That works in the Army, or in a corporation. It doesn't work in a volunteer organization - the only currency you have to attract and retain volunteers is engagement and participation. If you don't want to communicate to members, you shouldn't be surprised if you can't find enough engaged volunteers.
I presume that VATUSA has an overwhelming number of controllers where all positions are being staffed and they need to turn people away?
Cheers!
Luke
That's nonsense. The process of engaging volunteers has nothing to do with knowing what's going on behind the curtain at a level that most members will never care about. They want to control and they want to fly and as long as the network is there when they want to do that then all is fine with the world. They care more about what happened last night on the ARTCC Teamspeak. You want to disenfranchise your volunteers watch how fast someone with an agenda can tear apart an ARTCC.
For the most part what goes on at the "corporate level" doesn't effect any of us unless there are decisions being made that change our day to day operations. I don't need to know what Gary is doing to do my job or see to it that my controllers are having fun doing theirs, all I need to know is that he's paying the electric bill each month so the network doesn't go down. It's not my job to be a watchdog of the corporate office. There are other people higher up on the food chain who are tasked to do that.
That goes for staffing the office as well. I don't care if a few desks sit empty as long as the job is being done. As far as I'm concerned the only state of the state I want to hear is "things are fine, nothing has changed now go play".
But then no one would have anything to argue about and there wouldn't be an excuse to start another discussion on what's right or wrong with VATUSA.
So not to defend Gary or anything, he is certainly able to do that himself, but what is it exactly you would have him say? "I haven't filled any of the positions because I don't see the need right now?"
What else? I must admit I am quite curious what it is that people are so interested in hearing that the managment style of VATUSA1 is being questioned.
As for the comment that trying to get answers to questions is like pulling teeth I must admit that I myself have not experienced that problem and so I can't address it. Whenever I have a question for Gary he has been most forthcoming in his response. He doesn't always get to it right away, but I presume that he prioritizes his correspondance in some manner and I am alright with that because he has never not gotten back to me.