David Mc Cown of Chapman Freeborn On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Uncertain & Turbulent Times
I would say the first thing is to create and nurture a great team that not only knows you have their backs but also that you are a leader who is fair, collaborative, willing to listen, and trustworthy. Going back to the story of my previous employer: We were in a turnaround situation and our board had almost given up. Rather than walk away, I told them honestly that I thought it would be a mistake and showed them what we could do, how we could do it, what we’d need to do it, and how much time it would take (the visions and plan). Once the board agreed, it was incumbent upon me to get the team’s buy in for them to understand what their respective roles were in that vision, and to be sure everyone had the resources they needed to be successful while continuing to remove any obstacles that might throw us off course.
As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing David McCown.
David McCown is President of the Americas of Chapman Freeborn, the global aircraft charter specialist and part of Avia Solutions Group. Appointed in May 2022, McCown joined Chapman Freeborn with nearly three decades of aviation industry experience. His role is to lead the company, celebrating its 50th Anniversary, in the expansion of North America private aviation operations, including business and personal travel and cargo, for which it is well established.
According to McCown, “This is the ideal time to join Chapman Freeborn when private air travel is increasingly gaining recognition as an essential transportation option for an ever-widening travel audience. The company’s stellar reputation, five decades of reliability and customer-centric service levels are unparalleled assets to establish a dominant presence in one of the world’s top commercial markets.”
Under McCown’s leadership, Chapman Freeborn will be opening new US offices, creating high- performing sales teams to increase and service business, consumer and cargo clientele while supporting aviation brokers, managers, and colleagues across the Americas. Based in Boise, Idaho, McCown reports to Eric Erbacher, Group Chief Executive Officer. McCown joined Chapman Freeborn from Air Partner where he rose from Senior Vice President to President of Americas over 17 years. He also served for four years as Chairman of the Board of the Air Charter Association of North America, a nonprofit industry trade group representing the air charter industry.
Previously, McCown directed business development for Aircraft Technical Publishers, a San Francisco-based provider of software solutions and information services for aviation MRO’s (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul). He was also Vice President and Board Member of Flight Time Corp. in San Francisco, and he founded and led AirCharter.com, the world’s first online reservation system in private aviation. McCown got his start as a financial analyst with Bank of America in 1994.
McCown earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from University of Colorado Boulder followed by an MBA from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy. He has proficiency in French, Italian and Swedish languages and enjoys mountain biking, and spending time with family and friends.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I come from an aviation background. My mother was a stewardess for Pan Am in the 1950s, flying the South Pacific route out of San Francisco on Boeing 377 Stratocruisers. My father was a navigator in the Air Force. And my brother was a charter pilot for a small air charter company based in the Bay Area. I earned my pilot’s license during my last year at the University of Colorado Boulder for no other reason than family tradition. I later went on to earn an MBA in international business from a management school in Milan, Italy.
After my graduate degree, I headed to San Francisco to work as a financial analyst in the derivatives department at the world headquarters of Bank of America. It was the early 1990s and the Internet boom was just taking off, with so much going on it was like the Gold Rush. As I knew a bit about aviation, I joined my brother and some friends, including a neighbor who was a web designer, looking for internet opportunities for the industry. We realized there were thousands of private jets out there but no central reservations system for them similar to commercial air.
With low cost and ease of entry and access, the Internet provided a good way to pull together industries that are very fragmented and make them accessible to consumers. So, we created a system through which customers could plug in their itineraries and get rates back from operators. We launched AirCharter.com on a shoestring in 1996.
Two years later, we were acquired by a major industry player, which later ended up going out of business. I’d moved on by then, working in areas including jet card programming, aviation publishing, and even heading the board of the nonprofit Air Charter Association of America. In 2005, I was recruited to lead the San Francisco office of a major global aviation services group. A dozen years later, I was promoted to head the company’s U.S. subsidiary.
