Air NZ Rob Fyfe's advice for Rotorua

Be yourself and keep communication channels open - that's the advice Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe offered Rotorua's business community.
Fyfe was the guest speaker at a Rotorua Chamber of Commerce Focus on Business lunch at the Distinction Hotel yesterday, explaining the "culture of personality" he has created at the national airline.
"The focus of the business is around people and communication - a lot of business performance comes from that. We are consistently recognised as one of the best-performing and innovative airlines in the world."
It is a business culture built up after extensive research into why people come to New Zealand and how to make the flight here, with Air New Zealand, part of the visitor experience.
A dated business model, low global travel confidence following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and a lack of self-belief among the team were holding the company back, found Fyfe when he was brought in to evaluate Air New Zealand.
To do that, he stepped back from the normal day-to-day concerns normally dealt with by a chief executive to focus on the "personality" of the business.
"It is easy to see how a lot of airline executives spend all their time minding the economics of the business and put all their resources into trying to improve financial performance."
But Fyfe made his role about developing the airline's main competitive advantage - its focus on New Zealand. A survey of thousands of travellers found what visitors remembered most about their trip to New Zealand were the people and their friendliness.
"That was a 'lightbulb' moment for us. Then we set about creating an airline that brings to life the personality that makes New Zealand a little different."
Two of the key elements of creating that culture have been communicating openly, regularly and plainly with employees and the wider public and encouraging staff to "be themselves".
Fyfe said he spent about 70 per cent of his time on internal and external communication. "We want our employees everywhere in the world to hear information from the company, before they read about it in the media - and that's a real challenge in our industry."
But he said it was important to communicate clearly.
"Forget meaningless business school terms. I work one day every month in some role in the business and, when you are talking to baggage handlers, who may not even have English as a first language, if you use that sort of terminology they will just glaze over."
This philosophy also fits into his "be yourself" mindset.
"[New Zealanders] need to have the confidence to be ourselves and recognise that we can be world-class by being ourselves, without having to emulate anyone else."
This has become a cornerstone of the Air New Zealand personality.
"We dare to be different. We have a personality and we take risks. We are not afraid to be bold and, at times, controversial. Sometimes we get it wrong, but there is nothing wrong with that if you are prepared to admit you got it wrong."
 
ROB FYFE
The big ideas behind Air New Zealand's business personality:

- We welcome everybody as a friend
- We allow our people to be themselves
- We have a "can do" approach
- We have a "culture of personality" that we share with New Zealanders and with visitors to our country