Boeing Exec Shares Crisis Leadership Lessons

When Boeing v-p and organization designation authorization (ODA) ombudsperson Mark Fava stood before aviation professionals at the recent NATA Air Charter Summit, he delivered a stark reminder about leadership in an industry where failure isn’t just costly—it can also be catastrophic.

As an admiral’s aide, “I’m always watching the admiral, but people are always watching me,” Fava told the audience, drawing from experiences that would shape his approach to crisis management from 9/11 to Boeing’s recent challenges.

Fava, who serves as Boeing’s ODA ombudsperson working with the company's 1,000 FAA-designated representatives, brought a unique perspective to his presentation on “Legacy Leadership in Difficult Times.” His credentials span three decades of naval service as a P-3 flight officer, legal expertise from major aviation incidents, and current oversight of Boeing’s complex relationship with federal regulators.

Central to Fava’s message was his concept of “legacy leadership”—what he defines as “acting in such a way that leadership becomes ingrained in somebody else, that is passed on generationally.” This philosophy, developed during his 18 months serving as an admiral’s aide 30 years ago, became the foundation for his recently published book, “Lessons from the Admiral: Naval Wisdom and Sea Stories for Leaders.”

The inspiration came during COVID lockdowns when, rather than “sitting around watching Netflix,” Fava decided to document the leadership principles that had guided his career. Everyone can quickly recall the best people they’ve worked for, he noted, asking, “Who is the worst leader you ever worked for? Everybody knows that person, too, right?”

For aviation professionals, Fava emphasized that this duality creates what he calls “leadership fabric.” “We look at the good people and then we look at the bad people, and we figure out who we don’t want to be, and I think that becomes your leadership fabric.”

Core Principles for Aviation Leaders

Drawing from his naval background and aviation industry experience, Fava outlined fundamental leadership principles particularly relevant to aerospace professionals:

Dependability above all: “Clients depend on the aircraft to be certified, to be safe, to be compliant, and the records to be in place. Dependability is key in our environment. The customer wants to get from point A to point B on time safely, and it goes all the way down to the director of operations, up to the director of operations, down to the A&P mechanic on the flight line.”

Integrity under pressure: Recounting his admiral’s guidance, Fava shared: “He gave me five things to do. One of them is to always be on time. The other thing he told me, ‘Everybody will tell me what I do is right.’ He says, ‘I need you to tell me when it’s not right.’ And then he looked at me and says, ‘Don’t let me do anything stupid.’”

This principle has particular resonance given Boeing’s recent challenges. “Look at my company—what we’ve gone through over the last couple of years because maybe a handful of people made some very stupid mistakes and said some very stupid things [on the] internet and emails and their operations with the FAA, and it’s tough.”

Crisis Management: Lessons from 9/11

Perhaps the most compelling portion of Fava’s presentation drew from his experience as a Delta Air Lines operations attorney on Sept. 11, 2001, just 41 days into his tenure with the airline. He was attending a routine security conference when “everybody’s pagers started going off in the middle of the morning, to the point where the general counsel is up there talking, and he says, something’s clearly going on.”

The key to Delta’s successful response that day, Fava explained, wasn't luck—it was preparation. “The reason that went so well that day is because Delta had a plan. We had an emergency operations plan. We never in our wildest dreams—[and] nobody in this room—imagined that was going to be the emergency, that was going to be the crisis, but we had a plan, and we executed the plan perfectly.”

This experience shaped Fava’s approach to crisis planning, which he believes is essential for aviation companies of all sizes. “I challenge everybody, what’s your plan? You know, when something bad happens, an employee gets terminated and sues you, could be an aircraft goes down, could be a maintenance issue, could be an FAA certificate action. What's your plan? Do you know what that plan is? And more importantly, do the people that work with you (or for you) know what that plan is, and have you tested that?”

Fava emphasized that having a written plan isn’t enough. “You’ve got to practice the plan. The paper it’s written on is worth nothing,” he stressed, describing Delta’s comprehensive drill program where team members would be paged at 2 a.m. for realistic exercises.

These exercises included printing actual boarding passes and making real phone calls to test communication systems. 

Leadership during Crisis

When crisis strikes, Fava emphasized the importance of leadership visibility and composure. “It’s critically important to be the person who maintains composure. Because everybody’s watching you, and because that’s how things get done. You want to be in the foxhole with the person who you can trust that’s not freaking out.”

Communication timing is equally crucial. “You’ve got to find that time for a leader who has to speak when something bad happens. I don’t know when the exact time is, but I can tell you when you missed that time, and I can tell you if you’re going too early. If you go too early, it’s usually because the information you got is not right."

The solution, he explained, is to “communicate early and often” internally while ensuring information is pressure-checked. “Initial reports are almost always wrong. Ask questions.”

Building Tomorrow’s Leaders

Throughout his presentation, Fava returned to the theme of developing future aviation leaders. Working with Boeing’s 1,000 ODA representatives—engineers and technical experts who sign off on aircraft certification on behalf of the FAA—he sees firsthand the importance of maintaining both technical excellence and ethical leadership.

“Absolutely, they can do that,” Fava said of ODA representatives maintaining integrity while being paid by companies yet signing for the FAA. “The industry in our country depends on every ODA doing that, whether they’re in your business, general aviation, air taxi, Gulfstream, or Boeing. Because we know the drain on employees that have that level of capability and those that are coming up is fairly significant."

His role at Boeing puts him at the intersection of technical expertise and ethical leadership. “People that don’t want to go to speak up, don’t want to go to their manager, don’t want to go to HR, can come to me in complete confidence and can talk to me about issues that they’re feeling or sensing, and I can use the aviation knowledge that I’ve got from working with people like this in this room to try and coach and counsel them.”

Simple Gestures, Lasting Impact

Despite the complexity of modern aviation operations, Fava concluded with perhaps his simplest yet most powerful leadership advice: the importance of gratitude. “No matter how good or how bad the day was… Employees love great pay. They love great culture. They love great benefits. [But] this is free and easy. Just say, hey, thanks for a good day. Hey, how are you doing?”

Recalling his admiral’s consistent practice, Fava noted: “No matter how miserable the day was, he would always say thank you at the end of the day.”

For aviation professionals operating in an industry where precision, safety, and reliability are paramount, Fava’s message resonates clearly: “The practice and the plan get you closer to perfection and a level of comfort and confidence in operating with your team. Knowing who you’re going to call, knowing who you’re gonna trust, knowing that the plan works, and knowing that when it does happen, you’re prepared.”