Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment (2021)

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86 Introduction Case studies were developed that airport leaders and managers can reference to see how airports have been successful in (1) creating an environment that enhances talent cultivation, (2) supporting employee growth, and (3) preparing the airport to meet future talent needs. To identify specific needs and create implementable strategies, it was important to hear from leaders in airports who have firsthand experience with these issues. It was essential to make sure the case study template had a user-friendly design so that airport leaders can quickly reference it and find valuable information. During Task 2: Gap Assessment Interviews with Airport Leaders, ICF identified potential case study participants who shared some of their innovative and successful strategies. ICF followed up with those participants and requested a 1-hour interview to have a thorough dis- cussion regarding the strategies with which they have experienced success in terms of talent cultivation. For additional participants, ICF collaborated with the ACRP Project 06–06 pro- gram officer and panel to identify potential participants. To determine participants that were the best fit, ICF reached out to all leaders on the new contact list, explained the background and purpose of the research and interview, and asked them to provide a few bullet points about the most innovative or effective talent cultivation initiatives at their airports. Based on the initia- tives and strategies provided, ICF identified participants who would have valuable information to share about their practices and contacted those leaders to set up interviews. By having informa- tion on their initiatives and strategies before the interview, ICF adapted the interview protocol to gather the most useful information to develop a robust case study. Titles and affiliations of case study interview participants are provided in the table below. A P P E N D I X Case Studies *Participant insights were used as success stories within the strategies. Title Organization Assistant Director of Airports Wichita Airport Authority Manager, Culture & Learning* San Diego International Airport Deputy Airport Director Wilmington International Airport Director of HR & Risk Management Quad City International Airport Assistant Director of Airports Myrtle Beach International Airport Airport Director* San Luis Obispo Airport Assistant Airport Director Centennial Airport Manager, HR* Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport Airport Director Boise Airport Chief Administrative Officer* Philadelphia International Airport Senior HR Manager* Naples Airport

Case Studies 87   Effective Use of Career Pathing for Talent Cultivation The Naples Airport Authority recognizes the importance of emphasizing employee engagement and career growth to stay competitive in the airport industry. One of their organizational goals is to “equip employees and leaders to excel today while preparing for tomorrow.” Like many other organizations, Naples Airport faces the challenge of attracting and retaining talent, but they understand engaging current employees and taking steps to prepare them for a future in the airport industry—whether in their organization or another—is crucial for the success of the industry. Naples Airport has established career paths, which outline advancement opportunities for progressive growth and leadership, even if it means employees leave for a larger organization once they have reached their max potential at Naples Airport. Examples include an employee working toward a master’s degree in education to become an Aviation Science professor and line technicians aspiring to become professional pilots. Airport Demographics Location: Naples, Florida Approximately 90 employees Career Pathing Practices to Cultivate Talent Future Trajectory Added to Job Descriptions Naples Airport developed additional content for their job descriptions that outlined what is required to be qualified for the next job level, whether it was a position within Naples Airport or not. All job descriptions were made public and posted on their website. Naples Airport’s career paths include examples of how to achieve career growth, such as participating in a committee (e.g., Safety Action Team) and industry engagement for the leadership team. The intent is to inform employees of the advancement opportunities that exist and offer guidance in support of employees’ airport industry careers. Supervisor Buy-In and Education Supervisors were educated about the differences between a career ladder and job growth, so they could have informed discussions with their subordinates. Guidance for having these career growth conversations was developed and provided to supervisors. Supervisors collaborate with their employees to develop individual strategic plans for career growth. Overview of Career Pathing in a Small Airport

88 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Budget and Incentives Employee strategic plans are tied to an annual incentive plan so that if the employee meets the measures outlined in their plan, they will receive the incentive at the end of the year. Career growth conversations are held before the approval of the annual budget to ensure funding is submitted and available for these incentives and to support employee development. Keys to Success Use employee engagement surveys to understand what talent cultivation strategies employees need and assess the efficacy and impact of implementation. Develop a template to guide supervisors in their conversations with subordinates, ensure consistency across departments, and appropriately document an employee’s growth and development so that employees can track their success and progress. Understand that the investment made in employees is about supporting the individual and airport industry as a whole, rather than the success of a single airport. Greatest Challenges and Lessons Learned Supervisor Buy-In Although this was easily overcome by educating supervisors about the importance of supporting their employees’ career growth, some supervisors were initially uncertain about supporting the development of an employee if it involved outgrowing the organization. Hindsight The HR Director indicated that if she were to implement this strategy again, she would conduct a focus group with a small group of employees to gather their needs and help inform what the initial training for supervisors should look like. Impact to Organization Because this is a new initiative, the larger impact on the organization is not yet clear; however, the long-term goal is to increase retention rates by providing an environment where employees can work toward fulfilling their potential. The organization will track the initial success of career pathing through participation rates, and follow-up engagement surveys will speak to the impact it is having.

