Assertiveness

There are two aspects of assertiveness that we’ll touch on here – between the members of the crew (a CRM aspect) and when fulfilling your role as the final authority and decision maker in your role as the Captain of your flight (a Command aspect).

Crew Assertiveness (CRM)

From your point of view as the Captain in the realm of Crew Assertiveness there are two sides; your assertion of the authority invested in you as the Captain of the flight and Leader of your team, and the assertion of your crew members and followers, which may result from your (usually unintentional) deficiencies. It flows both ways and is an integral part of effective of CRM.

As the Captain you WILL make mistakes, errors of judgement, poor decisions or take inappropriate courses of action throughout your career in the Left Hand Seat. A good Captain will openly admit their mistake, but more importantly, generate an open team atmosphere to enable their followers to point out the error or mistake using advocacy, enquiry, questioning and where required assertion.

If you ever hear your First Officer say “Captain, you MUST listen to me!” (a common CRM last resort phrase) you must immediately recognise that you’ve allowed the situation to deteriorate such that your First Officer has perceived (rightly or wrongly) that you have backed them into a corner and this is a last resort to forcefully get your attention to resolve the situation. CRM and/or Error Recovery is required – immediately!

Pilots generally know when to speak up and to back up and support the Captain in decision making. A very authoritative Captain may tend to stifle crew assertiveness and a very passive Captain may cause excessively assertive behaviour on the part of the crew. A good balance is ideally attained by the Captain being authoritative enough to command the flight effectively, yet seeking inputs from the other crew members. (F/O Lucy Young, USAir)

Command Assertiveness

Captains have quite powerful authority to ensure that their flights are completed safely, legally and efficiently while completing the commercial task.

The secret is to use that authority judiciously and wisely to achieve your desired outcome safely and legally.

Sometimes your followers; cockpit or cabin crew, ATC, engineers, traffic staff or even dispatch or operational staff, will want you to undertake a course of action that you determine is unsafe or inappropriate. In these cases you may have to just say “NO!” and outline your alternative desired plan of action (communicate your intent using the necessary level of CRM).

Do not ever allow anyone to “force” you into a situation that you are uncomfortable or unsure about. The other party may be unhappy about your decision, but Command is not a popularity contest and you will be required to make tough decisions that you determine to be best for your particular situation.

You will never really be a Captain until you can say “NO!” (Sal Fallucco)

It might be a simple as requesting that the engineer explain again the ramifications of a complicated MEL item or requesting from ATC extra track miles or a holding pattern to gain extra time to complete emergency actions.

During confusing, complex, ambiguous or novel situations you may have to exercise your power of Command by being decisive and assertive when required. This is absolutely essential in time critical situations – you cannot afford to waffle and be indecisive, uncertain or hesitant.

In these situations you need to be proactive rather than reactive. Being reactive reduces your available options and often places you into unavoidable, undesirable outcomes, not of your choosing. Being proactive allows you to decide, plan, have options and dictate the outcome.

Control events rather than be driven by them.
You, the Captain, are ultimately responsible for the safe and legal operation of your crew and the flight and you get to run the operation your way if required.

Assertion is not usually required in a well structured CRM team environment, but it is an essential Command skill for you to use when you require decisiveness to achieve your plan and outcome.
Use assertion wisely when required and if time permits explain your reasons, justification and rationale to your followers.

A Sporting Command

How many of you Command Trainees are sporting types?

My chosen sport is triathlon and I used to compete regularly. In fact I learnt most of my mental skills (goal setting, visualisation, motivation, attitude, knowledge of self, determination, handling mistakes and hardship etc.) as a direct result of being involved with my sport. I become more and more interested in the mental aspect of sporting excellence and so I began seeking “mental training” books and articles in magazines (note to self – I must do some book reviews of these exceptional and relevant books).

Sport is a fantastic way to learn about yourself and life (get out there and do it – being a spectator doesn’t count!)

In fact businesses are learning a hell of a lot from the field of sports psychology. Most of the “sports” psychology characteristics are directly transferrable to business practices and of course to Command Training.

