My Boeing Days – Prologue

Blog1 of 10 

This series of blogs is about people: people who built airplanes at Boeing, and people who dreamt and built the largest commercial airplane. They made the 747 a grand success, dominating the skies for over 50 years. The series highlights employees' dedication to Boeing, their openness, transparency, and honesty. From the management side, they laid down values, gave freedom to dream, and supported employees in turning their dreams into reality. They provided safety nets in case of failure and demonstrated compassion, forgiveness, and camaraderie as fellow Boeing employees. The late former Boeing CEO, Frank Shrontz, aptly put it during his interview with the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2015: “There was a lot of pride among the people. It was kind of a family feeling, a feeling you don’t find at modern companies…”

 

I joined Boeing in 1981 in Seattle, fresh out of college and passionate about learning and advancing my technical knowledge and skills. I had little knowledge of various management functions, let alone debating the role management should play in advancing employee skills, building their career plans, and ensuring their success to advance the company. The Boeing style of management seemed typical to me, practiced in other companies as well. Needless to say, I learned all my management lessons and people skills on the job at Boeing. My bosses were role models in every respect. I worked at Boeing for 15 years, achieving the rank of Technical Fellow, also known as senior principal scientist, the highest technical rank at Boeing.

 

Reflecting on the exemplary managers and engineers I worked with, I sought to find out their whereabouts today. Sadly, many of them are no longer alive. This is truly indicative of the golden era that has become part of history—a piece of history from which many can learn.

 

Today, it is disheartening to witness the incidents that have occurred involving Boeing airplanes. I grew up with the slogan ‘I am not going if it is not Boeing,’ reflecting the pride we had in Boeing airplanes. Recently, I was saddened to see an article in a magazine twist it to ‘If it is Boeing, I am not going.’ Such a dramatic change in my lifetime is painful to witness. However, I strongly believe that a turnaround for Boeing is not only possible but inevitable. This series of blogs intends to offer a glimpse into the golden days, allowing readers to compare and contrast with today's environment. A new blog will be posted every 15 days for over 4 months. I hope this series will inspire the younger generation to restore the company to its former glory and beyond. I have faith in the spirit of Boeing employees—they will turn Boeing around. I know I am not alone in wishing for this turnaround.