Aviation Stories

It was the middle of the night, the hum of jet engines in the distance, when a Europe-bound flight had an unexpected maintenance issue. As the shift lead, I had two choices—wake up my boss right away, or trust the tools and team at hand. I chose the latter.

First, I reached out to our maintenance lead. We scoured manuals, checked protocol, and tried every fix within our power. All the while, I kept the client informed—because leadership means communication, not just action.

But after every avenue was exhausted, I realized this wasn’t just my problem anymore—it was time for leadership’s involvement. The difference? When I escalated, I wasn’t passing the buck. I had a timeline, a list of steps, and a clear reason why leadership was now needed. That’s what earns trust—not just upward, but with your team. In leadership, knowing when to escalate is the difference between passing problems and owning solutions.

So, how do you sharpen your judgment on when to escalate? First, have your go-to resources ready—know exactly who or what you can consult before you ever pick up the phone to leadership. Second, get into the habit of tracking your process—when escalation is needed, you’ll have a clear picture of what you’ve done. Finally, after each situation, reflect: did you escalate at the right time, or could you have handled more? Each situation is a chance to refine that instinct.