How I Collaborate: Amy Lark, Air Traffic Controller

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- From her perch at Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control in Warrenton, Va., air traffic controller Amy Lark directs planes arriving and departing from five airports: Dulles International, Washington National, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, Richmond International, and Charlottesville-Albemarle.

Typically, five miles into a plane’s flight, an airport controller “hands off” a plane to Lark. “We put the aircraft on its departure route, climb it up to altitude, and hand it off,” she says. On landings, it’s the reverse. She usually handles five to 20 aircraft at a time, which means up to 100 on a two-hour shift.

Lark is part of a group of controllers (10 in her crew, 60 in the building), supervisors, technicians, pilots, and traffic management coordinators (who communicate with other facilities) collaborating in real time. Here are her tips for working effectively in teams.

Speak with brevity and cool, no matter what. “We’re trained to communicate in a calm, clear, and very concise manner,” says Lark. Anything else is unproductive. Jokes are all right for the sake of camaraderie—but not during essential work conversations.

Keep an eye on the whole project, not just your part. “We’re always monitoring each other’s traffic,” says Lark. “I’m, of course, monitoring my airspace, but I’m also monitoring all the surrounding airspace as well. It’s just being situationally aware of the entire operation.” If something looks off, she suggests you say: “Hey, you got that?”

Overcommunicate about anything abnormal. “If it’s a normal event, everyone understands what’s happening. But if there’s anything abnormal, we coordinate with each other, because it’s something they wouldn’t be expecting,” Lark says. “We talk a lot, back and forth, getting all that information so nothing is lost.”

See something? Need something? Say something. Check your ego. “We help each other—no questions asked, no judgment. It’s just how we operate,” Lark says. Ask: “Are you OK? Need help? Are you seeing that?” Do what’s right for the operation, full stop.

Go beyond transparency. Be proactive about sharing information; don’t wait until someone asks for it. “We don’t keep secrets, and we pass on everything. We’re taught to share all pertinent information,” Lark says.

Trust the process. Lark follows highly prescribed departure and arrival procedures, which removes a lot of the pressure and uncertainty. “We have a set of rules that we live by to ensure everyone stays safe,” she says. For example, planes typically stay 1,000 feet apart vertically or three miles apart laterally.

Create a work-family vibe. Working Christmas Eve or the graveyard shift is more fun if you love your coworkers. “Most air traffic control facilities are like small families,” Lark says. “We work awkward hours and holidays. Once you’re a controller, you typically are a controller for life.”

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