along the route that will increase happiness and productivity.?

Allow the YoPros within your organization to have a voice and opinion on what comes next. Without fail, leaders will be amazed and proud of what can be accomplished. Look down the road in years, not months. By this, you will have an organization that YoPros will flock to.?