A Family Affair: Passion for FLIGHT DECK Fills the Hernandezes’ Dinner Table Conversations

Sometimes the most important childhood lessons are the ones you don't even realize are being taught. That certainly is the case for Samantha Hernandez. Looking back, she recalls how her father - an engineer and the son of an engineer - encouraged her to always be curious and ask "Why?"

"He didn't let me settle for 'That's just how it is.' I grew up asking, 'How can we get better?' Even something like the morning school run could be improved upon," she says. "In these small ways, he was teaching me to have a continuous improvement mindset, but you don't see it until you look back."

Today Samantha is working as a FLIGHT DECK Leader at GE Aerospace's On Wing Support (OWS) facilities in Dubai and Doha. FLIGHT DECK - the company's proprietary lean operating model - teaches employees to embrace a continuous improvement mindset in order to improve processes and eliminate waste. It turns out that growing up always asking "Why?" was the perfect training for Samantha's role. She not only conducts kaizen (improvement) events to help optimize specific processes but also offers ongoing coaching to help her team challenge themselves to find a better way.

"I get to work a lot with technicians right at genba" - aka the place where the work actually happens - "to understand bottlenecks and the processes they want me to support them on."

According to Francisco Hernandez, Samantha's father, this role is a natural fit for her - and as a FLIGHT DECK leader himself, he should know. Francisco is an engineer with decades of experience who currently serves as a senior customer FLIGHT DECK leader within GE Aerospace's Customer Experience organization. In this capacity he partners closely with airlines and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sites worldwide, driving system improvements that reduce turnaround times, enhance operational reliability, and ultimately deliver greater value to customers.

That his own daughter now works at the same company he's worked at for 24 years, and even in the same part of the business, is "the cherry on the cake." As Francisco says of Samantha's current role: "It must be in her DNA."

Francisco and Samantha working together in Dubai. "It may sound sentimental, but knowing that we are both contributing to something that is bigger than ourselves is very meaningful," says Francisco.

People-centric

For both Francisco and Samatha, one of FLIGHT DECK's most valuable aspects is the focus on people. As Francisco explains, GE Aerospace has added another layer beyond well-known lean tools. "We are connecting the fundamentals, or tools and principles, with behaviors that reinforce the culture we aspire to create," he says.

What this link to behavior means is FLIGHT DECK is focused on people.

Samantha agrees. "The human element and the values are what's most important to me. It's the person that makes the position," she says. This is partly what gave her the confidence to apply for the role, even without an engineering background. "I thought, 'I don't have a technical background. How am I going to perform in a job like this?' But I was reassured that if you have the right values, everything else could be learned."

Her international business background and experience living in six countries on four continents also made her a good fit for the role. "The combination of adaptability from moving around a lot, learning how to deal with multicultural environments, having to start from scratch, not being scared to ask questions, and to always be curious helps me a lot in my daily work," she adds.

Father, daughter, and GE Aerospace are aligned on these values, as was made clear in advice Francisco passed along to Samantha when she joined the company: "Don't be afraid to ask questions; others may be wondering the same thing. Don't be afraid to challenge the status quo if you feel something is off, because we have that culture in the company, that psychological safety, knowing that it is OK to constructively raise a question and make a challenge."

He also talked about how GE Aerospace always operates with the highest level of integrity.

"This is who we are as a company and as human beings, so it resonates with me personally," he says. "From my own dad and mom, they always said to do the right thing, at the right time, even when nobody is looking. That is GE Aerospace's approach. Integrity is always first, and that is why I've been with the company for so long."

Going to Genba

Values are so important because people are so important, Francisco notes, and that's particularly the case with FLIGHT DECK, which always prioritizes a bottom-up problem-solving approach. This means beginning and ending with the engineers and technicians "right at genba."

"We place a lot of importance on going to the place where the job is being done and talking to people doing the job," Francisco says. "This focus on people and on working as a team builds trust and relationships, as well as a positive energy and momentum with customers."

It's the same for Samantha and a key part of what she loves about her work. "Every day I get to work closely with the technicians, with the people closest to the job," she says. "I am helping them impact how they do things and helping them turn their ideas for improvements into projects that produce solutions."

The Air Show Spark

GE has always been part of Samantha's life - GE mugs in the kitchen, GE notebooks in her backpack, GE Family Days on the calendar. She remembers her dad coming home in his hard hat and safety shoes, talking about his day. GE was the reason she and her family lived in so many interesting places.

When she was younger, Samantha's father schooled her in the ways of continuous improvement at GE Aerospace by teaching her to ask "Why?" - and by outfitting her with the appropriate headgear.

"Obviously, when you're young," she recalls, "you don't understand everything, but it always seemed like what he was doing was very important and that he and his colleagues were making a big impact."

Yet engineering was never her passion, so it never occurred to her that she could work at GE Aerospace. All of that changed when Francisco invited Samantha to attend the 2023 Dubai Airshow.

"That visit was the spark," he says. "She was really blown away by everything she saw. Not only how we contribute as a company to the industry, but also the great relationships within the team and with our customers. To her, this was more than work; these were strong relationships. After that, she was hooked."

As Samatha puts it, it all just "clicked."

"The visit opened my eyes to just how much technology, skill, and coordination it takes to keep airplanes and their engines running," she recalls. "I was fascinated by the idea that behind every flight, there's a team ready to solve problems in real time and keep the aircraft in the air. I really appreciated the focus on each individual person, and I left the air show knowing this was the world I wanted to be part of."

"Finding a Balance"

Although both Francisco and Samantha are based in Dubai, they work at different facilities and rarely cross paths. At home, however, they struggle to limit the FLIGHT DECK discussion, given their shared passion for the topic and their interest in comparing stories, solutions, and approaches.

To balance their passion for FLIGHT DECK, the Hernandezes make it a priority to enjoy family life outside of work - in this case at Samantha's college graduation.

"We have to find a balance," Francisco laughs. "We recognize that the family might get tired of FLIGHT DECK day and night. My wife and our youngest will say, 'OK, guys, that's enough. Let's talk about football or something else!'"

Both father and daughter recognize how special it is to share this passion. "We don't just share our personal life; we also share our professional life, and I think we make each other better," Francisco says.

"She and I are swimming in the same ocean, sharing the same passion for FLIGHT DECK," he adds. "It may sound sentimental, but knowing that we are both contributing to something that is bigger than ourselves is very meaningful. When I retire in the future, Samantha will continue that journey, which is something that makes me very happy and very proud."