Finally, in 2022, I was recruited to lead air charter operations in the Americas for Chapman Freeborn, a UK-based global aircraft charter specialist that traces its history back to 1973 when its founders began marketing Hercules freighter aircraft to transport cargo first within Africa and then beyond. Now a part of Avia Solutions Group, Chapman Freeborn has offices all over the world and niche specialties in everything from business aviation to managing flights for high-profile sports and entertainment clients and for humanitarian relief.
I’ve always liked the travel industry and find private aviation to be particularly attractive. It’s one of the most dynamic segments of the travel industry, with a lot of money, private equity, and innovative business models that cater to consumers who have the means and motivation to fly something other than commercial.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Well, they didn’t seem funny at the time, but now I look back at some of the assumptions we had for AirCharter.com and go: “What were we thinking?” When we started in the early days of the Internet, it was amazing the kinds of businesses people were launching and getting funded, and it seemed that being a “first mover” and getting mind share and visibility had a lot of advantages. We were the first company to launch an online reservation system for private jets, so for us it was a race to get it out there and make a bunch of noise about it. In retrospect, we probably didn’t do enough thinking through how our customer base really wanted to buy time on private jets. So much of the Internet was about disintermediation and automation, and that is just not how the world of private jets works. In reality, it’s a luxury tailored service despite the attempts of some in the industry to commoditize it. So, we tried to awe our customers, but we probably hadn’t done enough research into what they really wanted.
At the same time, we also ran into headwinds in trying to get air charter carriers on board with our system. Air charter carriers fly incredible, high-tech airplanes, but the operators themselves are not very advanced at adopting new technology–at least they weren’t back then. Furthermore, air charter operators are less inclined to put their prices on a platform where their customers can see the aircraft as well as those of competitors side by side. The lesson is: Sometimes there may be some benefits to being a first mover on the Internet or elsewhere, but being a second or third mover is probably better because you’ll learn from others’ mistakes.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I believe that success can be defined a number of ways, personally or professionally. Professionally, I would have to say that my father was my biggest supporter and influence going back to the launch of AirCharter.com. He is still around, and he’s quite exceptional: a very successful businessman, involved in charity, and very much a pioneer in a number of ways. Not only did he provide me with some financial support and a lot of opportunities, he gave me some great advice all along the way.
One of the most notable things that my father did was always encourage me to figure out what I really wanted to do–and then to go and do it. He also instilled in me that most things in life require determination and persistence: With them you will be successful at most anything you choose; without them you probably won’t be.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose-driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your organization started, what was its vision, what was its purpose? “Does your company have a purpose beyond profit? It may seem an irrelevant question, but the answer can vary depending on who you ask. 79% of business leaders surveyed by PwC believe that an organization’s purpose is central to business success, yet 68% shared that purpose is not used as a guidepost in leadership decision making processes within their organization.”
Today, the vision of Chapman Freeborn is to be the premier provider of private aviation services worldwide. When I say “premier,” it’s not only in terms of the reliable, one-stop private aviation solutions we offer, it is also about being one of the more sought-after aviation organizations to be a part of. We don’t own or operate most of our aircraft: We’re an air charter broker, so our assets are our people and the purpose we provide is what drives them.
To be purpose-driven, you need to have a vision and a North Star. You also have to have goals that go beyond the short-term (e.g., hitting this number or winning that contract). People want to be part of something bigger. Everyone loves a paycheck, but even more so they love to get out and be part of something that lets them know where they’re going and how they fit into it.
I think when you lose purpose, you lose a lot — especially in a company like ours, which is all about people. We’re nothing with out them. I really mean that. We do not have a technology or hard assets, so we need people who feel motivated and happy. Different things can give people purpose.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
That’s kind of a funny question when you think about it, because it seems like we’re always in uncertain times. I can’t remember a year in which I was putting together a budget that we weren’t wondering what was around the corner. Just go back to 1996 when we launched AirCharter.com: First there was the dot-com bubble, then 9/11, then the Iraq war, then a nice bubble in real estate followed by a massive financial crises. Dial forward, and we got through the COVID pandemic only to experience one of the country’s most divisive elections — and we just had another one at the start of November. It’s amazing that something always seems to be going on that affects how companies have to plan.