Case Studies 89   Effective Use of Leadership Development for Talent Cultivation Overview of Leadership Development in a Medium Airport Authority The San Diego Regional Airport Authority (SAN) has a designated team devoted to developing and organizing programs that help their employees grow within the organization and as leaders. Their career development program takes a multi-perspective approach to career growth; because the airport does not have much upward mobility, they look for other ways to develop employees. In addition to supporting external learning and development opportunities, such as conferences and committees, SAN offers a leadership development program that is available to anyone, at any level in the organization, on an annual basis. This program has not only helped personnel advance their career and receive promotions, but it has had a positive impact on employee morale and perceptions. Airport Demographics Location: San Diego, California Approximately 410 employees Leadership Development Practices to Cultivate Talent “Leading at All Levels” Personnel at all levels are encouraged to apply for the 4- month leadership development program. A total of 25 employees are admitted each time. Participants attend a monthly all-day class. Each class is dedicated to one of SAN’s four leadership competencies: Cultural Leadership, Relationship Building, Business Acumen, Strategic Thinking. The program has external consultants or personnel from the ACI–NA teach classes. Each program participant receives 3 hours of personal coaching with an external leadership coach. Employees also take StrengthsFinder and DiSC and are briefed on their results with an individual coach to help them understand their strengths and opportunities. Career Development Program The SAN career development program offers one class a month and includes an online version to accommodate various schedules. A lunch with airport leaders is held quarterly, allowing airport employees to ask questions and learn more about leadership. The panel for this lunch always includes an Executive, Director, Manager, and Individual Contributor. A 3-month job shadowing opportunity is offered through this initiative. SAN recognizes that although upward mobility is limited, they can offer employees a chance to grow laterally.

90 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Keys to Success For any big initiative at SAN, the Culture and Learning group finds value in talking to the executive leadership team separately to collect their thoughts about an initiative and gain their buy-in. That way their thoughts and ideas can be incorporated into the strategic vision of the project before presenting it to the full executive team. Promotional efforts that advertise initiatives are important to gain participation and support from employees. In addition to promoting programs on the intranet and with flyers in office spaces, the Manager of Culture and Learning folds flyers into paper airplanes and places them on the desks of managers to encourage awareness. SAN also conducts surveys at the conclusion of a program to assess the perceived value of the program overall and specific aspects of the program as well. This data helps inform the content of programs moving forward. Greatest Challenges and Lessons Learned Shift Worker Participation Shift workers who work the third shift struggled to participate in leadership program class offerings because they were often too tired after working through the night. As a result, SAN now delivers leadership sessions at 11 PM so that shift workers can take advantage of these classes. SAN also tailors class offerings and times to each department. Budgetary Issues SAN conducts needs assessments to determine what is needed to sustain each program and what aspects employees find most helpful. This allows them to refine programs according to what is most valuable and budget for those elements. Impact to Organization SAN’s leadership development initiatives help employees get promoted and allow individuals to learn about their strengths and leadership style. SAN believes that when an employee sees that their employer is willing to invest in them, they are happier at work and perform better. The airport authority reports that people are more engaged and happier at work since implementing these initiatives and that their employees are also more enthusiastic with a greater understanding of what they need to be as a leader.

Case Studies 91   Effective Use of Leadership Development for Talent Cultivation Overview of Leadership Development in a Large Airport System The Philadelphia (PHL) Airport System believes in strong leadership at all levels, which is why they offer various professional development and leadership programs. New supervisors and middle management are required to complete a structured program where they learn leadership and management skills from both a general and technical perspective, preparing them to be strong leaders. Employees see firsthand how others are leading organizations throughout Philadelphia by shadowing them, allowing them to discover things about their leadership style and what leadership looks like in different industries as a result. They also offer a Stars and Leads program, where employees are nominated to participate in this annual program and collaborate to solve airport issues. Airport Demographics Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Approximately 900 employees Leadership Development Practices to Cultivate Talent Stars and Leads Program This is an annual program consisting of a five-employee team. The team is cross-departmental. Stars are nominated employees who are early in their careers but are strong performers in their field. Leads are employees that have a longer tenure at the airport and have demonstrated leadership. Stars and Leads collaborate to solve airport issues (e.g., creating a bike path to promote wellness at the airport). The HR team does pre-work that includes sharing and discussing issues or challenges with the senior leadership team and then conducting brainstorming sessions internally to identify a problem for Stars and Leads to work on. HR seeks support from the department that houses the issue that is addressed through Stars and Leads. Supervisors and Management Development PHL believes their employees have a responsibility to the organization to be the best leaders they can be. It became clear that many personnel who were promoted to a supervisor level did not possess many of the leadership skills needed to be successful in a supervisory role, resulting in challenges with employee morale and discipline. The implementation of a mandatory training program for supervisors and managers helped leaders gain the skills

