When we say we need to use inclusive language, we generally mean that we need to be aware of not using certain terms and phrases that are offensive or dismissive of someone’s experience or how they live. For this blog, we are going to try to explain things using inclusive language for the group that may need a little convincing that caregivers are worthy of bringing into their flight departments – the business leaders.
Let’s pretend there’s no moral imperative to just hire qualified people who are available and ready if we could just see outside the box for a minute. How can we explain it further that caregivers will strengthen your business?
There are certain things that CEOs and Business Directors love, such as sales volume, market share, profitability, and performance. (They also love synergy, paradigms, and value streams but it’s nearly dinner and I have to keep my stomach.) So, if we pretend that hiring caregivers is like horizontal diversification, maybe we can perk up some ears.
Horizontal diversification is when a business provides new or unrelated products or services to existing consumers. For instance, a notebook manufacturer that starts to enter the pen market is using a horizontal diversification strategy. When you use caregivers in your flight department, you create a stronger fabric for your business. Don’t think of them as filling in the cracks in your schedules, think of it as enhancing the fabric with a different weave, like Kevlar. You may be able to expand into time slots that you couldn’t before or have wider access to different aircraft because you are using new and untapped pilots.
And what about adding women to your business? While not entirely focused on caregivers, Harvard Business Review did an analysis of more than 150 companies and found that after women join the top management team, companies become more open to change and less open to risk. This leads to a shift away from mergers and acquisitions to investment in internal research and development. Mergers and acquisitions lead to combining cultures, which can be even harder than any financial aspect. If you focus on strengthening your internal capabilities first, not only do you avoid all the sticky aspects of M&A but you will “attract and retain top talent,” another favorite business phrase.
And what if these analogies are all wrong? Do you think a business leader will let you get away with inaccurate analysis? No, they will be quick to correct you and you’ve opened the door to a conversation and then they can “teach you” about all the alternative ways we can include caregivers in business. *Easy peasy, follow us for more model components for women and caregivers.
But seriously, it’s not going to be easy to get everyone on board. And it doesn’t mean that business leaders don’t understand the moral imperative but they can’t sell that to the bosses who are there to make money. Capitalism, am I right?
What are some other ways we can “talk the talk” to reach more of the hesitant adopters for caregivers in aviation? Leave your comments below.