As such, I would look back to something from my previous position with a global aviation services group. When I started, the business had been dramatically underperforming, and as a result the team had morale and motivation issues with people starting to drift and even resign. To ameliorate the situation, I developed an ambitious turnaround plan and pitched it to the Board of Directors. That showed that I believed an opportunity existed for the company to excel in the market, and also that I had the wherewithal to create business and push the team to deliver. The Board of Directors agreed, and I was appointed President of the Americas.
Additionally, because I’d already consulted with most of my team members (who appreciated being able to provide input), I already had their buy-in to the vision and plan. I think that is really important: A lot of companies have visions and plans, but if their team members don’t buy in, they are just phrases. When you get people to buy into a vision, they can rally around it and that becomes exciting for them. Meantime, I think it is important that everybody on the team clearly understands their respective roles in achieving that vision. At the same time, it is important for leaders to have a good understanding of people’s roles and the support they need to carry them out. That can become a back-and-forth discussion, of course: They may want the full moon and as the leader you may only be able to give them a crescent. Also, a lot of my effort was spent removing obstacles (internal and external) that might get in their way.
After three years our division had not only become more profitable than ever, it also became one of the most sought-after organizations to work for in the industry. In an organization — especially a “people business” like private aviation — you hit a real “sweet spot” when team quality and company culture create a positive feedback loop. A strong, supportive culture drives better performance, which in turn enhances the organization’s appeal, attracting more top talent and reinforcing success in a continuous cycle.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
I go back to the lesson I learned from my dad about persistence and determination. Once you understand it and have actually lived it a few times, you come to realize that challenging situations are just part of the journey. At the same time, though, I think it’s important to not be a purist about never giving up; one also needs to be able to recognize when the time might be right to pivot away or give up on something. Not knowing when to give up can be a big mistake because life is short and you don’t want to spend it pursuing something that is not worth it or may never happen.
Back with AirCharter.com, for instance, we learned so much as we went along that we did have to make some pivots. But we did not give up, and I can tell you that, being a first mover, there were a lot of naysayers and industry people who said the company would never be successful because what we were doing was not how the industry worked. We heard it from a lot of established operators who were entrenched in the old ways: “People are not going to go online and book charters.” Now, of course, the Internet has changed everything.
I’m an author and I believe that books have the power to change lives. Do you have a book in your life that impacted you and inspired you to be an effective leader? Can you share a story?
In terms of this discussion, I would say the book that changed my life was probably Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Unlike a lot of people, I didn’t read it in high school; it was when I started my career in my 20s. I remember it was a big piece of literature. And while it didn’t directly inspire me as a leader, it did sort of drive home the lesson that if you believe in something and can approach it with persistence and determination you can achieve great things. Atlas Shrugged has lot of philosophical stuff, but what really stood out to me was all the challenges the main character Dagny Taggart went through and how she pushed through to rebuild a railroad line. She faced so much yet she kept going.
What I often find is when you get inspiration and answers and insight from a book, it is often a function of what you’re going through and looking for in that particular moment of your life. I have found that to be the case with so many books. With Atlas Shrugged, I started reading it soon after launching AirCharter.com when I was dealing with all sorts of twists, turns, and zig-zags as a result of being the first mover. The book really gave me the inspiration and courage I needed to push through with the business despite all of the challenges and naysayers, and with the success we achieved, we ultimately got acquired by a large industry player.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
I think it comes back to being purpose-driven. As a leader, you have to keep your eye on the ball and help your team keep their eyes on the ball. To put it another way: I mentioned having a vision that people can rally around, something that serves as a North Star. It is knowing where you’re headed and how to get there that really serves a purpose in turbulent times and stormy weather.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
I would say that typically during challenging times if a company is experiencing under performance, disappointment, a loss of business and even layoffs, there can be a lot of fear, morale issues and departures. That is particularly true in private aviation because it’s such a people-oriented business. So, keeping the team driving forward and fighting through the challenges is very important, and it means creating and maintaining a positive outlook. When times are tough, try to focus on the successes: Even the small ones will help set people’s pictures of how the company is doing and remind them that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that you’ll get there together.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
Well, it’s not by Twitter (jk). Really, I think you have to be honest with people and not beat around the bush. Depending on the news you’re giving them, you should try to frame it in a way that puts it in a positive, big-picture perspective and shows that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. But I think in the end you have be honest even if it’s hard, because with honesty you create trust with your team, your suppliers, and your customers. They say that trust can be the coin of the realm, and in private aviation it can be very important: Without it, we’ve got nothing.
