August 19 – 25 has been the celebration Aviation Appreciation Week. 
Declared originally by President Theodore Roosevelt, it occurs during the birthday of one of America’s first pilots, Orville Wright, and meant to celebrate America’s development of aviation.
The role of ‘pilot’ is to guide the direction and safe arrival of an aircraft. And, in your business? Your ‘pilot’ might be a few different people. For an example, one pilot you have is the one who helps guide someone’s impressions and expectations of your business. That’s the person who answers outside calls or emails and sets the tone of the experience the caller is likely to have with your company. Is it consistent? And, more importantly, is it the experience you want the caller to expect? How can you ensure your ‘pilot’ is guiding the caller to the best possible experience with your business?
Another pilot might be your salesperson, charged with building your company’s relationships and revenues. Very likely, they attend business networking or conference events on your behalf. They’re your outside ambassador, spreading your reputation, your promises and policies; or are they? Do you have an easy ‘cheat sheet’ for them to refer to regarding your tag line, current promotions, negotiation guidelines, case studies they can use or even some tips on a dress code that can ensure the experience a prospect or networking partner has with them accurately reflects what they can expect once they explore doing business with you on ‘the inside’?
A third pilot in your business is the team leader or department head. This person sets the tone for how the employees, sharing a common mission of productivity, will relate to and support each other. That pilot need clarity about each person’s communication style and how to harness them for motivation and feedback without turning anyone off. Should that happen, your larger company goals can be set back, badly. And, while it may not be the case for you, often team leaders achieved their role as a reward for some success they had with a product or process. Meaning they’ve moved from responsibility for things to responsibility for people, much more complicated and dynamic. You can help this pilot steer their portion of company goals with some leadership training and an understanding of communication styles.
A great pilot for that task is your Human Resources professional. Whether a member of staff or an outsourced company, the HR pro is well versed in the resources you can use to ensure all your ‘pilots’ are delivering the message you want them to communicate and have the training to handle challenging situations well, just as any pilot needs during storms or other onboard upsets.
The final pilot you might consider is yourself – the overall leader of your company and its team members, whether employed or outsourced. It’s you who crafts the company culture with clarity and enforcement of values, priorities and policies. These are your flight tools to build consistency for all interactions within or without your workplace. They’re the foundation to ensure your business reaches its chosen destination, whether at 30 days, quarterly, annually or at its distant envisioned future.
Got the right team in place and aware of their role to guide the company forward? We’re here to help as your co-pilot!