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Flight Department Show

Flight Department Show

By: Dr. Chris Broyhill
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The only business aviation show that will make you a better leader…so you make more money, get your people treated fairly, and stay in the business you love. We have a leadership crisis in business aviation. But through conversations with Aviation Directors, leaders and experts, you'll come away with practical, actionable steps to become the leader you were meant to be. From inside secrets to managing up your internal reporting executive…and simple steps to handle change more effectively…to powerful insights to setting a culture of belonging in your flight dept. You'll also learn how to uncover hidden pay raises… avoid dinner-table mistakes that make you look irresponsible to your partner or spouse… and how to walk into your next comp review armed with an approach HR respects and responds to. This show has one mission - make you a better Business Aviation Leader. Because when you're a better leader, you're better equipped to stay in the business you love.2026 Career Success Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • The Flight Departments That Win Talent Before They Need It w/ Sheryl Barden

    The Flight Departments That Win Talent Before They Need It w/ Sheryl Barden
    Jun 18 2026

    Flight departments often feel the pressure of hiring only after someone leaves. But by then, the real work may already be overdue.

    In business aviation, attracting and retaining talent is no longer just about compensation, type ratings, or filling an open seat.

    The strongest departments are thinking much earlier: Why is this role open? What does the team actually need? What kind of culture are people walking into? Are current employees becoming advocates for the organization, or warning signs?

    Sheryl Barden of Aviation Personnel International has spent her career inside these questions. Her chapter in The Business Aviation Book: Leading Operational Excellence looks at talent through the full lifecycle: recruiting, hiring, onboarding, retaining, and even supporting people through difficult transitions when departments downsize or close.

    In this conversation, Sheryl explains why recruitment has become a 24/7 leadership responsibility, how culture shapes retention, and why the departments that become true employers of choice are the ones best positioned for the decade ahead.

    What You'll Discover in This Episode

    • Why recruitment in business aviation has to happen before there is an open position, not after the team is already under pressure

    • How to diagnose whether a job opening is a healthy growth, a natural transition, or a warning sign of deeper retention problems

    • Why turnover is not just expensive — it disrupts culture, strains the remaining team, and can introduce new risk into the safety environment

    • The difference between hiring for credentials and hiring for true organizational fit

    • Why "hire slowly" does not mean dragging out the process, but doing the strategic work before candidates ever enter the pipeline

    • How weak communication around problem employees can create its own damaging narrative inside a flight department

    • Why aviation leaders need HR as a real partner, not just a compliance function they call when something goes wrong

    About the Guest

    Sheryl Barden is a workforce strategist and the CEO of Aviation Personnel International (API), the longest-running HR consulting and recruiting firm in business aviation. A visionary leader and respected HR professional, Sheryl helps Part 91 aviation organizations create transformative teams and workplace cultures that elevate performance, retain top talent, and strengthen service excellence. A trusted thought leader and monthly AINsight columnist for Aviation International News, Sheryl is frequently invited to speak and write about compensation, mentorship, retention, and workforce trends. She offers practical, creative solutions that help business aviation operators become an "employer of choice."

    About Your Host

    Dr. Chris Broyhill is the industry's most respected authority on business aviation compensation. An industry veteran with over 43 years of aviation experience, Dr. Broyhill has led several scientific research projects on personnel retention, compensation, and leadership for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) since 2017.

    Dr. Chris holds a Ph.D. in Aviation and has published two books that feature the results of his work. He's also an outstanding graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, an NBAA Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Fellow, and a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP).

    Resources

    Get the Data, Win the Negotiation, Stay in the Business You Love. To get your compensation report, visit AirCompCalculator.com. We have a range of options for different scenarios and budgets, from validating a specific job offer, to packages for entire departments.

    Check out this episode on our website, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more leaders in business aviation. Thank you!
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Flight Dept Leadership Isn't Corporate Leadership With Airplanes w/ Matt Johnson

    Flight Dept Leadership Isn't Corporate Leadership With Airplanes w/ Matt Johnson
    Jun 4 2026

    Leadership in business aviation carries a weight most corporate leaders never have to think about.

    Aviation directors aren't simply managing schedules, aircraft, people, and budgets. They are leading an operation where poor decisions can have life-and-death consequences, while often reporting to executives who may not fully understand aviation at all.

    That creates a unique leadership challenge. The aviation leader has to translate technical complexity into business language, manage up with clarity, build trust across departments, and shape a culture where people understand what matters long before pressure hits.

