Sign up for a free subscription
By Kathryn B. Creedy
Gaining the support of male allies is perhaps the most important thing women in aviation can do to change the culture. Fortunately, there many men who support women making their way into careers in aviation.
Tony Kern Calls Out Aviation on Sexual Harassment
Our male allies, including Tony Kern, who is perhaps one of the most outspoken, know any minority brings a unique perspective that goes straight to the bottom line. They know women are as capable, if not more so in some ways, than men. They know they are qualified, and they know they belong. They know that women bring with them an innate ability to help, for efficiency, attention to detail, and an outsized caring to match the needs of the individual with that of the company, which is rapidly becoming a requirement for the modern workplace.
“The culture will never change,” someone I admire, told me recently. I disagree just based on the comments peppering the Inaugural Association of Women in Aviation Maintenance conference held last weekend in Dallas. Participants showed how savvy they were on the male dominated workplace and, more importantly, their preparation for combating the culture that exists, not just to change the culture but to bring more women and minorities into the industry.
The Bridge Builders
I’ve been listening to bridge builders for years including Lane Wallace who writes for Aviation for Women and speaks at the WAI conference teaching us how to build them. But it was Dr. Linda Weiland, an adjunct professor with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, speaking at the AWAM conference, that gave me an insight I’d missed.
This is a two-way street. If we are going to change the culture and build bridges, we need to find out what others in the workplace need.
Many women have noted that we are tasked with solving a problem not of our own making, which is an impossible task. Many men in our workplaces tell us it’s not their problem.
We are also told to be the change we want to see. But how can we solve the ingrained attitudes, instilled at birth, that this is a man’s world?
By building bridges, say both Wallace and Weiland.
In her speech – Inspire a Shared Vision and Set the Stage for Creating an Equitable Workplace through Alliances with Male Coworkers – Weiland discussed how to share your vision for the workplace, the challenges and how collaboration and alliances will find common ground on which to build the change we want to see.
“Start by networking with those around you and build the network so you can bounce ideas off each other,” she said. “Imagine the possibilities. The engagement will set the stage and assist in building the foundation for a commitment to the causes you all want.
“What we’ll be discussing today will assist in a culture shift within the current industry and those that might be drawn to the industry,” she continued. “It’s scary to build alliances with male coworkers and your first hurdle is putting that fear away. When men and women in the aviation maintenance industry collaborate with common ideals, lasting change will happen and there will be more women in aviation maintenance making the industry exponentially stronger for all participants. This collaboration also promotes a safe and efficient workplace that will lead to the growth in the industry.”
Building Alliances Began with Her Duty on Aircraft Carriers
Weiland, the first female in VFA 192 an FA – 18 squadron that deployed to the USS Kitty Hawk and the senior female in the Air Wing’s integration to the aircraft carrier, said she had to learn fast on how to build alliances and integrate women into forward deployment. The Kitty Hawk and airwing and other ships make up the Forward Deployed Naval forces. (Weiland’s background is a correction of the original story which said she was the first women to serve on an aircraft carrier.)
“What’s your vision? What’s your story? Do you know how to share them,” she asked. “How do you feel about forging alliances with males? Will we develop a future for our sisters, our daughters and our granddaughters? We want to lead an industry where women are now only 3% of the workforce to an industry attracting and retaining the best possible talent because it impacts safety, sustainability, profitability and innovation.”
Editors Note: While this speech was about women, we must all realize every word pertains to all the minorities in our industry because it they face the same culture. Bringing all the minorities into our effort is what will finally change the culture because we’ll outnumber them!
She urged listeners to move toward an inclusive culture through outreach and raising awareness and educating the people who would make up our alliances while addressing other barriers that might exist.
“We talk about gender bias and stereotypes, limited female representation in leadership and the workplace culture and harassment,” she said, adding allyship comes with certain actions that include what both males and females can do for each other. “Challenge that bias and those stereotypes, educate yourself, speak up about inappropriate behavior. Identify and address the unconscious bias. Listen and learn. Welcome feedback and be a role model because until they see role models they won’t believe we can have a more equitable workforce. Think about what your words mean because they matter. We also talk about the difficulty of work-life balance but know we have a stronger, better workplace when there’s balance. That means that work has to done on the home front as well with a more equitable distribution of labor.”
Editor’s Note: “We learn more from those who challenge us that all those who pat us on the back combined,” is a philosophy I have held throughout my career and goes to Weiland’s comments about welcoming the feedback with an open mind.
Create a Collective Vision
She advised against trying to impose your vision on others. Build alliances and collaborators by making your vision attractive and by building on everyone’s hopes and dreams.
“Communicate the vision in a way that attracts and excites other members of the organization,” she said. “Our shared experience and understanding helps us build a sense of community which will naturally work better with allies. Connect to what is meaningful to others. You are all there to see to the safe maintenance and movement of aircraft. Address biases in recruitment and promotion.
“Ask colleagues to amplify women’s voices and ideas and ensure you are heard the next time there’s a meeting,” Weiland continued. “Give credit where credit is due. And remember to appeal to your common ideals. Alliances are valuable because our allies can champion women’s accomplishments, advocate for their promotion and secure work on high-profile projects but we must be willing to do that for others.”
There are commonalities, she said, on which we can build our bridges and to find them she advised: “Spending time with the team, listening to it. Deep listening will show you the similar problems and the desire for change. Work with your colleagues to understand their vision and goals and how all of you can be part of the success they seek. Act with integrity, purpose and a sense of growth, belonging and autonomy. Those with a shared vision have more energy to accomplish change.”
Plan for the Long Haul
Weiland cautioned the effort will take time and suggesting the development of a one-, three- and five-year plans.
“Aviation maintenance will change dramatically in the next five years,” she added. “Combating bias and discrimination will never go away but don’t let it depress you. Men must recognize their privilege and power and use it to provide an equal advantage to everyone for the greater good of the company. By sharing their networks and their social capital, men are proactively addressing the challenges we face and implementing inclusive practices so the aviation maintenance industry can attract and retain a more diverse workforce which will ultimately lead to improved performance, innovation and a more equitable workplace for everyone.”
Weiland concluded by urging the audience to keep building alliances and asking coworkers what you can do to make the situation better.
“Make the workplace more inclusive and respectful,” she said. “What I’ve seen in the last 24 hours at this conference shows me we are on the plus side.”
Complete coverage of the Inaugural AWAM Conference is here:
I Love the Smell of a Pregnant Woman in the Morning
futureaviationaerospaceworkforce.com 