Job title: Managing director
Company: Air Miles Travel Promotions
How would you describe the different cultures at BA and Air Miles?
At BA its manuals, forms and processes. Its culture is very rigid. But whereas at Air Miles I couldnt go to a folder and give you the new appraisal process, I can almost guarantee that individuals here feel they have more one-to-one interaction with their manager than youd get with BA.
At BA you jointly led the cross-functional team that evaluated, designed and implemented flat beds in business class. What HR lessons did you learn?
It taught me more than anything about involving people in what youre doing, keeping them abreast of and communicating developments, and bringing people together to talk about the issues.
What did you find most frustrating on the flat beds project?
Having a situation where you couldnt get everyone to agree on a common direction. If you can see a clear picture and yet other people are unable to see that picture then you realise that a lot of the time its about how youre communicating. Different audiences require different ways of communicating. So it might be okay to talk to a very analytical network development chap in a hard-headed and logical way. But when youre talking to the cabin crew representatives, they are more interested in how it is likely to affect their ability to serve a cup of tea in the middle of the night.
How far do you push people?
I believe you only get the best from somebody when they are operating at the edge of their capabilities. Theres the comfort zone, the uncomfortable zone and the terror zone and the only reason I exist is to keep people on the edge of the uncomfortable zone but not in the terror zone.
How do you nudge people into the uncomfortable zone?
I say to people that the most important thing is when theyre going up the ladder not to look down. I want them looking up. But if they fall, Ill be there and Ill catch them and put them back up. And they will keep climbing because you can climb faster looking up than you can looking down.
Can managers solve their own work/life balance issues?If you said to me I have to work 60 hours a week and I can choose to do so in any combination of ways I desire I would probably never need to be in this office. And certainly rather than having to get up at 6.00 on a Sunday morning to go golfing I could take an afternoon off every week and do my emails on Sunday morning. But Id feel uncomfortable about taking a Monday morning off. Because the perception would be that hes skiving why isnt he working on a Monday afternoon and doing his emails on a Sunday morning?