CRM: How Do You Survive Working in a Crew Environment?

[FN FAL]

For most of my aviation career, I have been blessed with having the peaceful solitude of flying as a captain in single pilot aircraft. I have had and been a co-pilot on many flights and for the most part, they were wonderful learning experiences, with minor tales to tell.

Please relate your suggestions and experiences with CRM and how you manage to keep the peace in those partnerships.

Below is an excerpt from an MSN article on office jerks, to get this thread started:

1) You make provocative statements to "foster dialogue" or needle others.

2) You often find yourself delivering a discourse consisting solely of buzzwords and catch phrases.

3) You make up nicknames for all of your coworkers and refer to them only by these names. (e.g. "Good job, Chachi!", "I'm going to have to disagree with you there, T-bone!")

4) Your office is completely decorated in your children's pictures and artwork.

5) You have plastered your cubicle with photos of yourself taken with famous people.

6) It is your trademark to recite rhyming or other cutesy messages as your voicemail greeting.

7) The questions you ask at meetings are preceded by long monologues of your views and accomplishments.

8) You routinely eat odiferous lunches at your desk.

9) You bring in dishes that you tried to cook, but didn't turn out quite right as "special treats" for your coworkers.

10) People seem tense -- even panic-stricken -- when they see you coming their way.

11) Others back away from you as you speak.

12) You send flurries of e-mails to the rest of the company telling them what you are doing. (e.g. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bathroom.")

13) You vigorously chew or pop your gum.

14) You wear strong perfume or cologne.

15) You assume your coworkers are fascinated by your personal problems and exploits.

16) You interrupt others while they are speaking or are deep in conversation.

17) You are moody and don't care who knows it.

18) You often give others assignments as they're walking out the door for lunch or to catch the train home.

19) You borrow staplers, scissors and tape from others' desks and forget to return them.

20) Your dialogue with others often end with the other person shouting "You are so annoying!"

If you only counted one or two, not to worry, you can quickly make changes before you're labeled a pest.

If your actions match three to five of these statements, take heed. You are on your way to becoming the source of many an eye roll.

If you do six or more of these on a regular basis, chances are you are already on the office watch list and have been anointed by your coworkers as annoying. It's time to do a reality check and make some changes.

Ask your boss and colleagues for feedback, and be ready to listen. If what you hear doesn't fit your self-image, ask them to help you understand what they are saying by giving examples. You might say: "Tell me more about what I do that leads you to believe that." Then listen, without arguing, defending or justifying your actions.

Remember, there are countless ways to aggravate coworkers -- you can even annoy them by trying too hard to please or being too nice! As long as you avoid the aforementioned behaviors, use your energy for the good of the organization and treat others as you would like to be treated, you should be all right.

And remember, it's perfectly okay to annoy others sparingly. It reminds them that you still exist!


Kate Lorenz is the article and advice editor for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Other CareerBuilder writers contributed to this story.

 

[Tarzan]

When you talk with someone, your so close you can count the skin pores. (Space invaders suck!) If this is you..... Try to stand two arms lengths away. We don't want to smell that breathe.

As a pilot, you forget what that mouthwash is for in the FBO.

 

[semperfido]

life is full of compromises---- the cockpit is no different

 

[TurboS7]

Watch the show Survivor on TV, very similar.

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

You can fly with Godzilla for a month if you have to. Just remember that it is a job and don't take the richardheads personally.

 

[mar]

The pilot as a manager

Yeah, CRM is just managment but a lot of our egos don't see it that way.

I don't have a lot of time but the big things that stand out in my mind (after years of being a single pilot):

--Don't take the other guy's comments personally. Usually most comments have a subtext. Try to hear what he's really saying.

--Personal hygiene is important

--The job of the one pilot is *not* to find mistakes commited by the other pilot. That gets old *real* fast.

--Praise in public. Criticize in private. This is so basic.

--The job of the Capt is to move the airplane safely and efficiently. The job of the copilot is to help the Capt do his job.

--If the Capt gives the copilot a leg that doesn't mean now it's the copilots turn to do it "his way."

--On the other hand, Capts need to let copilots experiment a little.

--Capts need to walk a fine line between saying too little and saying too much. In other words, it's your job to teach but sometimes you just gotta shut up and let the copilot make a mistake.

--Everybody seems to be a lot happier if the Capt acts like a Capt and the copilot like a copilot, etc, etc....

So many of these points were learned on the playground when I was seven years old. I think some of us weren't shown enough affection as a child.

That's all.
Ciao.

 

[BD King]

Yeah, CRM is just managment but a lot of our egos don't see it that way.

I don't have a lot of time but the big things that stand out in my mind (after years of being a single pilot):

--Don't take the other guy's comments personally. Usually most comments have a subtext. Try to hear what he's really saying.

--Personal hygiene is important

--The job of the one pilot is *not* to find mistakes commited by the other pilot. That gets old *real* fast.

--Praise in public. Criticize in private. This is so basic.

--The job of the Capt is to move the airplane safely and efficiently. The job of the copilot is to help the Capt do his job.

--If the Capt gives the copilot a leg that doesn't mean now it's the copilots turn to do it "his way."

--On the other hand, Capts need to let copilots experiment a little.

--Capts need to walk a fine line between saying too little and saying too much. In other words, it's your job to teach but sometimes you just gotta shut up and let the copilot make a mistake.

--Everybody seems to be a lot happier if the Capt acts like a Capt and the copilot like a copilot, etc, etc....

So many of these points were learned on the playground when I was seven years old. I think some of us weren't shown enough affection as a child.

That's all.
Ciao.

Yes. Most, if not all ofthese items, are covered in Robert Serling's classic novel, THE LEFT SEAT.

www.bdkingpress.com