This issue includes the annual Airport Business list of 40 up-and-comers under 40 years old in our industry. It also marks the first year that Airport Business has partnered with Airports Consultants Council, who provided three judges, to help select the 2015 winners. Many thanks to Carol Lurie, principal and senior planner for VHB; Laddie Irion, senior vice president, National Aviation Market Sector Leader for HNTB CORPORATION; and Courtney Beamon, president of Delta Airport Consultants; for your judging assistance. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Don’t you wish you could have picked them out and hired them a few years ago? Don’t you wish you could pick out the people who will be on the list five or 10 years from now?
True story: On the first day of my first job straight out of college with a Fortune 500 company, I asked my new boss—Dean—a lot of questions about future opportunities for advancement. Dean answered the questions politely, but then explained something that I’ve never forgotten. “Ralph,” he said, “the best way to get a promotion with this company is to do a great job on your current job. We hired you to sell our products. Do that job well and promotions will take care of themselves.”
As I write this column, I do not have any idea who will be on the 40 Under 40 list this year. But I can describe them. They will be 40 people who have each done an exceptionally good job—a great job—performing their assigned duties. Each has excelled at his/her current job!
For you employers, that’s the best way to pick future 40 Under 40 winners (let’s call them FFUFs). Look for employees excelling at what you hired them to do.
FFUFs will be people who show up a few minutes early, dressed properly and ready to go to work. They will always be hunting things to do for the company, rather than a way to sit down for a few minutes. They will be cooperative. They will follow the rules.
Employers will quickly learn that FFUFs are dependable and reliable. If you give them an additional area of responsibility they will see it as opportunity rather than as imposition.
FFUFs have high ethics, are scrupulously honest, and are devoted to customer satisfaction. They want to work for companies that have these same characteristics.
Employers will quickly learn to ask for FFUFs’ opinions on problems and ideas, and will listen carefully to their answers. These people are likely to be well known, influential with and trusted by other employees. If the employer has a new program, process or goal coming out that will affect his/her employees, it may be wise to run it by the FFUF in advance. Explain the details carefully. Get the FFUF’s opinion. If the FFUF sees problems, listen. It will pay off.
BTW, FFUFs do appreciate being appreciated. OTOH, they can take criticism and move on.
Congratulations to the 40 Under 40 for 2015, and to those of the future. The industry appreciates you.
About the Author
Ralph Hood
Certified Speaking Professional
Ralph Hood is a Certified Speaking Professional who has addressed aviation groups throughout North America. A pilot since 1969, he's insured and sold airplanes at retail and distributor levels and taught aviation management for Southern Illinois University.
Ralph Hood is also an award-winning columnist (he writes for several publications), a salesman and sales manager (he sold airplanes, for crying out loud!), a teacher (he taught college-level aviation management) and a professional public speaker who has entertained and enlightened audiences from Hawaii to Spain, and from Fairbanks to Puerto Rico.
- Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), National Speakers Association
- Past member, National Ethics Committee, National Speakers Association
- Past president of Alabama Speakers Association
- Member, Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame
- Past National Marketing Mentor, AOPA Project Pilot