Janaína Castro Believes Kindness and Respect Makes the Difference
Flight Dispatcher Janaína Castro makes it a top priority to treat everyone she encounters with respect and kindness. She has learned over the years that living integrity makes all the difference.
What does it mean to work with integrity?
Working with integrity means being helpful and working respectfully and ethically with colleagues and clients. I work with all different types of people, and everyone has a different background and way of thinking. Working with integrity with everyone I come in contact with is critical to me. It’s about treating everyone with respect as human beings, so it’s foundational.
Why is working with integrity important to you?
Having integrity at all times is how I was raised; it’s part of who I am, and it influences all my actions. I’ve carried integrity as a core value with me through my nearly 30-year career and it has served me well. I also highly value coworkers who work with integrity as a core value because it ensures a quality team and quality service delivery.
Why is it important for Bristow employees to work with integrity?
If we are all actively maintaining good relationships with clients and colleagues, we create a healthy work environment. In my current role, I have come in contact with people I knew at my previous company. They all know from experience that I treat everyone with kindness and respect because of my track record. Everyone I work with takes comfort in the knowledge that I will always treat them with respect; this makes everything go smoother, and it helps make everyone’s job easier.
One thing that helps me to have such a positive attitude is remembering that our passengers are men and women working far away from home for long periods of time. I try to be as kind and caring and understanding as I can because it isn’t easy being away from your loved ones for long periods of time. Over time, I’ve learned everyone’s name and I try to address each person by their name. I’ve picked up pieces of information, so I ask how their daughter is doing, how training is coming along for an upcoming race, how that home improvement project is coming along, or if their father’s health is improving. Little conversations like that lift people’s spirits and make the day better for everyone. I try to keep our atmosphere happy yet professional.
Talk about a time that working with integrity paid off for you or the company.
It's hard to say one specific moment because I believe every moment of working with integrity pays off. I have a very good relationship with my coworkers and our clients because we all treat each other with respect, and this helps us in our jobs every day.As a flight dispatcher, I meet the same crews every week going to and coming from the oil platforms, and I notice they seem happy to see me and make an effort to treat me with kindness, as well. It makes all the hard work worth it.
What are some examples of opportunities you've had to demonstrate integrity?
For the last six months, I've been working in Flight Coordination to fill in for a colleague on maternity leave. This work has given me the opportunity to gain new knowledge and get to know longtime colleagues with whom I didn't spend much time in my usual role. When I first stepped into this temporary role, I was a bit overwhelmed. But I decided to dig in, learn everything I could, and excel in the role. I didn’t know if I could do it, but I decided to put in the effort and see what happened. I dug deep and tapped into my grit and determination, and I’m happy to say I have had success in the role. I’ve learned a lot and I apply that knowledge in this role daily. I view this as a huge professional and personal accomplishment because it took an incredible amount of perseverance and I stuck with it.