Podcasts

Interview with Paul Rinaldi President of the Air Traffic Controllers Association

Paul Rinaldi, is president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) which represents 20,000 controllers, engineers and other safety-related professionals in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Here, he discusses the challenges and benefits of building sustainable collaborative environments. “When we fight, all we are doing is spending our time and energy fighting and not improving the lives of the membership or the safety or the efficiency of the National Airspace System. When we collaborate, what we’re doing is actually improving the work environment for our members [and] enhancing the safety of the system.”

Interview with Dr. Robert Tobias of American University

Bob Tobias, is Director of Public Sector Executive Education at American University and former president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 150,000 bargaining unit employees in 31 federal agencies and departments. He discusses the relative costs and rewards of collaborative versus adversarial relationships within organizations. He notes “If I assume that you’re out to get me and you assume that I’m out to get you and the only way that we can resolve this conflict is through arm wrestling then that’s the way we’re going to behave.”