Helicopter Supervisors

Greetings from the press room at NBAA. It is the third day of the show, and it has been an exciting one. And talk about big -- NBAA announced that as of yesterday, the two-day attendance total was 32,104. That beats last year's three day total by almost 11 percent, and surpasses the previous record attendance of 31,665 for the 1998 show. There was plenty of buzz on the show floor and at the press conferences. I am excited about the expanded show coverage AMTonline.com has been able to provide thanks to our online editor-in-chief Tom Smith and the interactive team of AMTonline.com. They have done a great job covering the news from the show. If you weren't able to attend the show, be sure to browse the special show coverage on our website. Yesterday, Mary Matalin and James Carville entertained a room full of NBAA attendees speaking about this year's mid-term election and what it means for the country. I was looking forward to listening to these polar opposites speak, and they didn't let me down. Carville threw a jab at his wife telling the crowd "You've heard of helicopter moms -- the ones that hover over their kids all the time? Well, Mary is an adhesive mom -- she sticks right to them all the time." It got me thinking about management types. Unfortunately there are helicopter supervisors in aviation, and even some adhesive ones. You probably know of a few such people. Some would call them micro-managers. They are the ones that have to be involved in everything. By micro-managing, helicopter supervisors give employees the message that they don't trust them. Helicopter supervisors are an obstacle to production. Their excessive meddling can lead to decreased morale on the shop floor. All the time spent hovering over employees takes time away from what the supervisor should really be doing -- leading. Helicopter supervisors should back off. Whether they hover due to insecurity or the need to control, they should learn to lead the team, not hover all around them. By doing that, they can build a cohesive team that is armed with the tools they need to succeed. So, do you know any helicopter supervisors? Thanks for reading. I should probably to go back to the show floor now before my publisher starts hovering over me.  Joe Escobar