I was flicking through a triathlon magazine the other day and I came across this “training” philosophy:

• Stress



• Rest



• Recover



• Repeat

It perfectly encapsulates the principle of physical adaptation that most sporting training principles are based upon.

You go out and train hard physically (and sometimes mentally) to stress yourself.

Then you rest to allow your body (and mind) to adequately recover. During this recovery period your body compensates for the previous stress by “over”-compensating (adaptation) and as a result you become fitter and better than before.

You then go out and repeat it, but at a slightly more intense, harder, higher or faster level so that the cycle can be repeated again and again. That’s your free Sports 101 lesson – who said you don’t get something for free!

This same training cycle can be used during Command Training. Instead of physical stress you are usually put under some form of mental stress. Don’t forget that there are good and bad forms of stress.

During your Command Training you want to be pushed a bit, stretched out of your Comfort Zone into your Learning Zone (good), but not so far that you enter your Anxiety Zone (bad).

You also need to rest (see RED – Rest, Exercise and Diet). Sometimes you should have a day (or a few days) doing absolutely nothing related to your Command Training. You have to “rest” your brain and unwind, de-stress and chill out. It is only when you rest that you adequately recover. If you don’t rest and allow yourself to recover you will “burn-out”. That’s how chronic stress results. If your Command Course goes over a few weeks/months you need to actively plan for rest periods so that you can recover.

It is after you have adequately recovered that you will notice any improvements, just like physical exercise.

Then you repeat. But because you have learnt from previous training and experience (you have adapted) you will now be able to cope with more complex and strenuous Command situations. Your Trainer should gradually be increasing the complexity of your training the further you progress into to your Command Training – otherwise you are not learning, you are just stagnating in your Comfort Zone.

So have a sporting Command; Stress – Rest – Recover – Repeat. You know you want to!

Command Rules (Part 2)

Command “Rules” Part 1 is here.

This is Part 2 and is definitely the lighter side of Command Rules. They speak for themselves. Click on the picture for a larger version.

Excuse the “French” but it loses its’ impact when you water the language down.

Command Rules (Part 1)

These are the essential “Rules” to successfully complete any Command Course, anywhere, in any airline. Click on the picture for a larger view.

They’re pretty self explanatory, but I’ve included some brief expanded information for each Rule.

Rule 1 – Be Confident

Confidence is an essential quality for any Course. If you’re confident you act with authority and project an image of competence. People are far more likely to follow you (i.e. you’re the Leader) if you are confident. Don’t just THINK you are confident, prepare, learn, study, absorb knowledge, until you KNOW you are confident. Preparation and exposure are confidence multipliers.

Rule 2 – Fly The Aircraft

This goes without saying. And don’t just fly the aircraft – fly it to a high standard. Usually you won’t get anywhere near to a Command Course unless you can prove that you can fly the jet well. This is a prerequisite for any Command and is not usually touched on much during Command upgrades as it assumed that you can already do it well.

Rule 3 – Be The Captain

From your first flight as a Trainee Captain, assume the role and mantle of the Commander and Leader. If you look at your reflection while sitting in the Left Seat and see a First Officer staring back at you, you’re not ready for Command. During Command training you role play as the Captain and your Training Captain role plays the F/O. At all times act, behave and BE the Captain.

Rule 4 – Have The Correct Attitude

Your attitude dictates how you will perceive, react and act during your Command Course. A positive attitude is definitely required and a negative attitude is a recipe for disaster. Enter the Command upgrade with a positive attitude and keep it for the entire Course. Like the Attitude on your PFD/ADI always keep your personal attitude “the blue side up”.

Judgement & Decision Making (Part 1 - Introduction)

This is the first of a series of articles which will look at Command Judgement and Decision Making.

Each part needs to be read in the sequential order presented as this is the way I believe you mentally go about using your judgement to make a decision. There is no point in reading Part 2 before Part 1.

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Introduction
One of your primary tasks as a Captain is to be a Decision Maker.

Pretty simple really, isn’t it?

