More and more loyal pilots at GlobeAir get as far as being released as future commanders and have to demonstrate strong leadership skills. As a CEO, I am always emotionally touched when a pilot who we hired as a young crew member then gets upgraded as commander, so I am today again.
When you are a commander, leadership also has a lot to do with becoming a role model. You have to motivate the pilots who sit next to you in a constant way. That can be sometimes exhausting, and it may require a lot of energy. Leadership is about continuous risk assessment and fast decision making.>
My GlobeAir #DreamTeam is very carefully selecting the potential candidate for being promoted. Once we identify a candidate, we look forward to his or her motivational letter and the successful passing of various assessments before starting the extensive upgrade training.
The intense training takes place on the ground, during classes and with simulator sessions. It mainly focuses on leadership skills and the ability to make the right decisions under stress in normal and abnormal situations to ensure flight safety for all passengers and crew members. In addition, several check-ride sessions complete the upgrade process along with the line flying sessions under the supervision of a senior training commander.
Usually, the next career step of a commander is to become a line training commander. In this position, leadership will be trained to the new commander and joining First Officer.
Being a commander, however, is just one of the many situations when – in aviation – we need to develop and foster our leadership skills. Follow our CEO on social media for GlobeAir news and CEO-driven tips.