Bridging the Generation Gap, Part I

"Encontro das Aguas" - The Meeting of the Waters - a spectacular phenomenon just off Manaus, the capital city of Amazonas, a state in the northwest of Brazil. For at least 3 miles, there is a clear demarcation as the dark waters of the Rio Negro flow alongside the sandy colored waters of the Rio Solimoes swirling around at the center in some slow dance but never mixing.   In ATC too, there is a similar dance called intergenerational conflict.

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English - the Crosswind* Perspective

"Milord, gentlemen, facing you in the witness box is a citizen of substance and stance; a man of unimpeachable honesty." 

Thus begins the defense speech of J. Thaddeus Toad - the notorious hero of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's novel about the adventures of an outlandish, talking toad. His charm and proficient use of the English language helps him to escape from prison disguised as a washerwoman. 

English is a requirement for Air Traffic Controllers, pilots and anyone who wishes to join the aviation community. Many of us may have never given much thought about the selection of English as the language of ATC. Also, for some of us, learning English or any other foreign language is a challenge. What can be done to make this experience more enjoyable?

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Hybridized - to be or not to be

The Ebb Tide rose: to get it, you start by taking a seedling from the parentage of an orange rose bush and a yellow rose bush and cross pollinate it with pollen from a red rose bush. Then you cross breed for three more generations with 2 varieties of lilac and another type of orange rose and voila! Or, you can go to the nearest florist and place an order for some seedlings. You also have the easiest option of simply buying a bunch of these lovely, purple blooms. Whatever the choice of floriculture, hybrid roses and genetically engineered 'blue' roses like the Applause rose are among the world's best flowers. Hybridization has indeed proven to be beneficial for the floral industry. The burning question is -  can hybrization of Air Traffic Control and related services bring betterment to the aviation community? Let us see.

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Challenges to Implementing Wellbeing

When a controller from Bulgaria asked about the elements of a realistic complexity score, all of the respondents touched on various aspects of wellbeing. One entrepreneur of a South African Air Traffic Management (ATM) advisory service spoke about the culture and structure of management. A controller from Pakistan candidly described the conditions under which they worked and the points in their airspace that were frequently congested.  An FAA representative described the value of a suitable work environment with support systems. The message that wellbeing is and will be a daunting issue in ATC was very clear. But what are some challenges to implementing wellbeing and how can we overcome these challenges?

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Wellbeing Sensory Perception - WSP

"Heaped -up earth becomes a mountain; accumulated water becomes a river." - Chinese Proverb

Wellbeing in the ATC environment will contribute to increased safety performance and a more fulfilling work atmosphere. ATCOs and their assistants can use their Wellbeing Sensory Perception (WSP) to identify several ways in which they can contribute to a happier work culture. What are some ways in which ATCOs can use their WSP? 

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Creating a Happy Work Culture

Wellbeing Labyrinth 

How can managers and executives create a happy work culture? By developing a style of transactional leadership. Let us examine some of the practical ways in which this can be applied to promote wellbeing in ATC.

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Sublime Wellbeing begins with ME

Managers and Executives can follow the ABC plan in promoting wellbeing: addressing the issues that pertain to stress, health and work-life balance, being exemplary and creating a happy work culture. In this post we will focus on the B aspect - being exemplary. In the last post, we focused on the A aspect - addressing the issues.

How can managers and executives be exemplary in promoting wellbeing? "[They should] be more gracious", writes Kevin Daum a columnist for Inc.com and Smart Business Magazine. How much do you agree with that statement? Popular opinion is that they should be assertive and agressive. But more and more focus is placed on organizational ethics and innovating the hiring process for leaders because of the increase in narcissism and hectormania or bullying in the workplace. Let us see how we can apply these modern concepts of exemplary leadership in the ATC environment.

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