The Aerospace Executive Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Leading an aircraft carrier with a 5,000 person crew is like running an entire city. The flight deck is dangerous, the number of moving parts is countless, the stakes are high. and the magnitude of responsibility is unparalleled. 

How do you deal with all this and still manage to be an approachable leader with the respect and loyalty of your crew? Why is delegation THE key to success? 

In this episode, I’m joined by retired Navy captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Brett Crozier. He talks about his incredible career, his philosophy on leadership and what any leader can learn from running an aircraft carrier.

Never overreact. The truth is always in the third report. -Brett Crozier

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

- The curse of the founder: Delegation is key to leadership efficiency, but why do so many leaders struggle to offload certain responsibilities? 

- How to be an approachable leader: The temperament of a leader has a huge effect on the culture, how do we keep our emotions in check? 

- The right way to process information: We live in a world of unfiltered information and rushes to judgment. How do we manage this as leaders?

For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://goo.gl/3piJkw. To learn more about Craig Picken and the NorthStar Group, visit http://northstaresg.com/.

Guest Bio 

Brett Elliott Crozier is a retired US Navy captain and the author of “Surf When You Can: Lessons in Life, Loyalty, and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain”. He embarked on a thirty-year career in the Navy, flying dozens of combat missions over Iraq and leading at the highest levels of operational command. He served as the commanding officer of a combat F/A-18 strike fighter squadron, the world’s largest and most advanced communications ship, and ultimately the USS Theodore Roosevelt before retiring from the Navy in 2022.

Learn More About Your Host:

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior level leadership, sales and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well known aircraft OEM’s, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. 

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity, and hit the business goals of the companies he serves.

Check out this episode on our Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to download the Apple Podcasts app and leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more people. Thank you!

If all you’re known for is what you do, you’ve basically rendered yourself uncompetitive. -Ken Schmidt

For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://goo.gl/3piJkw. To learn more about Craig Picken and the NorthStar Group, visit http://northstaresg.com/. 

In a competitive marketplace, nothing kills you faster than trying to brand yourself on your product or service. That’s a lesson Harley-Davidson learned the hard way. 

At one point, the company was being outpaced by Yamaha, Kawasaki and BMW…until they decided to position themselves differently. They went from a product-focused business to a thriving lifestyle brand, and that turned into one of the biggest turnaround stories in American history. 

If you focus on what you sell, you’ll render yourself uncompetitive. If you focus on what people believe and say about you, you’ll create a unique brand no one can copy. 

That’s how a historic company became an iconic brand. 

How can we apply Harley-Davidson’s strategy to our own personal and corporate brands? How do we focus on memorability instead of marketability? 

In this episode, I’m joined by speaker, consultant, former director of communications for Harley-Davidson and author of “Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road to Dominance”, Ken Schmidt. We talk about the secret to strong branding, whatever industry you’re in. 

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

• The lesson Harley Davidson learned the hard way In business, competing on what we do is the death knell of market domination. How do we shift to something that sets us apart? 

• A game of memorability Building a brand is easier said than done, what are 3 major steps we need to take to build a strong personal or corporate brand? 

• Stand out by delighting your customers So many businesses are commoditized these days and they miss huge opportunities to stand out and gain loyalty. How do we get customers to come back for more? 

Guest Bio

Ken Schmidt is a premium-fueled speaker, podcast host, author and consultant serving the world's highest- revving businesses (and those stuck in neutral). As the former director of communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Company, he played an active role in one of the most celebrated turnarounds in corporate history – and got paid to ride motorcycles. He is widely known and respected as one of the business world’s most outspoken, provocative, and entertaining thought leaders on competition, brand management, positioning, reputation management, human behavior, and loyalty, and has delivered more than one thousand keynote speeches to business and education groups around the globe. Ken’s book “Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road to Dominance” teaches how to improve business and personal competitiveness and is shared from his, as always, extraordinarily unexpected point of view. To learn more, head to https://kenspeaks.com/ and buy the book here. 

About Your Host

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well-known aircraft OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. 