Well no it’s not! There are a lot of things rattling around your brain during the Judgement process that results in your eventual decision.

Bear in mind also that the eventual decision you make is the output result of a complex Judgement process that you (usually unknowingly and sub-consciously) go through. The decision you make is normally the only thing that others can “see” – they don’t get to “see” how you arrived at that final output decision.

Realise also that your decision is only the eventual outcome of that entire process. You usually have a number of options that you can choose from, which will result in a number of different decisions that you can choose from and it’s your job to choose the best one to suit the situation that you find yourself in.

So in the entire Judgement and Decision Making process there are essentially two parts to consider; the “hidden”, often unconscious and unobservable Judgement component, which eventually leads into the observable Decision Making element (that you will be judged by).

For that reason I prefer to use the term JUDGEMENT rather than Decision Making to describe the entire process, as you have to use your good Judgement to choose the best option and then make your final decision (and implement it, but more of that in later articles).

Decision Making is one area that some Command Trainees have great difficulty with (the correct decision – anybody can make a crap decision). This may be because they have no idea of how they arrive at a decision (the Judgement process) and Trainers have difficulty in teaching this extremely essential and valuable skill. Most of your Judgement and Decision Making is hidden and not “visible” for others to “see” so it is very difficult to analyse and even harder to debrief (good or bad Judgement).

Another reason may be that Command Trainees are thinking like an F/O.

As the Captain you WILL have to make numerous decisions. As an F/O you usually don’t get to make the final decision. You have an opinion, but you don’t have to make a decision. There is a big difference between having an opinion and making a decision. And some people just don’t get it.

Poor flight crew decisions (the output and observable part of the Judgement process) are estimated to be a causal factor in 50%-70% of all aircraft accidents (it depends on who you read and believe). So it is in your best interests to possess good Judgement and be a good Decision Maker.

So now that I’ve got your attention, read on and learn how to improve your Judgement and Decision Making skills.

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Judgement and Decision Making (Part 2 - Senses).

This is only MY attempt at analysing Judgement and Decision Making – I’m just a professional aviator, not a psychologist so my thoughts may not conform with academia, but it is based on a real pilot’s perspective. What would you rather have; a psychologist explaining aviation or an aviator explaining psychology?

I welcome any feedback about this article. Please add YOUR pilot input (or if any psychologists read this, your thoughts) by using the COMMENTS link below.

Take A Mental Step Back

As the Captain you have a problem solving, decision making and managing role that needs to much more highly refined and developed than when you were an F/O.

You have to apply good judgement taking into account all the things happening around you (Situational Awareness; or, the “Big Picture”). Only by noticing and recognising all these myriad Big Picture details that are continually occurring about you will you have an up to date, accurate and correct view of your situation. And you need accurate, correct and up to date information to enable you (and your team) to assess current and future situations and make high quality, accurate and correct plans and decisions and then to manage your resources and people to achieve your desired outcome.

As professional aviators we can tend to be very focussed and goal oriented and sometimes when presented with a problem we can also develop “tunnel vision” and focus almost solely on solving that problem.

This is NOT good!

If the flight is going smoothly and as you desire and planned, then you can be in a “maintenance” state of mind. You are just mentally monitoring the flight and its’ progress.

But, if you get some unforecast poor weather, an unusual MEL item, an ECAM/EICAS caution, a PAX or crew personnel problem; in fact any time you get something unusual or out of the ordinary; you’ll need to snap out of your “maintenance” mode to your “I’m the Captain and I have to run the show” state of mind pretty quickly.

Don’t get sucked into the problem solving, task oriented mind set immediately. Remember that there is always lots of stuff going on around you in your Big Picture – sometimes more important and urgent than your latest problem.

Take A Mental Step Back

ANY time ANYthing unusual happens try to make yourself Stop & Think.

When you Stop & Think, also take “A Mental Step Back” and look at the “Big Picture”.