92 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment necessary to be effective. The program also addressed nuances associated with running an airport within a government structure and how to navigate those nuances. PHL leverages consultants for certain aspects of the program. The program, designed for middle management, relies heavily on consultants to provide greater perspective and expertise on matters of leadership both within and external to the airport industry. Keys to Success Having a well-defined, robust professional development program is crucial so that it can be properly communicated to employees. A robust program includes clearly defined objectives and outcomes to secure leadership buy-in and ensure participants feel the program is worth their time investment. Another key to success for these types of programs is flexibility. For mandatory leadership training, PHL tries their best to accommodate employee schedules, as necessary. Greatest Challenges and Lessons Learned Time Commitment Employees are often reluctant to participate in the various leadership development programs offered (mandatory or otherwise) due to the time commitment it requires and perceived interference with regular job duties. Ensuring the program is robust and sharing its objectives helped alleviate these concerns. Group Projects A pain point identified by employees involves the group projects that are required in some programs. However, the HR team and leadership emphasize how important collaborating across operating units is to building skills necessary for effective leadership. Impact to Organization Though PHL has not done a quantitative assessment of their programs, they do request feedback from employees on the programs and have found that approximately 85% of the feedback has been positive. PHL attributes the positivity to employees feeling more valued because supervisors and leadership have invested in them. These leadership development programs also help demystify senior leadership by giving employees access to leaders, which makes changes and communication easier because people know and understand leadership and the types of decisions required in those roles.

Case Studies 93   Effective Use of Recognition and Performance Management Program for Talent Cultivation The Minneapolis–St. Paul (MSP) Airport believes in fostering a relationship-oriented culture where employees work together to get the job done, rather than through an authoritative approach, by acting on employee feedback. MSP captures employees’ thoughts and ideas through their annual employee survey (AES) so they can address their workforce’s needs and concerns. One initiative that emerged from previous AES results was the creation of an employee recognition program, allowing employees to acknowledge each other for exemplary performance. Also, based on additional AES feedback that employees wanted to see more accountability, MSP is in the process of rolling out a new performance management program with a greater focus on accountability. This is another example of how MSP values their employees and helps foster a culture where people work together to solve problems and accomplish tasks. Airport Demographics Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Approximately 700 employees Employee Recognition and Performance Management to Cultivate Talent Monthly and Annual Employee Recognition Program The program began in response to employees’ requests through the AES that they wanted an opportunity to be recognized for their contributions. Launching the program required a written strategy presented to the executive team to gain their buy-in and ensure they would support it financially. Employees nominate one another for exemplary performance each month to receive a $25 gift card; there are 10 winners each month. If an employee demonstrates the airport’s vision by providing the best customer service, they are nominated for the annual award of $500. The program gained momentum after a few months of winners being advertised on MSP’s intranet, and employees began realizing the value in recognizing one another. Performance Management Enhancements AES results suggested that employees wanted to see more accountability throughout the organization and for supervisors to manage poor performers better. Previously, performance reviews were not routinely done in the organization. MSP realized they needed to put a practice in place that would strengthen manager skills and guide them in conducting performance reviews. MSP went through several iterations of the performance review process through piloting the program and

