Oh boy! I'm late to the party!
Instead of 2 cents I'll give my 5 bucks instead, because I'm not cheap!
Thank you Derek for spurring on this discussion. I think it is one that really needs to be had.
First off, I think Meg's point about some of these issues being described are definitely a behavioral/cultural problem within the ARTCCs, is very true. Culture is such a huge part of any environment where there is groups of people coalescing around something, and that is often overlooked. I think it is also true to say that, when you are a leader, YOU set the tone of conversation wherever you are leading. People are looking to you for what is appropriate in a given scenario. That is part of being a leader. The other side of that coin is listening to all points of view from your controllers. Dhruv is absolutely right when he says, "You can't run a volunteer organization as a dictatorship." Although, I'm quite certain he is alluding to something different than what I am alluding to, the point stands. Inclusion is crucial for an "all-volunteer (anything)".
To Tony's point, (and I can also speak from my 8 years of experience on this network) some ARTCCs are not as welcoming to division staff as others. I know that some ARTCCs wish to have a more "distant" relationship with division staff which they feel allows them more autonomy. I don't believe that more autonomy is actually achieved but, whatever floats their boat I suppose.
I have always advocated for cohesiveness, open communication, and reasonable compromise wherever possible. I think if I were to start rehashing the "realism vs video game" argument for the 1000x time in my post, that would not serve much purpose. I will simply say as I always have that, like most things in life, balance is truly essential.
There is a lot being referenced in this thread that I completely know nothing about, and thus will not be making any "left field" speculations about. I WILL however speak to what I personally have experienced from this division staff, which goes back to when USA1 was our ATD in the Southern Region. I think it is safe to say that the previous USA1 was quite a popular guy with many people, including myself. During his time he accomplished a lot, and was well received in his accomplishments by many. There is ups and downs in any task at hand, things do not always work out how we plan. Rarely do they ever, in fact. I will say plainly that, I think throwing around words like "dictator" and "regime" are truly not an accurate representation of who I know Mark to be as a human being. Not the person that I have spoken with on multiple occasions anyways. I think if someone were to throw those words around, they better have some serious evidence of malfeasance behind them. Otherwise, that would be a somewhat malicious and damaging thing to do to someone's character/reputation. If little or no information is known, all you can do is say, "I don't know, I need to find out more." Otherwise it leads to speculation, assumption, and finger pointing. ALL without knowing the true facts of the matter. I agree with Dylan when he essentially says the division is in place for a reason, let the division function as it should. Oversight is critical, but if we make a habit of second guessing more than our fair share of decisions that division makes, we risk discouraging division staff from taking ANY action whatsoever when it is TRULY needed, for fear that it will be perceived as another "dictatorial" action. Let the division do division things, you worry about doing ARTCC things.
The people who take up division level positions do not have to have this adversarial relationship with ARTCCs. I think some ARTCCs might say that an adversarial relationship with them is healthy or beneficial to them in some way. Based on my experience, I can't say that I agree. You can choose to look at certain issues as, "the higher ups are coming down on me, and they are doing this thing that is totally wrong!" OR you can choose to look at certain issues as, "I really don't agree with this, but I am going to continue advocating for my position, and make sure my voice is heard." IF your point is correct, eventually they will see the reasoning behind your logic. It doesn't have to be so confrontational between the division and the ARTCCs as it often has been in the past (in my experience).
Regarding ARTCC to ARTCC relations, we can all agree that working effectively with our neighbors is super key no matter where you are. We cannot pick up our ARTCC borders like a set of jeans we are stepping into, and move it into the middle of the ocean when communications break down or disagreements occur. I do however believe that it is somewhat "par for the course" that ARTCCs are going to have a competitive or "gang" nature to them. That is just human nature, really. Since our division is so large and diverse, it makes it a lot easier for that part of our nature to manifest into little "fiefdoms", if you will. The solution to this of course is to realize that, we may not all have the same goals in mind for the "ideal VATUSA", but we all agree, making this division the best of the best is an idea worth fighting for still. So do that, in any ways that you know how to do it. Passive aggressiveness and sarcasm is toxic to effective communication, and only serves to alienate participants of the conversation. Don't do that.
I have always said that working together wherever possible is super important. There IS going to be lots of things we disagree on. The places where we do agree? That's common ground! Play to those strengths FIRST, and THEN hash out why we disagree, or if we even really DO disagree, OR if it is just a misunderstanding of language used, or even concepts that others have not even considered/explored. Like what others have said, think of viable solutions to problems in this division.
Also just touching on some other things in this thread regarding improvement of communication. Everyone's schedule is different, everyone's lives and responsibilities are ephemeral and now more than ever, people are on the go. We all understand this. I think where the communications really start to break down and the frustration starts to set in, is when NO communication is reciprocated for extended periods of time. If I reach out to someone in a staff position, I don't expect to hear from them within 24hrs, but I DO expect to hear from them within 7 days. That seems quite reasonable in my view. I think some of the questioning of ATDs in this thread really stems from some of that communication break down.
To the ATDs now and in the future: Your consistent presence and active communication within your regions' ARTCCs is strongly encouraged, welcomed (at least from me), and vital to the success of your region. It's YOUR region, and the ARTCCs within are your children. Treat them with care, and monitor their status frequently. Talk to the ARTCC staff AND controllers in your region when you come into their VoIP server. Ask them how you can serve them better. I have always felt in my 8 years on the network that ATDs lacked visibility with the ARTCCs they serve. I think doing those things can only serve to help your regional outcomes, and VATUSA as a whole in the long run.
I do feel strongly that even though our organizational structure is very "top-down" in nature, at the ARTCC level there should be the ability for regular controllers to give regular feedback about their ARTCC staff. The goal here is NOT to micro-manage, but to provide ATDs with status indicators so that when an issue builds on itself over several months, it doesn't end up blind-siding them out of the blue. ARTCC staff needs to be held accountable, and ATD communication with just ARTCC staff is not enough. If the preferred method is a "facility advisory board" of long standing ARTCC members, or a "community organizer" so be it, but I feel strongly that something has to change on that front. Controllers should have the right to communicate to VATUSA who they want their leader to be, and their voices heard. There should never be a case where half of an ARTCC feels ostracized and excluded from the rest of the group, whether that be new member or old members, that should never be happening.
No, you cannot please everybody, that is not possible. BUT, most people are reasonable, if you throw them a bone they'll probably chew on it, even if it's a smaller bone then you threw the day before.
My new novel is finally finished!
Thanks for the discussion.
-K
