Matty13 Senior Member

Supervisor positions in the FAA are based on kissing the right ass at roughly the right time. A Front Line Manager (or FLM) is not selected for leadership ability, nor for creative problem-solving ability, nor for any of the skills you would think you'd want in a manager or supervisor. They are selected because they can be counted on to do what they're told by an Operations Manager, who is in turn dictated to by the Air Traffic Manager and his/her deputy. At that level only (ATM) are managers given some room for creativity, and it arrives in the form of "I don't care how you [enforce the dress code, reduce credit hours balance, implement some questionable procedure or equipment, increase time on position], just get it done!"

An FLM takes abuse from both sides. Usually they are certified to work only one operating position, yet they are somehow supposed to be accountable overall for every position in their tower or area of specialization (center or TRACON). Tho OM doesn't think enough people are working (though the traffic is slow) and directs the FLM to staff another position or two. The FLM does so, then has a bunch of bored controllers sitting around asking why such-and-such is staffed, there's no traffic. The breaks take longer to come around, and when the traffic picks up people have been sitting on position for longer and are more prone to fatigue. Controllers get crankier, and loudly question the FLM's actions. FLM's and higher managers have very limited authority to discipline a controller. The FAA is not the military, there is no directive to show respect to an incompetent boss.

Three parts of leadership are authority, responsibility and accountability. An FLM has only the last.

Advantages: Higher pay, more opportunity to change locations (apparently FLM's are dropping like flies, the FAA keeps making more of them). If you screw up there's a good chance you'll get promoted.

Disadvantages: Besides what I've listed above, you don't get to work traffic (except for eight hours a month), you have almost zero protection from discipline, you can be made to work overtime with almost no notice. If you side with a controller against management, you are risking your career.

There's more, but that's all I can coherently write now.