94 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment determining what they wanted, needed, and what worked best for their workforce. It also required consensus and approval from the executive team and senior staff. The program includes managers learning how to write SMART goals so they can guide their employees to do the same and quarterly check-ins to measure progress toward goals. Keys to Success Surveying employees to understand what they needed and measuring the success of programs are important to ensure the airport’s goals are directly generated from the survey results and aligned to employee needs. Developing pilot programs to identify what works and what elements require change before rolling out a program across the entire organization helps ensure success. Ensuring that employee development is a priority and is modeled by senior leadership is necessary to gain employee buy-in. Greatest Challenges and Lessons Learned Award Limitations for Public Organizations Because MSP is a public organization, they cannot offer generous gifts or have big celebrations for employee recognition awards. MSP conducted ample research on what other jurisdictions were offering and mirrored that value, while still striving for a meaningful program. Manager Skills When piloting the performance management process, MSP realized many of their managers did not know how to properly write goals. Training on goal writing had to be embedded in the new process so managers knew how to write and guide their employees on writing SMART goals. Impact to Organization The new performance management process increases expectations of all employee levels by increasing accountability and enhancing manager skill level. The employee recognition program has helped foster a relationship-oriented culture at MSP; the possibility of being recognized for collaborative and supportive behavior increases teamwork and fellowship. Both efforts enhance the trust and dedication employees have in their employers.

Case Studies 95   Effective Use of Leadership Development for Talent Cultivation Overview of Learning and Development in a Small Commercial Airport The San Luis Obispo (SLO) airport is located in central coastal California and serves as a commercial service airport that includes a General Aviation component. SLO accommodates approximately 80,000 to 90,000 flight operations per year. This airport is owned by the county; services and support are either contracted out or provided by other county groups. SLO struggles with succession planning as a small airport with limited advancement opportunities. The airport and the county the airport is a part of were facing significant challenges caused by retirement and turnover. As a result, they implemented a Learning and Development Center (LDC) to help shape their future workforce. Though retention is generally difficult with small airports, employees have provided anecdotal feedback, expressing excitement and a sense of satisfaction as a result of participating in available classes. Airport Demographics Location: San Luis Obispo, California Approximately 20 employees Learning and Development Practices to Cultivate Talent Learning and Development Center Various classes that encourage professional and personal development are offered throughout the year; these classes offer an assortment of tools and teach valuable skills that employees can immediately put into practice. Topics include Making Ethical Decisions, Emotional Intelligence, Style Assessments, Conflict Resolution. Employees are nominated for classes; managers work with employees to identify focus areas for employees and recommend classes accordingly. Positive feedback from attendees created greater interest in classes and the demand for participation sometimes exceeds supply. The cost associated with sending individuals to classes with LDC is included in the budget each year. Time for employees to attend classes is also allocated. A steering committee was put in place to determine what courses will be offered and to guide the process. Recommendations are provided by county agencies, including the airport. Airport employees attend classes with other county employees because they have learned that many of the same challenges exist across governmental agencies.

96 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Keys to Success Buy-in and support for professional growth are important for staff at all levels. When leaders and managers advocate for a program and participants range from entry- to senior-level, professional development becomes part of the culture and does not have to be forced. Advocation for the program is weaved into performance evaluations and coaching and development sessions, embedding it into the culture at SLO. Promotional efforts and consistent communication about the LDC are important to ensure it becomes part of the culture. SLO believes that careful and consistent branding has aided in the LDC’s success—proper communication makes participation in the program more attractive. Greatest Challenges and Lessons Learned Tracking Organizational Development Managers can review an individual employee’s course history, but they do not have the ability to see the broader progression of their team or the organization. While SLO understands how this data would be useful to capture and managers have suggested a dashboard as a solution, SLO has not yet developed a resolution for this. Impact to Organization The LDC has given SLO the tools to solve various problems in a more informed way. Various classes have helped put a level of commonality into things that may have been a challenge in the past. For example, style assessments have helped employees not only understand themselves better but how their colleagues operate as well. Participation in the LDC has also helped employees who want to be a supervisor or manager see that career path for themselves and the additional skills they need but may not have acquired in their job. Lastly, the LDC helps shape well- rounded employees with soft and technical skills that make them competitive candidates for jobs.

Abbreviations and acronyms used without de nitions in TRB publications: A4A Airlines for America AAAE American Association of Airport Executives AASHO American Association of State Highway Officials AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ACI–NA Airports Council International–North America ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program ADA Americans with Disabilities Act APTA American Public Transportation Association ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials ATA American Trucking Associations CTAA Community Transportation Association of America CTBSSP Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program DHS Department of Homeland Security DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency FAA Federal Aviation Administration FAST Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (2015) FHWA Federal Highway Administration FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FRA Federal Railroad Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration HMCRP Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012) NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASAO National Association of State Aviation Officials NCFRP National Cooperative Freight Research Program NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NTSB National Transportation Safety Board PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration SAE Society of Automotive Engineers SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (2005) TCRP Transit Cooperative Research Program TDC Transit Development Corporation TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (1998) TRB Transportation Research Board TSA Transportation Security Administration U.S. DOT United States Department of Transportation

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