For instance, in hard times when we have had to do layoffs, we approached it honestly by explaining that there was nothing personal about it, we just had to do more with less. Or, when there are last-minute changes to a flight due to, say, a maintenance issue or a sick pilot, we have to tell the customer that they’re going to be late and that we’re trying to find a backup aircraft. That can be really hard, but letting customers know the situation up front and as soon as possible is important. If you try to pretend everything is going to be alright and then things don’t work out, they’re not going to trust you or come back. But if you keep them apprised all along, they may not be happy, but they’ll know they can trust you next time.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
As I noted, a lot of what we do is make plans for an unpredictable future. Every time I look at a budget, I get a feeling I might as well have been a stockbroker trying to figure what is going to go up. But that’s what leaders are paid for, and if you really are in an unpredictable time, I think it’s important to be nimble and, even more importantly, to have a great team. Because with a great team you can achieve good outcomes, regardless of the situation.
Chapman Freeborn is asset light. That’s a good position to be in for private aviation, because it is very expensive to own and operate aircraft and all it takes is an economic downturn to wash out an operation. Meanwhile, generally speaking, our organization is staffed with people who can wear multiple hats. We’ve created an environment in which everybody understands that they can be entrepreneurial and step outside of their job description as need be. In the end, our people do what needs to be done, and that helps build a sense of team that feeds positively on itself.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
It goes back to being purpose-driven or having a North Star. If you don’t have a purpose, a vision or a North Star and people can’t see what you’re trying to accomplish and where you’re trying to go, you kind of become directionless and I think that is when your team could fall apart.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
I have seen other companies that are too top-line focused and not bottom-lined focused enough — which leads me to wonder if their business models are really profitable. But generally speaking, if we are talking about turbulent times, I think from a long-term perspective overreacting during a downturn by, say, cutting too deep into overhead or getting rid of too many people can be a big mistake. But the converse can also be true: You can make a mistake of not cutting far enough.
Alas, there is no one answer. Importantly, your business model needs to be sound, your performance expectations need to be realistic, and your organization (from Board of Directors to frontline sales) needs to be crystal clear about the vision.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.
I would say the first thing is to create and nurture a great team that not only knows you have their backs but also that you are a leader who is fair, collaborative, willing to listen, and trustworthy. Going back to the story of my previous employer: We were in a turnaround situation and our board had almost given up. Rather than walk away, I told them honestly that I thought it would be a mistake and showed them what we could do, how we could do it, what we’d need to do it, and how much time it would take (the visions and plan). Once the board agreed, it was incumbent upon me to get the team’s buy in for them to understand what their respective roles were in that vision, and to be sure everyone had the resources they needed to be successful while continuing to remove any obstacles that might throw us off course.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I have no idea who said it, but it rings true: “It is not about who is right, it’s about what is right.”
When you’re in an organization, whatever your role, it is important to know that you can be honest and share your opinions and views (even contrarian). When an organizational culture is highly hierarchical, this can sometimes lead to people being less inclined to challenge the ideas/decisions of those above them. It’s good to challenge ideas and have robust discussions, and leaders should create a culture that encourages robust debate. Not having honest dialogue can be dangerous to an organization. For me, it’s okay to be wrong and just because I’m the president it doesn’t make me right. Letting your team understand that — “Wow, you were right, and I was wrong!” — will energize them and lead to open communications and a more honest environment.
How can our readers further follow your work?
I’m not really into Twitter or Facebook and the like, but I do occasionally post things on LinkedIn. They can also follow Chapman Freeborn, which always has a lot of interesting developments for people intrigued with private aviation.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
David Mc Cown of Chapman Freeborn On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.