How to Fix the Qantas International Business

[Nassensteins Monster]

On leading, and making sure your people follow you:

“…the first month of my role was really getting to know who is who and all the rest of it… then you had to formulate a strategy and bring everyone along with it.”


“I’m sure there has been [resistance] in quarters, but it’s my job and my management team’s to bring people along.”

[Nassensteins Monster]

On engagement and leadership:

“If you said to me what are the two things that you think you are blessed with…, I have to say the brand… And the second thing is… the engagement of the staff. These guys are hungry for the changes that we are making, almost as much as I am, if not more. And any CEO that walks into a company and has got… great staff who are totally engaged and want to make the changes, you are there. The rest you should be able to manage.”

[Nassensteins Monster]

On listening to your people before embarking on change strategies:

“I was very fortunate because whilst I had a strategy in mind, when I walked in I also spent two months from the day of appointment to the day of strting travelling around the network talking with staff and learning the business. And what I found was the feedback that I was getting from the cabin crew, pilots, ground handling staff, some of their recommendations, some of their thoughts on what the airline should do, are identical to what I was doing… By the time I started almost half of my strategy had already been validated by the staff, so then it was just a question of continuing to talk with staff and keeping them in the loop as to what we were doing as much as possible.”

[Nassensteins Monster]

On dealing with resistance to change and differing opinions:

“With 7,000 people you will always get somebody who doesn’t agree with you, and that is a good thing, because you want to hear why they don’t agree with you because they might actually have a better idea and you should listen.”

[Nassensteins Monster]

On consistency:

“…if you say ‘what is running a good airline all about?’ [the answer is], obviously safety is number one, that’s a given, but it is all about consistency and it’s all about detail. You have to be consistent with whatever you do and you have to look at the detail, because your customer does…”

That doesn’t mean having a gazillion aircraft types in your fleet with a gazillion and ten different interiors and IFE systems.

I am an engineer. It is company policy to provide a thorough handover at shift change. Yet managers can walk away. Promises are forgotten or broken. Strategies are changed for no good reason. etc etc.

[Nassensteins Monster]

On giving people autonomy, the ability to think for themselves

“We are wanting people to feel like they are individuals, whether they are working for us or as customers. So that requires a number of things… a change to the training process, changes to the management process, and communication and everything else… We don’t have to be black or white like most airlines, we can be grey. I keep saying, we can walk and chew gum at the same time, and you do that by not giving a narrow definition to staff, you give them parameters by which they can flex to a certain degree, and that’s what we are doing.”

[Nassensteins Monster]

On the “Australia” on the side of your aircraft actually meaning something:

“The second part of the brand is ‘Australia’, and I think we are Australian, we employ Australians, and it is therefore our duty… to ensure that we do as much work onshore as possible in Australia.”

“I know a lot of people are thinking that offshoring is the way to go for the future – I don’t believe that. How can you have the word ‘Australia’ on the fuselage and do that? It just doesn’t make sense, so what have we done to prove that? Well we have just made a big commitment in building a hangar in Sydney so we can do maintenance here – some of that work was going overseas.”

“So with brand I think it is important that the words you use you have to live by, because if you don’t people will see through it.”

[Nassensteins Monster]

On the effect of deals on customer relations:

“I always say that you forget the customer at your peril in any deal that you do, doesn’t matter what the deal is, whether it’s an alliance deal or a union deal… if you don’t think about the customer while you are doing that deal, you will regret it at some time.”

Contrast that with QF IR policy: inconvenience the customer instead of taking up the ALAEA offer of minimising disruptions with overtime; or hurt the shareholder by paying scabs at rates much higher than the LAMEs on overtime.

[regitaekilthgiwt]

Quick Random Sample

QF Syd-Sin today, 4 seats available between a 744 and an A380, Mel-sin 1 seat spare on the 380, 1 seat on the 744 to LAX tomorrow.

International not making money?!

Give me a break...