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes, AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity and hit the business goals of the companies he serves. 

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to download the Apple Podcasts app and leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more people. Thank you!

What happens when the aviation industry faces the gargantuan task of catching up to a constrained supply chain? The opportunity shifts. Everyone has accepted the reality that manufacturing is highly limited and that planes have to fly longer, so the aftermarket is white hot.

If you own IP and you’re driving the aftermarket, you’ll be fine for a while, but is this opportunity being felt across the industry or just limited to this corner?

The truth is there are different things occurring in different sectors. Many sectors are leaving la la land and heading back to normalcy which makes for some interesting developments. Other sectors are in dire need of innovation. What are the biggest areas of concern and opportunity? In this episode, Founder and President of Alderman & Company, Bill Alderman returns for a quarterly aviation check-in. We talk about the commercial supply chain, the aftermarket, defense and business jets.

There is a lack of capacity throughout our entire industry of aerospace and the after market is white hot. -Craig Picken

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

-Never bet against American innovation

Russia’s tech is stale, but the real concern is China. What should this country be doing to shore up our defense industrial base and what’s at stake if we don’t? 

-Biz jets…we’re leaving la-la land

All things related to business jet aviation did really well in the pandemic. Why is the sector continuing to cool off now?

-The white hot aftermarket

There is light at the end of the supply chain tunnel, but it’s a long, long tunnel. How is this going to affect the aftermarket? 

Guest Bio

William ‘Bill’ Alderman is the Founder and President of Alderman & Company which are aerospace and defense M&A bankers. Bill has always had a passion for aviation and is both a commercial pilot and aircraft owner. Today, he uses his expertise, coupled with his interests to represent Middle Market Sellers in the Aerospace and Defense industry. 

To find out more, go to: https://aldermanco.com/ 

Learn More About Your Host:

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well-known aircraft OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. 

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes, AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity and hit the business goals of the companies he serves.

If there’s one thing that could characterize our present moment, it’s a general sense of unhappiness. People just aren’t content in their jobs anymore, and as a result, they’re quitting en masse. Thus, The Great Resignation.

What’s behind this general discontent and what can we do about it? 

Is there a simple solution or do we need to dig deeper to reach the roots of the issue?

In this episode, MR Fairfax’s Robert Houghton and I are diving deep into The Great Resignation and what it means for your business.

It’s less expensive and more beneficial to pay a great employee a little more than you want than it is to have them quit and need to replace them. -Craig Picken

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

• The true extent of The Great Resignation How many people are really leaving their jobs, or dropping out of the workforce altogether, and why are they doing it? 
• 1 thing employees want more Are we doing enough to ensure our employees are actually happy in our organizations? 
• How to retain top talent against the backdrop of The Great Resignation What will it take to retain the top players on our teams?

Learn More About Your Host:

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior level leadership, sales and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well known aircraft OEM’s, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. 

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity, and hit the business goals of the companies he serves. 

Guest Bio-

Robert Houghton is an executive recruiter and the President of MR Fairfax, the #1 recruiter in the Mid-Atlantic region specializing in insurance and financial services. As a well-established former CEO of several successful business enterprises, Robert has a unique understanding of executive recruiting in the commercial insurance sector with specialties in employee benefits, property & casualty insurance and risk management. 

Rob is the host of the Talent + Trust podcast. 

To find out more, go to

https://mrfairfax.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/talent-trust/id1489738286 

You can also email him with [email protected]

There’s a general trend taking place at the moment, across industries, where everyone seems to be more concerned with what everyone else is doing, but that’s not going to get us anywhere. Only focus can do that. 

What’s stopping more people from staying dialed in to their own jobs, and what can we do as leaders to make that easier for them?

Is there a way to pinpoint recruits more likely to knuckle down on what they’ve been hired to do? 

In this episode, Robert Houghton and I discuss how to instill a culture of focus in our organizations. 

Focus on whatever it is you've been hired to do and don't worry about anything else. -Craig Picken

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

• The importance of setting expectations How can we expect our team members to do anything without communicating what we need from them? 

