Aircraft Maintenance Technology - 37

PROFESSIONALISM

Managing Distractions
Think of the last time you were fully engrossed in your
work. Your skills and interests were well-matched for
the task at hand. You gave it your total concentration,
and - because of your work - your company's top
executives and clients were able to safely take to
the skies. You (rightly so) felt the pride and sense
of satisfaction of a job well done.
Aviation maintenance technicians know that there
are many tasks that can have catastrophic consequences when not given the attention to detail required. Yet,
distractions abound, especially in today's COVID-19
environment. Distractions - things that draw us away
from the task at hand - diminish productivity, ultimately impacting our team, business and company's
performance. We spend more hours working, yet less
is getting done.
Distractions keep us from serving our customers
in the timely, effective way we want. Ironically, people
- co-workers, pilots, managers and even owners and
passengers - are the biggest distraction. Interruptions
to ask your assistance or input, to share important
information or even for a friendly inquiry about your
weekend, can pull your attention away at critical times.
Studies show that it takes 25 minutes to regain peak
focus and concentration after an interruption. This
means that just three people approaching you for "one
quick thing" during your work equals an hour and fifteen minutes of lost productivity.
How do you manage your role as subject matter
expert for your organization on matters of safety,
mechanical reliability and compliance with OEM's,
the FAA, OSHA, EPA, etc.? How do you promote and
maintain the invaluable relationships that are the
hallmark of successful organizations? The exchange
of knowledge, expertise and insights with your team(s)
(i.e. the often dreaded meetings) and mentoring newer
employees need to be among your priorities, as well.
And prioritizing is the key.
For most people, energy and focus are at peak performance earlier in the day or at the start of a shift. Schedule
top priorities first and communicate with others in your
organization that you intend to concentrate on that
task, without interruption, unless an urgent or emergency item comes up. Prioritize new requests and assignments as they come in. Do you have a high-priority task
that must occur late in the day? An aircraft coming in

with an issue
that must be
addressed prior
to dispatching it
on a trip the following day? Manage the
team's expectations
of your availability
(or lack of) when
the aircraft arrives
and how they can help
- whether actual help
like cleaning, disinfecting,
restocking, etc. or help by
leaving you to work without
interruption.
Schedule time for interruptions. Let
people know that you need time to work
without interruption, but also give them
specific times when they can discuss important items
or even just chat with you. Leaders, take the time regularly to connect personally with your team. Senior
technicians, make time to mentor newer employees.
This visibility drives communication, which drives
trust and builds efficiency and loyalty.
Also, use scheduled interruption time to check
and respond to emails and voicemails, vs. constantly checking your cellphone. This is a great time for
necessary items like reports and other paperwork.
Because these items are rarely our most enjoyable
or the highest level use of our skills, they tend to be
put off until their looming or past deadlines become
a distraction.
Take Breaks. Move around. Go walking outside if
possible and take deep breaths. This will increase your
oxygen and blood flow, making it easier to cut through
the "noise of distraction" and refocus on your priorities. Try to break every hour, but definitely after you
have been working on the same project for two hours.

By Lisa Archambeau

Lisa Archambeau,
Vice President,
Facilitator & Strategist,
ServiceElements
International, Inc.

www.AviationPros.com

http://www.AviationPros.com

Aircraft Maintenance Technology

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aircraft Maintenance Technology