New management please.....NOW

[rodchucker]

Common Reg, Just because the metal is full doesn't mena there is enough to pay all the fines, fund the consultants, fight the unions, piss off the staff, fund Jstar, fund former CEO tax equalisation schemes, set up new offshore venture to save money and oh yes pay the bonuses AND yes we have another one...recapitalise JV.

Makes the wages seem irrelevant really doesnt it.

Please someone put this lot out of their misery and let us hear some good news.

[B772]

I see Skytrax now say QF is not a quality approved airline. No doubt this is due to the Joyce cutbacks on cabin service service generally and no hot breakfasts on International.

I understand meat sandwiches a week out of date were served yesterday on a Domestic flight.

[PPRuNeUser0198]

I understand meat sandwiches a week out of date were served yesterday on a Domestic flight.

This would have been a date printing error.

If a sandwich was truly out-of-date by a week, you'd know about it - both from an appearance and smell perspective. It would have been rancid - all of them...

[ampclamp]

Lots of meals are pre prepared and frozen. Sangers... no idea but the attendants have reported problems with frozen meals.

[skybed]

B772

"I see Skytrax now say QF is not a quality approved airline. No doubt this is due to the Joyce cutbacks on cabin service service generally and no hot breakfasts on International"
QF has refused to be audited by Skytrax for a number of years now

[limelight]

the picture tells it all

Qantas bumps the wrong person, an ad man who drew this | Plane Talking

[ditzyboy]

Would love to know more about his this guy was 'bumped' from J class onto Jetstar?

[whatdouknow]

Love the logo...

Qantas bumps the wrong person, an ad man who drew this | Plane Talking

can Crikey allow the logo to be used within certain locations?
would love to see it around the traps!

[unionist1974]

Was it BS ?

[Nassensteins Monster]

See below:

I notice that there are NO speakers from Qantas. Surprise surprise.

Will any Qantas management be attending?

Australian Financial Review presents:

Leadership Conference 2011:

Making Good Management Stick

Tue 16 Aug 2011

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

Effective leaders know that good management makes for a profitable enterprise. With new Australian research providing a compelling financial argument for sustaining good management practices, there is no excuse not to know and implement what these practices are.

Key Topics:

- The successful management practises that lead to profitability
- Talent management and leadership within multi-generational workforces
- The power of the unconscious bias on decision making
- Cultural IQ and understanding values for international trading
- Critical success factors for engaging with emerging markets

Hosted by:

John Eales
Director
Mettle Group
and former Captain
Australian Rugby Team

Narelle Hooper
Editor
Financial Review BOSS Magazine


Speakers include:

Jenny McGregor
Chief Executive Officer
AsiaLink

Alex Malley
Chief Executive Officer
CPA Australia

Susie Babani
General Managing Director
Human Resources
ANZ

Rachel Slade
Head of Group Diversity and Flexibility
Westpac

Geoff Aigner
Senior Manager; Development
Social Leadership Australia
The Benevolent Society

Chris Beer
Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific, Greater China & South Africa
Luxottica Group

Philip Cronin
General Manager
Intel Australia

Rhonda Brighton - Hall
General Manager, Human Resources
CBA Retail Services

Ross McEwan
Group Executive - Retail Banking
CBA

Melanie Laing
Executive General Director -
People & Culture
Origin Energy

Karynne Courts
Director
Values Connection

[lame1]

All caused by the Sustainable Future Program that ensures those at the top keep their pockets full of cash.
Compare other airlines,big airlines and you will find none receive the pay and perks that QF execs give themselves.
Lets cap off what these execs have done and feel free to add to the list.
Outsource apprentice training,outsource stores,outsource all engine overhaul,close workshops,close 747 syd maint facility,give away customer work,add layers of useless management levels,emply leadership on attitude and not ability,outsource heavy checks to o/seas facilities with little or no quality control.Employ management from failed airlines.Employ a HR/IR team that lives in the stone age,buy unproven inflight entertainment systems.contract out work that previously had been done inhouse,buy long range A330 with light weight flooring and insufficient galleys for long hall ops,
GREED