Demonstrate Courage — Yes, ATC Takes Courage
I almost skipped this chapter.
We're continuing through Success Is a Choice — John Maxwell's framework applied to becoming an air traffic controller — and when I got to the chapter on courage, I sat with it for a while and thought, this doesn't fit us.
Courage as an air traffic controller?
That felt like a strange concept.
We're not running into burning buildings.
We're sitting at a sector.
But the more I worked through it, the more I realized I had it completely backwards.
So we're not skipping it.
You've Already Shown Courage
Think about where you are right now.
Maybe you're at CTI school.
Maybe Advanced ATC.
Maybe you're at the Academy.
Maybe you just decided to apply and you're starting the process.
Maybe you're in the military working traffic right now.
At every one of those moments, when you made the decision to go after this career — that took courage.
I've told this story before.
When I first decided I wanted to take the test, my wife and I were dating. I called her up specifically to tell her what I wanted to do, and I knew she was going to be against it. I just knew it.
I knew she'd hate the stress. I knew she'd hate all of it.
So we're talking, and I say, "Hey, I've got an idea. I want to go take the test to become an air traffic controller."
She didn't even hesitate. She said, "Oh, I think you'd be great at it."
And I thought, you have got to be kidding me. You really have got to be kidding me.
But she meant it.
And it was in that moment that I realized this was what I needed to do.
That this was what I was going to be called to do.
Some of you have that.
You have friends and family backing you all the way.
And some of you are going to have to make this journey largely on your own.
If that's you, understand that's exactly one of the reasons I'm here.
I don't want any of you feeling like you have to go through this alone — because every single one of us, at some point in this journey, is going to need help.
But make no mistake: deciding to do something this outlandish takes courage.
C.S. Lewis said,"Courage isn't simply one of the virtues — it's the form of every virtue at its testing point."
Here's what that means for us.
It takes courage to apply.
It takes courage to take the test.
It takes courage to travel to Oklahoma City, a place you may have never been.
It takes courage to walk into a room full of people you've never seen before, knowing you don't know it all.
That may sound simple.
It isn't.
It takes courage to commit to something bigger than what you started out as.
You can do nothing worthwhile without courage.
Why Talent Needs Courage
To discover and develop your talent, you're going to need courage.
And once you display courage, it's going to get tested — continually.
Here's where.
Your courage will be tested when you seek a truth you know may be painful. For us, the truth you're seeking is the dream. It's the goal. And I'll tell you right now, especially if you're headed to the Academy: there is going to be some pain in it.
It'll be tested when change is needed but inactivity is more comfortable. People resist change. That's just human nature. The moment you decide to step out of the ordinary, you're going to be challenged.
There's a line in the book worth sitting with:
our situation doesn't make us — we make our situation.
Our circumstances don't have to define us; we can redefine our circumstances through our actions.
And then this one: we must be willing to give up all we have in order to become all we can be.
How great is that? Read it again.
It'll be tested when learning and growing expose your weaknesses. And they will get exposed — especially at the Academy. It's easy to be brave in an area of strength. It's much harder in an area of weakness.
That's exactly why you need a support system in place before you start finding out what your weaknesses are. Family. Friends. A coach. Your classmates. Your instructors. Somebody. Because you're going to have to get past those weaknesses, and doing it alone is brutal.
It'll be tested when you take the high road while others treat you badly. This one may not come up as much at the Academy, but keep it in mind. If a situation comes up — a classmate, or an instructor — take the high road.
That said, I'll be straight with you: don't assume that everything an instructor tells you, or how they tell you, is proper. If an instructor does something you feel is genuinely improper, by all means let someone in the FAA know. There were several instructors during my time who had no business being instructors. Unfortunately.
It'll be tested when being out front makes you an easy target. When you decide to be a leader — and I want all of you to be leaders — part of the deal is that you take some flak, because you're out front.
But here's the beautiful thing about it. A leader is willing to take that, so the people behind them don't have to. Sometimes you're going to be out front and you're going to absorb the barrage. That's just what it is.
And it'll be tested every time you hit an obstacle to your progress. Adversity is always the partner of progress. Anytime we want to move forward, obstacles, difficulties, problems, and predicaments show up. We should expect nothing less — and if you're at the Academy, you already know all about that.
But we should almost welcome those things. Because what they mean is that we're progressing. We're growing. Every one of them is something we can learn from.
Where Do You Find Courage?
Inside. Not outside.
There is no one who can make the decision for you to have courage in the face of adversity.
People can try.
If I'm your coach, I will try.
