I don't for a moment suggest that the Captain should delegate the walk around to a member of the Cabin Crew because he's got the Marigolds on and is in charge of the bog brush.
Nor do I think that cleaning duties should be in a pilot's job description, or even expected or hoped for.
My point about leadership versus management seems to have been missed by a few. Obviously there are certain things that have to be done by certain people, and in a tight turnaround there will probably be no slack to even do the things that need to be done at a considered pace. However, if there is the time, the fact that a Captain will listen to the crew gossip, respond appropriately and generally be approachable is a very desirable quality.
I'm probably being over sensitive in detecting a hint of 'not in my job description mate, so I'm going to carry on reading the Daily Mirror.' If this is a generally held attitude, it does surprise me a bit.
Flaps referred to the formal and informal communication. Very often the informal communication will make everyone's jobs easier. By encouraging this I am not saying that pilots should be expected to clean the cabin!
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