• How to hold employees accountable to their unique commitments Are we doing enough to encourage our employees to stay focused on their assigned tasks? 

• 1 thing stopping people from staying focused Focus isn’t a particularly difficult concept on paper, so what’s stopping the vast majority from knuckling down in their areas of expertise?

Guest Bio-

Robert Houghton is an executive recruiter and the President of MR Fairfax, the #1 recruiter in the Mid-Atlantic region specializing in insurance and financial services. As a well-established former CEO of several successful business enterprises, Robert has a unique understanding of executive recruiting in the commercial insurance sector with specialties in employee benefits, property & casualty insurance and risk management. 

To find out more, go to

https://mrfairfax.com/

You can also email him with [email protected] 

Learn More About Your Host:

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior level leadership, sales and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well known aircraft OEM’s, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. 

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity, and hit the business goals of the companies he serves.

COVID-19 was destructive to the aviation industry.  

However, nearly 2 years after the global onset of the virus, much of the world is reopening. So, where does our industry stand today?

Are we finally on the road to recovery, or is there still a long way to go? Will we ever fully bounce back from the effects the pandemic has had on our business?

In this episode, co-founder of Inception Aviation Holdings, David Yu returns to the show to share his outlook on the state of aviation in 2022. 

At the end of the day, I don't think things will get worse for airlines. -David Yu

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

• What the reopening of travel means for our industry How much of an impact will the resumption of leisure travel make on our industry? 

• When to expect a real recovery How long will it take for us to see the industry surpass where it was in 2019, and move on to bigger things? 

• 1 thing to know before investing in an airplane Is it a wise choice to invest in aircraft before the industry has completely bounced back?

Guest Bio-

David Yu is the Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer, and co-founder of aviation investing and financing firm, Inception Aviation Holdings. He is also the Executive Director of IBA Group in Asia, a leading global aircraft appraisal and consultancy. A recognized expert in cross-border finance and investing, David is an Adjunct Professor of Finance at NYU Shanghai, where he teaches the ‘Investing and Financing In and With China’ class. David is the author of Aircraft Valuation: Airplane Investments as an Asset Class and a Forbes contributor.

To find out more, go to:

http://davidyuda.com

https://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Valuation-Airplane-Investments-Asset/dp/9811567425 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidyu/?sh=51431f782d7d

Or contact David at [email protected]

Learn More About Your Host:

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior level leadership, sales and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well known aircraft OEM’s, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. 

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity, and hit the business goals of the companies he serves. 

Making the transition from a military career to civilian is no easy task, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. 

With the right tools and support finding the career of your dreams is within reach.. 

The question is, what do the right tools and support look like? Moreover, how can veterans show potential employers that they’re capable of adapting their skills to a whole new world?

In this episode, founder of PreVeteran, Jason Anderson returns to the show to emphasize the importance of mindset when making a transition. 

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

• What stops more employers from hiring veterans: How do common misconceptions surrounding veterans impact the way employers hire, and is there anything we can do to change that? 

• How to understand the difficulties veterans face in the civilian workplace: Do veterans struggle to adapt to their new realities because they’re incapable of doing so, or do their challenges simply boil down to a lack of prior experience in the space? 

• The role veterans need to play in their transition: Should the onus of support fall solely on a veteran’s new employer?

Guest Bio- 

Jason Anderson is the Founder and President of PreVeteran, an organization dedicated to helping military veterans make a more seamless transition into their civilian careers. An Air Force veteran himself, Jason knows the struggle of transition all too well, having dealt with the frustration of not knowing the steps to success. Today, he is passionate about helping others find a way forward as they enter a new stage in their lives, through his PreVeteran courses. Jason is the Global Strategy and Foreign Military Sales SME at Collins Aerospace. 

To find out more, go to:

https://preveteran.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/preveteran 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-anderson-preveteran/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EKGhfxoomB_UenF6Bx40w 

Learn More About Your Host:

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior level leadership, sales and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well known aircraft OEM’s, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. 

