We don't talk enough...

[Derek Hood]

How does one expect to get better if they don’t show up?  Yes this is not “real world” but the practice still helps with proficiency.  So a controller signs on for the required hour, has no idea of updated LOA’s, procedures etc...and that’s ok?  What’s the point of controlling if your aren’t trying to emulate the real thing?

[Andrew Doubleday]

Who has turned their nose up, exactly, and how? 

One reason I believe the ZHU community didn't bother with the whole class thing was simply they didn't care that much to attend it.

Case in point.

[Dominic Nguyen]

Excuse after excuse, defense after defense Kosmoski; even one of your staff that "turned their nose up" had to to sniff out what you're preaching and what the reality of it was. This thread was about transparency and learning from eachother, yet here you are waving your little process wand. Little did you know that the proficiency of the controllers through events and other online appearances during a day to day basis is the by product of said "process." The first step into fixing anything is acknowledging and owning up to it.

[Matthew Kosmoski]

Excuse after excuse, defense after defense Kosmoski; even one of your staff that "turned their nose up" had to to sniff out what you're preaching and what the reality of it was. This thread was about transparency and learning from eachother, yet here you are waving your little process wand. Little did you know that the proficiency of the controllers through events and other online appearances during a day to day basis is the by product of said "process." The first step into fixing anything is acknowledging and owning up to it.

If you'll read what I actually wrote, you'll see where I keep offering transparency and conversation, yet nobody here has taken me up on the offer.  Anybody that has actually spoken to me knows that I'm open to discussion, and I'm a strong proponent of Live events due to the interactions and relationships that form and strengthen as a result of the very themes on which this thread was built.  Despite my offers, I've been on Teamspeak all night with only our regular guests, nor have I received any emails, PMs, or any other kind of communications from anybody responding here.

The only thing resulting from any of this is attacks on my facility and roster, and continued attempts to belittle and degrade people personally.  This is absolutely abhorrent and unacceptable from the staff and former staff members.

Ira was spot on, yet this seems to be about the only time that a post of his is ignored outright.

[Odin Morris]

I didn't want to get involved with this debate, but I will.

It's extremely unfair to sit here and slam Kosmoski for trying to better his facility in the way he believes it best. I can personally vouch that Houston has improved under Kosmoski. He came in and he made it a place to hang out, whereas other ARTCC's have a desolate TeamSpeak / Discord. People want to show up in Houston now that it's fun. Controlling numbers may not be the highest from ZHU, but take a look at events such as Fort-Houston Live. Fort-Houston Live has almost every major certified person on the ZHU roster controlling, which is extremely hard to achieve. So props to ZHU-ZFW for that. The same people on here who continuously go after Kosmo have done nothing to be the bigger person in this situation. They want to sit on here and complain, complain, complain. If you want something to change, you have to be willing to change also, it's called a compromise.

Now on the topic of transparency and openness.

In the division, I generally see ARTCC controllers around most, followed by ARTCC staff, followed by anyone from another ARTCC, followed by VATUSA staff. Barrett is by far the most outreaching VATUSA staff member. I haven't seen one VATUSA staff member who will go into a TeamSpeak and sit there for hours on end and just talk with the controllers. Others also come to this same conclusion. This lack of controllers seeing VATUSA staff makes people "nervous" around them when they do come. They feel like the staff are people to be scared of, and they are not. I am guilty of this, and I want to change that. Whenever I see VATUSA staff hanging out in a TS or Discord I try to go have a chat with them and get to know them a little. I've always been one to push for higher activity levels, and this should definitely start with the ARTCC. Activity should also include the VATUSA staff, but if we never see them, we don't know if they're even here.

In conclusion, don't slam someone unless you have worked to improve yourself on that topic, and VATUSA staff, please just try to pop into a TS / Discord every now and then to talk to some of the USA controllers.

[Kyle Ekas]

It's extremely unfair to sit here and slam Kosmoski for trying to better his facility in the way he believes it best. I can personally vouch that Houston has improved under Kosmoski. He came in and he made it a place to hang out, whereas other ARTCC's have a desolate TeamSpeak / Discord. People want to show up in Houston now that it's fun. Controlling numbers may not be the highest from ZHU, but take a look at events such as Fort-Houston Live. Fort-Houston Live has almost every major certified person on the ZHU roster controlling, which is extremely hard to achieve. So props to ZHU-ZFW for that. The same people on here who continuously go after Kosmo have done nothing to be the bigger person in this situation. They want to sit on here and complain, complain, complain. If you want something to change, you have to be willing to change also, it's called a compromise.

Hear, hear!

-K

[Dhruv Kalra]

It's extremely unfair to sit here and slam Kosmoski for trying to better his facility in the way he believes it best. I can personally vouch that Houston has improved under Kosmoski. He came in and he made it a place to hang out, whereas other ARTCC's have a desolate TeamSpeak / Discord. People want to show up in Houston now that it's fun.

You can be fun without sacrificing a standard and a desire for improvement. Why is there a perception that it has to be one or the other? I can sit here and turn the argument around just the same and say that most of the people that complain that "ZMP is too difficult" have never spent time on my TeamSpeak, either.

Ask guys like Nolan or Jackson who have posted in this thread. They've both signed up as Visiting Controllers at my facility. Neither has had any roadblocks placed in front of them as far as checking out, but that doesn't mean that they didn't have things left to learn. We can all learn new things and get better every time we plug in. That was one of Derek's key messages in this thread.

[Kyle Sanders]

You can be fun without sacrificing a standard and a desire for improvement. Why is there a perception that it has to be one or the other? I can sit here and turn the argument around just the same and say that most of the people that complain that "ZMP is too difficult" have never spent time on my TeamSpeak, either.

Ask guys like Nolan or Jackson who have posted in this thread. They've both signed up as Visiting Controllers at my facility. Neither has had any roadblocks placed in front of them as far as checking out, but that doesn't mean that they didn't have things left to learn. We can all learn new things and get better every time we plug in. That was one of Derek's key messages in this thread.

^This wasn’t said loud enough.

[Odin Morris]

It's extremely unfair to sit here and slam Kosmoski for trying to better his facility in the way he believes it best. I can personally vouch that Houston has improved under Kosmoski. He came in and he made it a place to hang out, whereas other ARTCC's have a desolate TeamSpeak / Discord. People want to show up in Houston now that it's fun.

You can be fun without sacrificing a standard and a desire for improvement. Why is there a perception that it has to be one or the other? I can sit here and turn the argument around just the same and say that most of the people that complain that "ZMP is too difficult" have never spent time on my TeamSpeak, either.

Nobody said that you couldn't be fun and have a desire for improvement or have standards. ZHU has both. There are many controllers in ZHU who are always striving to better themselves. Don't take what you see on a forum as what is 100% correct, because most of the time it is not. Sure, there are ZHU controllers who don't think they need to improve because of many factors. But there are a large number of Houston guys who want to improve.

[Wesley Miles]

Can anyone explain to me... in private message or email (where it's appropriate)... why ZHU is having to defend themselves in a public forum against fellow division staff members, in front of the general membership?  If anyone can offer me a solid reason for this, please email it to me (again, the appropriate place for said communication)... I'm just dying to hear a good explanation.

Until that point, I'd like to redirect the train back on track to the OP's original intent, and not as much on a slamming session against an ATM and his ARTCC.  I'd expect better from senior management, and frankly, I'm disappointed.