Sidebar: Guiding Staff Through Turbulent Times

Computerworld - Brian Leinbach, 43, senior vice president of operations at Delta Technology Inc. in Atlanta, says that while the outlook for the airline industry is better than it was in 2001, there are no sunny skies yet. Meanwhile, IT leaders are under continuous pressure to squeeze more value out of technology while the industry waits for a recovery. Writer Stacy Collett spoke with Leinbach about the challenges of leading Delta's 900 IT employees through the tough times.

What are your biggest IT leadership challenges? This airline has gone through so much change since 9/11. It rocked our world. The parameters under which we run this airline were dramatically changed forever -- the way we do our jobs, the way we screen employees, the security we have on our campus, the level and review we now have [regarding] customer data, respecting privacy and at the same time adhering to all the new laws. The whole way we run the airline is being rethought every day. Getting people to maintain a positive attitude through that is a real challenge because it can grind you down.

How do you keep your team motivated? We celebrate the small victories. We're making progress with technology that's visible with customers. We've pushed out more kiosks in airports to streamline check-in and added Delta Direct phone banks to directly connect to reservations.

What have these experiences taught you about leadership? Pay attention to the personal side of the business and how changes in the way we do our daily jobs affect employees' lives.

How do you lead the technology side of the business? The airline industry has such a tightly integrated set of technology. It's a logistics challenge. You have to get a crew, passengers, catering, fuel and luggage in an airplane in 30 to 45 minutes. Sometimes the simplest change to the business model ripples through 10 to 20 systems. [At the same time], the business wants us to be instantaneously responsive. We've got to be responsive and say we need to test it, validate it and not break something we didn't intend to touch.
It also requires a lot of balance. Let people speak their mind and bring their ideas forward. We've relied on looking at a tight business case around what they are proposing.

What are the benefits to the airline? The airline is going through so much to try to shape itself and re-address low-cost competition from carriers. We're testing food for sale and how much leg room on a particular airplane. The rippleeffect back to technology is tremendous. Delta is going to look very different as we emerge from this.
Collett is a freelance writer in Chicago. Contact her at stcollett@aol.com.