Retirement
Tonight, I had the opportunity to think back, way back when I was working for a living.
I intended this blog to be primarily about a good friend, but it turned out to be a lot of introspection now that I am a year and change into retirement. Sometimes I am envious of some of my former peers in that they have networked themselves into jobs to continue working. They are still contributing. Again, the key is sometimes, not often. My path was not theirs.
Okay, so it wasn't that far back. The reason I wanted to write was that I attended a very good friend's retirement celebration. It was wonderful. She is such a good person, she always kept her employer's mission in front of her. Instead of "just putting in her time", she looked for ways to advance the mission, to improve the work environment, and improve the efficiency of the airspace, and the flow of traffic, always.
Anyway, tonight, I renewed acquaintances with other such forward thinkers, who were not content to just do things the way "they were always done". It is a wonderful group. Some have retired, some have found other jobs in which to make a difference, and some are still holding down the fort. I was truly blessed to have worked with these wonderful people.
I don't envy any of those that are still working, and continue to contribute to the mission beyond their federal careers. While some are working as contractors, they still have the federal bureaucracy to deal with, to be frustrated with it. Some have found jobs within the administration, affecting change. Awesome. And me?
I thrived in a job 500 miles away from my boss, with my goal of giving her no reason to worry about my tower. That wasn't easy. First as a new ATM, with no experience or reputation in the region, service area, or district. Without that background, it would be easy to want to keep up with what was going on. I kept her informed of what we were doing in Twin, the good, and more importantly, what needed improvement, and how we were accomplishing that. No boss likes to be blindsided by an event, I hated it when my boss called me about something that had happened and I hadn't heard, and she hated it even more when her boss called her, and she didn't already have preliminary information.
I would like to feel that I made a difference in my position. In training my people, by implementing policy, and most importantly, selecting my new FLM that would probably be the most important legacy that I could leave. That group of controllers, FLM, and contractor, made my last three years the best, far and away. My fellow ATMs also contributed, treating me like a complete equal, even though I managed a Level V (the lowest level of FAA air traffic facility) and practiced the most primitive form of IFR control (non-radar). And, most of all, the boss that hired me away from the hell that I had created for myself at here in KC (where I did a good job, but wasn't very diplomatic at expressing concerns up the chain) No networks there, no path upward.
But I didn't want to make this about me (i know, my blog, about my feelings, kind of weird, right?) I wanted to point out a difference in her retirement and mine. This was a night to celebrate the career of a great friend, someone who did make a difference, who continues to make a difference, just from a different position. A night where she celebrated a new role, and to hang out with friends and family. It was not at her former employer's. There was no party for her there, no congratulations from the management team where she has been a significant force for advancing the cause of the agency. She turned in her badge, her key, closed out her IT stuff, and said good bye to a select group.
I was so blessed, that even though my family never moved with me to Twin, I had my TWF family. My people, the controllers, as well as many airport personnel and others, stopped to say good bye. While my manager was already heading out the door, and couldn't swing the trip to Twin, she called me privately, and also had sent my way a shadow box with an American Flag, flown over the capital at the request of Senator Risch of Idaho. I felt appreciated, and that I had made a difference.
GC, you made a difference, and are making a difference even now, even though you may not have heard that from the management of a facility where you spent so much of your career.
I intended this blog to be primarily about a good friend, but it turned out to be a lot of introspection now that I am a year and change into retirement. Sometimes I am envious of some of my former peers in that they have networked themselves into jobs to continue working. They are still contributing. Again, the key is sometimes, not often. My path was not theirs.
Okay, so it wasn't that far back. The reason I wanted to write was that I attended a very good friend's retirement celebration. It was wonderful. She is such a good person, she always kept her employer's mission in front of her. Instead of "just putting in her time", she looked for ways to advance the mission, to improve the work environment, and improve the efficiency of the airspace, and the flow of traffic, always.
Anyway, tonight, I renewed acquaintances with other such forward thinkers, who were not content to just do things the way "they were always done". It is a wonderful group. Some have retired, some have found other jobs in which to make a difference, and some are still holding down the fort. I was truly blessed to have worked with these wonderful people.
I don't envy any of those that are still working, and continue to contribute to the mission beyond their federal careers. While some are working as contractors, they still have the federal bureaucracy to deal with, to be frustrated with it. Some have found jobs within the administration, affecting change. Awesome. And me?
I thrived in a job 500 miles away from my boss, with my goal of giving her no reason to worry about my tower. That wasn't easy. First as a new ATM, with no experience or reputation in the region, service area, or district. Without that background, it would be easy to want to keep up with what was going on. I kept her informed of what we were doing in Twin, the good, and more importantly, what needed improvement, and how we were accomplishing that. No boss likes to be blindsided by an event, I hated it when my boss called me about something that had happened and I hadn't heard, and she hated it even more when her boss called her, and she didn't already have preliminary information.
I would like to feel that I made a difference in my position. In training my people, by implementing policy, and most importantly, selecting my new FLM that would probably be the most important legacy that I could leave. That group of controllers, FLM, and contractor, made my last three years the best, far and away. My fellow ATMs also contributed, treating me like a complete equal, even though I managed a Level V (the lowest level of FAA air traffic facility) and practiced the most primitive form of IFR control (non-radar). And, most of all, the boss that hired me away from the hell that I had created for myself at here in KC (where I did a good job, but wasn't very diplomatic at expressing concerns up the chain) No networks there, no path upward.
But I didn't want to make this about me (i know, my blog, about my feelings, kind of weird, right?) I wanted to point out a difference in her retirement and mine. This was a night to celebrate the career of a great friend, someone who did make a difference, who continues to make a difference, just from a different position. A night where she celebrated a new role, and to hang out with friends and family. It was not at her former employer's. There was no party for her there, no congratulations from the management team where she has been a significant force for advancing the cause of the agency. She turned in her badge, her key, closed out her IT stuff, and said good bye to a select group.
I was so blessed, that even though my family never moved with me to Twin, I had my TWF family. My people, the controllers, as well as many airport personnel and others, stopped to say good bye. While my manager was already heading out the door, and couldn't swing the trip to Twin, she called me privately, and also had sent my way a shadow box with an American Flag, flown over the capital at the request of Senator Risch of Idaho. I felt appreciated, and that I had made a difference.
GC, you made a difference, and are making a difference even now, even though you may not have heard that from the management of a facility where you spent so much of your career.
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