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity, and hit the business goals of the companies he serves.

Every business leader wants to have an abundance of A-Players but what happens when the “rainmakers” have trouble working with the rest of the team? 

A disconnect between employees often causes havoc in our businesses and once disruption starts it may be hard to contain.  

The question is, however, how do we even begin to find  the solution? Is retaining a rainmaking disruptor really worth losing the other dedicated employees? 

In this episode, Matt Johnson and I share how to deal with employee conflict.

A-players will not tolerate mediocrity being tolerated, so if you’re in charge of how the team is structured, get rid of the C-players. -Matt Johnson

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

• Questions to ask when faced with a disconnected team What are the questions we need to ask when disruption occurs? 

• Who to keep on our teams (and who to let go) Is there a ‘right’ way to reshuffle our teams, and who stays? Who goes?

• How to tell when an A-player is more trouble than good Is the cost of a star employee worth the benefit?

Learn More About Your Host:

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior level leadership, sales and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well known aircraft OEM’s, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. 

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity, and hit the business goals of the companies he serves.

We’ve all heard the cliche saying, ‘people don’t leave jobs, they leave people’, but it’s time to debunk that idea, once and for all!

People leave jobs for all kinds of reasons, from higher pay, to better opportunities for growth and even convenience, so we’ve got to stop chalking it all up to leadership. 

The question we should be asking is, what happens when people do leave? 

In this episode, Matt Johnson and I discuss how to respond to a turnover within our organization. 

We have got to move beyond the unrealistic expectation that any turnover is bad. -Craig Picken

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

• How to tell when a turnover is indicative of a problem When is a turnover simply a reality of life, and when should it raise red flags? 

• Why we should look at turnover as an opportunity How can we stop equating a resignation with a loss, and start thinking about it as a chance to onboard an even better fit for our organization?  

• How to ensure we’re never without a vital team member Losing an important team member could impact our operations, so what can we do to make provisions for the situation, well in advance?

Learn More About Your Host:

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior level leadership, sales and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well known aircraft OEM’s, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. 

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity, and hit the business goals of the companies he serves.

Satellites have been around for decades, but thanks to the new affordability of low earth orbit, they're finally more attainable, so it's no surprise that the market is on fire right now. 

The question is, what are all those satellites being used for? 

What opportunities do satellites afford us today, and what can we expect the satellite business to look like in a few years' time? 

In this episode, co-founder of Terran Orbital, Marc Bell shares what he's most excited about in the satellite space.

"If an iPhone has more computing power than a space shuttle, why is anyone still building a shuttle the size of a school bus?" -Marc Bell

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

• The truth about space being crowded Is space really at risk of overcrowding, or can the growing traffic be managed effectively?

• How satellite manufacturers hire How are satellite manufacturers identifying the best and brightest minds in the business? What does it take to stand out to these organizations? 

• How satellites will be taken into the future With technology moving at such a rapid rate, it's not uncommon for once cutting-edge innovation to become obsolete in a matter of years. How will the satellite business continue to adapt with the times?

Guest Bio-

Marc Bell is a space entrepreneur, passionate about pushing the needle forward. The co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Terran Orbital Corporation, Marc is at the helm of small satellite innovation. Marc was previously the Chairman and CEO of Globix Corporation, and in addition to countless other ventures including a publicly traded mortgage REIT, he is also a Two-Time Tony Award-Winning Stage Producer. 

To find out more, go to:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbellmiami

https://www.terranorbital.com/ 

Learn More About Your Host:

Co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, Craig is focused on recruiting senior level leadership, sales and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Clients include well known aircraft OEM’s, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. 

Since 2009 Craig has personally concluded more than 150 executive searches in a variety of disciplines. As the only executive recruiter who has flown airplanes, sold airplanes AND run a business, Craig is uniquely positioned to build deep, lasting relationships with both executives and the boards and stakeholders they serve. This allows him to use a detailed, disciplined process that does more than pair the ideal candidate with the perfect opportunity, and hit the business goals of the companies he serves.