Many of you will know Mr. Heinemann as a designer for the Douglas Aircraft Company, starting way back in the 30’s. No few will also know he worked on such great designs as the A-4, A-3, Dauntless, F-3 and others. These are the facts.
But, not many will know that he was more than just an aircraft designer. He was a good family man, an astute business man and a respected leader. With that, here is some of the collected wisdom of this fine man.
"Following are some key rules Ed said he tried to adhere to when dealing with people. They give you a measure of the man!
Tell people what is expected of them.
Tell them in advance about changes that will affect them.
Let those working for you know how they are getting along.
Give credit where credit is due, especially for extra effort or performance. Do it while it’s hot. Don’t wait.
Make the best use of each person’s ability.
Strive to keep ahead of schedule.
Don’t waste time.
If you’re the boss, give guidance, direction, and most important, decisive answers to questions.
Make sure people know where to go to get answers.
Beware of office politicians.
If you want to pick a man for a difficult job, pick one who has already thought out the problem or is capable of doing so quickly.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices. Beware of these.
Respect the specialists – those who are masters of a particular phase of an operation. But be wary of allowing them to make big decisions.
I may send a copy to my unit manager and unit educator. Heck, I’m already not on their X-mas card list.
I like those quotes! Thank you for sharing.
Cheers
Dave
Jack Northrup was no slouch either. The men of aviation, and a few women like Jackie Cockhran, came through for this country when we needed it the most. The time from drawing board to runway was accomplished in times unheard of before or siince.
You know, you could make a fairly reasonable argument about that group of men being as remarkable a gathering as the Founding Fathers of the US. (Apologies to you Brits - this is pretty nearly religion to Americans!) Check off the names - Glenn Curtis, Alex Kartveli, Roy Grumman, Ed Heinemann, Dutch Kindleberger, Jack Northrup, Igor Sikorksy… And you don’t have to throw a much bigger loop to get the likes of Hawker, Messerschmitt, Tank, Horikoshi, and there’s surely some I’m forgetting because it’s late. But, man! What crowd, eh? I can’t think of another period or field of industry that has seen their like - certainly not so many in so short a span.
Thanks, Dahut.
I’ve copied the rules and sent them to my manager…she’s actually pretty good value to work with…I’m hoping she’ll pass it all UP the food chain…lol…I wish her luck.
It is good to see that Heinemann is known and respected by others besides those that were lucky enough to have worked with him at DAC. He took a lot of kidding about the A-4 because of its size. Around the plant it became known as 'Heinemann’s hot rod.
When I was in the NAVY, the A-4 was much revered, especially among the old Vietnam era salts. One story that went ariound was about it’s conception.
It was said that Douglas got word late on the replacement contract for the Skyraider. Most of the other companies had a head start and the NAVY wasnt cutting any breaks… “Make the deadline or be out,” was how it was told.
So, Ed Heinemann and his design team burned the midnight oil to came up with the initial design, over a table at a bar and grill - the design concept coming together on a cocktail napkin. For some time, they didnt know it by names it would eventually become famous for, ie, “Hot Rod” or “Tinkerbell.” No, they called it their “Napkin Bird!”
I dont know how true this is, and I’ve not been able to verify it. But, it was the ‘scuttlebutt’ at the hangar from guys who had been around from the beginning.
I was going to email those to my boss, but then I remember I AM THE BOSS! [D)]
So I emailed them to myself anyway. I like to think I do most of those already, but I’m printing that out and posting them where I can see them at work.
There were a lot of good people in those days. It wasn’t just aircraft people either. One of my favorite examples of the great industrialists from those days is Henry J. Kaiser. They had brains, a good work ethic, impeccable morals, heart and soul. Most of which is missing from today’s corporate boardroom.
Great work plan. I would share it at work but I work by myself with only one helper. He has to do whatever I say anyway or i’ll beat the snot out of him!