In "Airline Without a Pilot: Lessons in Leadership," author and management consultant Harry L. Nolan, Jr. examines the
events that toppled Delta Air Lines from its position as the preeminent U.S. airline, landing it in bankruptcy. To assemble
the facts, Nolan conducted 59 interviews with Delta executives and front-line employees, both current and former. Additionally,
his wife was a Delta manager, and although she was not interviewed for the book, her position allowed Nolan to meet many Delta
executives over the course of her 26-year employment.
Nolan begins by describing the airline industry and listing key factors that have had a negative impact on it: deregulation
in 1978, escalating fuel costs during the Bush presidencies, and the rise of low-cost carriers. He also discusses founder
C.E. Woolman's core beliefs and management style that shaped Delta during its first 41 years: leadership, integrity, safety,
teamwork, and respect for both employee and customer.
Having laid the groundwork, Nolan launches into a systematic analysis of what went wrong at Delta. For the most part,
he finds the rank-and-file blameless. His most severe criticism is leveled at the company's leaders-particularly CEOs Ron
Allen and Leo Mullin, and Delta's Board of Directors-who not only abandoned Woolman's core beliefs but displayed greediness,
indifference, and a fatal lack of leadership.
Nolan's writing is refreshingly candid and unrestrained-he clearly identifies CEO Allen's arrogance
and Board member Grinstein's "primary responsibility for Delta's seriously weakened condition"-and his experience
as a management consultant gives heft to his arguments. Nolan also understands that corporations are complex and their executive
officers often equally so; no executive is portrayed as singly incompetent or a complete failure. For instance, Nolan
recognizes that Allen's efforts improved Delta's short-term financial situation, and that as CEO, Grinstein has demonstrated
"superlative leadership." Nolan's advice for working with business consultants is particularly astute.
At its core, "Airline Without a Pilot" is a story of human drama and shocking corporate malfeasance. Nolan
does an excellent job of describing Delta's changing corporate environment and identifying the broad errors of judgment that
led to its current state. The lessons in leadership that he draws from Delta's downfall are useful and appropriate,
though not always as fresh as readers might hope for, particularly in light of the well-publicized breakups of Enron, WorldCom,
and Arthur Andersen. And while Nolan identifies policies and practices that failed, managers reading this book will likely
want more detailed advice for successfully leading a business in the service industry.
Over the past 15 years, Delta's rank-and-file have suffered greatly on behalf of their company. Thousands have
been laid off, benefits have been reduced, salaries have been slashed, and job satisfaction has plummeted. For these people,
"Airline Without a Pilot" will no doubt be the cathartic experience their management has been unable to provide.
Copyright 2005 Bookwire
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