But it is an internal decision and it always will be.
You'll face internal decisions to follow the rules in all walks of life, and especially in ATC.
Internal decision.
You'll face the choice to push past adversity or let it stop you.
Internal decision.
You grow in courage by doing the right thing instead of the easy thing.
And let me be specific about what I mean by "the right thing," because I'm not talking about the rules, or the SOPs, or the LOAs. That's not it.
The right thing — the thing that actually takes courage — is the practice.
The studying.
The work outside the classroom and outside the lab that you have to do to be successful.
Doing that continually.
Making it a habit.
I want y'all to really hear this: it takes courage to do that day in and day out. Especially when you're not seeing results yet.
And I'll say this plainly, because somebody needs to hear it: we all progress at different speeds and different rates.
Some faster, some slower.
If you're progressing slower than you think you should be, it takes courage to keep going anyway.
Keep practicing.
Keep studying.
Be courageous in those exact moments, and you will see growth.
You will see yourself get better.
It will happen.
But if you decide not to — it won't.
It's pretty simple.
Decide to stop practicing, and you stop growing, and that dream gets further and further away.
That is not what we want for you.
And here's one more place courage comes from: recognizing that a leadership position won't give you courage, but courage can make you a leader.
One thing I noticed about the classes that were most successful at the Academy — they weren't just close-knit.
They had leaders.
And usually not just one. They had several people who, because of who they were and the decisions they made day in and day out, got looked at as leaders by the whole class.
Every class needs that.
Every class needs somebody who, at the right moment, stands up and says: hey, we've got this. Let's get through it.
Your Horizon Expands
Here's the payoff.
Act courageously, get past adversity, and watch your horizon expand — every single time.
If you want success, you have to show courage. There's no other way to reach your potential.
And it's your potential you're chasing.
Not somebody else in the class.
Not somebody else at school.
Your potential as a person and your potential as a controller.
That's the target, and reaching it takes courage.
It may not seem like being an air traffic controller is a courageous career. But there are going to be so many times in your career when you face adversity.
I've been there.
And how you face it is going to say a great deal about the person you become.
I'm not the same man who decided to take that test about 37 years ago.
I'm not the same guy who walked into the tower in Brownsville, Texas.
Not the same guy who walked into the tower in Dallas.
Not the same guy who walked in the door the first time at Fort Worth Center.
And not the same guy who walked into the Academy to become an instructor.
Every day I try to grow.
A better me.
A better dad.
A better husband.
A better controller.
A better podcaster.
A better coach.
A better mentor.
Because if I ever stop — if I ever feel like I've attained what I needed to attain — that's when I start going backward.
So every day for me is about becoming better, stronger, more resilient.
More perseverance.
More courage.
I'm in the middle of that process right now.
So are you.
I don't care who you are, where you are, or how old you are.
We're all in it.
That's Why the Name
That's exactly why this company is called Side by Side ATC.
Whether it's this blog, the podcast, the coaching/mentoring program, whatever it is — we're going to do it together.
We're going to get through the process of becoming a controller, or becoming a better controller, side by side.
And honestly, that's what I wish I could have given more students when I was in Oklahoma City. I really believe there were quite a few who would have made it if they'd had somebody there with them — more than I could be as an instructor standing at the front of the room.
So if you've got a question, email me at tom.hanes@sidebysideatc.com.
Questions about the website? I'm an air traffic controller, not a website builder. Send them anyway — I'm happy to answer.
And wherever you are in your journey, we'll get through it. Together. Side by side.
FOR HELP:
To set up a FREE call: sidebysideatc.com/scheduler/free-consult
Pre-Academy
If you are heading to the Academy in the next few months, I put together a structured 90-day preparation blueprint that walks you through exactly what to focus on each month before you go. It's designed to help reduce shock and build confidence before day one. You can download it at: sidebysideatc.com/page/blueprint .
I also have a video where I explain the different things that are on the enroute Non-Radar Map. You can get that video at: sidebysideatc.com/page/map-video .
Already at the Academy
If you are already in the enroute radar portion of the Academy and feeling a little behind or lost, I have a 72-Hour Radar Recovery Plan that will help you get past those feelings and start building confidence. You can download that at : sidebysideatc.com/page/72-hourplan .
If you are interested in my Coaching Programs, you can get information at :
or
sidebysideatc.com/page/radar-recovery if you are needing help with the beginning of enroute radar.
Mentorship Program
For information about my mentorship program : https://sidebysideatc.com/page/mentorship
Questions
You can email me questions, or comments, at: tomhanes@sidebysideatc.com .
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