    In this episode, I'm joined by our podcast producer and CEO of MicroFamous, Matt Johnson, for a discussion around Chapter Two of The Business Aviation Book: Leading Operational Excellence. We explore why leadership had to appear early in the book, what makes aviation leadership different from other corporate roles, and why culture is not built through slogans.

    What You'll Discover in This Episode

    • Why leadership in business aviation carries an "unlimited liability" that separates it from most corporate functions

    • How aviation directors can educate executives without overwhelming them with technical language or industry acronyms

    • Why managing up starts with understanding how the executive team really views the flight department

    • The difference between military authority and civilian leadership

    • How authenticity, integrity, and emotional intelligence show up in practical leadership moments, not just leadership theory

    • Why culture is shaped by small visible decisions: who gets praised, promoted, resourced, or corrected

    • The "near rocks, far rocks, check six" framework for separating management from leadership

    About Your Host

    Dr. Chris Broyhill is the industry's most respected authority on business aviation compensation. An industry veteran with over 43 years of aviation experience, Dr. Broyhill has led several scientific research projects on personnel retention, compensation, and leadership for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) since 2017.

    Dr. Chris holds a Ph.D. in Aviation and has published two books that feature the results of his work. He's also an outstanding graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, an NBAA Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Fellow, and a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP).

    Resources

    Get the Data, Win the Negotiation, Stay in the Business You Love. To get your compensation report, visit AirCompCalculator.com. We have a range of options for different scenarios and budgets, from validating a specific job offer, to packages for entire departments.

    Check out this episode on our website, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more leaders in business aviation. Thank you!
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    21 mins
  • "Best Person for the Job" Is More Complicated Than Flight Depts Think w/ Jennifer Pickerel

    "Best Person for the Job" Is More Complicated Than Flight Depts Think w/ Jennifer Pickerel
    May 21 2026
    For years, business aviation has relied on familiar hiring patterns: the known network, the same backgrounds, the same assumptions about who is "qualified," and the same narrow definitions of merit. But in an industry facing real talent pressure, that approach is becoming harder to defend. The conversation around diversity often becomes politicized before the real business issue gets addressed. Jennifer Pickerel of Aviation Personnel International brings the discussion back to where it belongs: culture, fit, readiness, and varied perspectives. Jennifer was the right person to write one of the most important and difficult chapters in The Business Aviation Book: Leading Operational Excellence. Her point is that many flight departments talk about standards, but few have clearly defined what those standards actually are. If "best person for the job" only means the person who looks most familiar on paper, leaders may be missing capable candidates, importing cultural problems, and creating teams with dangerous blind spots. In this episode, Jennifer explains why diverse thinking is not a slogan; it is an operational advantage. She also breaks down what flight departments need to do before bringing different backgrounds into the room. What You'll Discover in This Episode Why "best person for the job" is often more subjective than aviation leaders realize How narrow hiring filters can create groupthink, even inside technically excellent flight departments Why cultural fit should not be confused with hiring people who already feel familiar The hidden risk of relying too heavily on friends-and-family networks when filling aviation roles Why non-pilot leaders may bring valuable advantages to director-level roles traditionally held by pilots How departments can unintentionally set diverse hires up to fail when the team has not been prepared for change Why business aviation's lack of transparency is making the talent crisis harder to solve Guest Bio Jennifer Pickerel is President of Aviation Personnel International, the longest-running business aviation recruitment and HR workforce solutions firm serving corporate and private aviation. With more than 20 years in business aviation, Jennifer brings deep expertise in talent identification, workforce strategy, leadership development, organisational wellness, culture, retention, and employee experience. At API, she works closely with aviation directors, corporate HR teams, reporting executives, and high-net-worth flight departments to help organisations identify the right talent, strengthen team health, and build cultures that support safety, trust, and long-term performance. A recognised thought leader in business aviation, Jennifer frequently speaks and writes on hiring trends, inclusion, retention, and organisational health. Connect with her on LinkedIn or learn more at API Aviation. About Your Host Dr. Chris Broyhill is the industry's most respected authority on business aviation compensation. An industry veteran with over 43 years of aviation experience, Dr. Broyhill has led several scientific research projects on personnel retention, compensation, and leadership for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) since 2017. Dr. Chris holds a Ph.D. in Aviation and has published two books that feature the results of his work. He's also an outstanding graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, an NBAA Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Fellow, and a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP). Resources Get the Data, Win the Negotiation, Stay in the Business You Love. To get your compensation report, visit AirCompCalculator.com. We have a range of options for different scenarios and budgets, from validating a specific job offer, to packages for entire departments. Check out this episode on our website, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more leaders in business aviation. Thank you!
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
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