Airports and Their Leaders Are Pros When It Comes to Dealing with Change

“As a leader, you have to have courage,” said Huntley A. Lawrence, Director of Aviation, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, during the “Aligning Organizational Structure to New Demands” session on Monday. In addition, “our leaders have to be flexible and adaptable.” It is a very difficult and complex game, he said. This is especially true when it comes to how you respond to changes and how you deal with pressures at the airport, said moderator Joyce F. Carter, President & CEO, Halifax International Airport Authority. And you shouldn’t follow other airports, added Joe Nardone, President & CEO, Columbus Regional Airport Authority. You should find your own ways to drive change on a daily basis. “We will do whatever it takes to find solutions,” said Nardone. “We are a little creative and a little aggressive and we aren’t afraid to take chances.”

PANYNJ proved they were capable of exactly that, as well, when they embarked on their massive $30 billion worth of investments. “We had to look at ourselves and who we were as an organization,” said Lawrence. “We were basically landlords” and we had to look at being a top-notch airport operator, he added. They started with consolidation, then looked at everything holistically and brought in a consultant, which meant they had to be willing to dip their toes into being measured and judged, and had to be willing to communicate when they weren’t making the cut, said Lawrence. They also looked for “solid leaders” as they realized that “the engine of your organization is your people.”

Nardone also places a lot of value on staff. He suggested going out into the terminals to get in touch with what is going on with employees and with passengers. When initiating change, that is especially important. You have to have a plan, you have to communicate the plans and you have to power through, he said. “Ultimately, it is in everyone’s best interests to have dialogue.”

Tom Ruth, President & CEO, Edmonton Airports, feels similarly. What is important to me is knowing what my people want as far as organizational change, he said. It is the third, and most important, step when incorporating change: “Make sure you effectively communicate the change throughout the organization” and understand how the change will lead to long-term success, he said. The first two steps are looking at the strategy and then going through the entire organizational structure to see how the change will affect everyone. “The biggest skill we have at airports is… how we deal with change.” Our airport leaders have to be able to “’get their hands dirty,” be honest, continue to ask why and know when it is time to make the hard decisions so everyone is driving in the same direction.