Ask yourself mentally – what’s changed, what has just happened, how does this affect me, the current flight, the next flight, today’s duty or tomorrow’s, what systems have been lost/affected and how does this affect my flight, where is the terrain, other aircraft, weather, where are we headed (and is it suitable in these changed circumstances), is the configuration suitable, do I have fuel/time to sort this out, do I need to divert, hold, go around, delay the take off, return to the bay (where, how far, fuel required, ATC etc.), does my team know what is going on, who’s flying and are we still Aviating, Navigating, Communicating, Managing, who should be PF/PM, is someone “Heads Up”.

You know - all that Big Picture SA stuff.

By taking a mental step back you can possibly utilise some of your “massive” mental brain power, gather in all the changing things that are occurring about you and fulfil your Captain and Leader, problem solver, decision maker and manager roles more effectively.

You need to expand your area of attention to encompass a strategic, broad, global, long term, wide angle Field Of View (FOV). Don’t go immediately into your problem solving, task oriented mind set otherwise your attention will have contracted your area of attention to a tactical, narrow, focussed, short term, telephoto zoom FOV.

If you haven’t read the Photographic Situational Awareness (SA) article then get on over there and check it out. It goes more into to changing your FOV from wide angle to telephoto zoom.

You will often find that by taking a mental step back you suddenly see relevant and pertinent things that you might have easily missed if you remained locked onto the problem. Don’t forget that you are now required to run the entire show now, which may include aircraft utilisation (present and future), aircraft serviceability (can it be fixed at your destination or can it be deferred?), Flight Time Limitations, cockpit and cabin crew (and their possible rostering).

If it seems like you have to do everything – well sometimes that’s the way it is! If you want an easy day out then remain as an F/O.

Taking a mental step back is a valuable Command skill. It requires continual practise. So start to incorporate this new skill into your Command toolbox now.

So whenever anything unusual happens to you spend a few valuable seconds/minutes to Take A Mental Step Back, view the Big Picture and update your SA. You’ll find that your judgement, problem solving, decision making and managing will be of a higher and more correct quality. And that’s what we want from Captains.

YOU Run The Show YOUR Way

When you are undergoing Command training you are actually role-playing as the “Captain” and your Training Captain is role-playing as the “F/O”. Make sure you always remember this allocation of “duties”.


Too often Command Trainees in the LHS sit there thinking “What does he want me to do?”, or “What does he mean by that question? Does he want me to do it differently (i.e. HIS way)?” What usually happens then is that you alter the way you accomplish or intended to accomplish your Command from YOUR way to HIS way.

You should run the show YOUR way.

Act as the Captain and make decisions and treat your Training Captain as you would a real F/O, using appropriate CRM, Leadership and Command skills. Don’t waste time trying to second guess “What does he really want me to do?” It uses up valuable brain power that is then not available for you to utilise to make decisions, exercise sound judgement, estimate risks, and do all those other Command and Leadership Skills.

Your Training Captain may inject a training element into any scenario or decision that you find yourself in or make. He may have a better way of doing it, or he may say “Consider doing it this way…” You then get to choose whether to incorporate the technique or method into your own personal Command and Leadership “box of tools” and techniques.

Of course if you are doing it completely wrong (as laid down by SOPs or NPs) then you really do need to change your way of operating to accurately comply with the SOPs or NPs. But many times HIS way is his personal preference – it doesn’t mean that your way is incorrect, just that he prefers to do it in a particular way that is familiar and comfortable for him. There are usually several right ways to do something, some more correct than others.

I dislike it when a Command Trainee tries to defer to me and to use my experience and expertise to solve his problem because that is easier for him. The Command Trainee is now regressing back to his F/O role and seeking input/opinion or a decision from the Training Captain which is not what Command Training is all about. Far better for the guy in the LHS to act as the Commander and Leader and solve or attempt to solve the problem/issue. The Training Captain can then either let the situation run in real time or can intervene with suggestions or methods to handle the issue more optimally. Either way you, in the LHS, learn more. After all that’s why the Training Captain is sitting there.

When you sit in the LHS during Command Training you are expected to act as the Captain. So be the Captain and run the show YOUR way.