As I just crossed over my first year as a Captain at Delta, I'm about to embark on a 5 day trip after a few weeks off spent with family and friends. Over the last several days I've been reading and diving into how to be a better leader, asking myself "what's my leadership style?", and what does leadership mean to me. It's a question that I continuously ask myself as I continue to grow and evolve as a Captain at Delta Air Lines. While we all define leadership in different ways, there's one approach I have come to gravitate towards and it's called LBWA (Leadership By Walking Around).
Part of being a Captain is knowing all the people that are working around you to achieve an ontime, safe, and comfortable flight for our customers. By getting out of the flight deck and letting my teammates know that the flight deck door shouldn't be a barrier to communication, it has helped me see other parts of the operation in greater detail and learning how others support me and our customers. Whether it is just checking in to see how the gate agents day is going, or being out on the ramp in inclement weather as a Captain showing my gratitude towards our aircraft loading agents, being visible, showing support, but most importantly listening to my colleagues, has been a focus this last year.
One of the best parts about the LBWA method is that it has reaffirmed my belief that my peers and coworkers at Delta are all rowing the boat in the same direction. Everyone believes in the mission, understands their role, and goes the extra mile each and every day. It reaffirms to me every flight I work, that the career decision I made to join this organization was the right one. #keepclimbing
