Cool Hand

Oh yeah, an entire agency can formally call out the executive cadre for integrity problems with no corrective action whatsoever...but speak your mind out of turn...or stand up to a bully...and justice is mighty swift. Yes, Dobyns was spanked in the interest of discipline and good order, but he was paddled by a management club hell bent on protecting their own and willing to LIE to do so at the drop of a hat. Go ahead sirs, cover for your 15's and SES'ers - no one in the field is noticing. And gosh, even if the politicians make you discipline a few executives in these coming months, you'll figure out some way to take care of them behind the scenes.

In our troubled organization we have many leaders (maybe even a majority) who are not blaming our problems on poor leadership or mismanagemnent, but on the disloyalty of a "few" outspoken employees. Executive mentality seems to dictate that if our wayward dissidents had just kept their mouths shut everything would be fine. Perhaps our senior leadership team is so invested in the idea of their successful careers (especially with the average of 20 years of service, the loss of their youths, six or seven transfers, two tours in HQ, kids transferring high schools, disenchanted spouses, etc), that they just cannot accept the reality of their failures. Apparently we have no bad leaders...only bad followers. Disloyalty must be our cancer. It is easy to blame the whistleblowers.

I don't know Sandy, but I will say this: I am tired of hearing certain executives proudly state that they have NEVER been found at fault during a grievance process, when in fact there was some sort of remedy or settlement in which the aggrieved party had to stipulate that the Government is not at fault to receive recompense. I sincerely doubt there are any reprecussions for managers who were the root cause of a settlement (let alone numerous settlements). There are many current managers and executives in ATF (including several not mentioned in this thread) who have cost the Government hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars in damages. I sometimes think that we have managers who rationalize that personnel grievances are an indication of a job well done (i.e. "If the rank and file are filing complaints against me that must mean I am a tough boss who holds people accountable!"). And by the way I am not a "management hater". I am proud to say that I am an abuse hater. I will walk through the gates of hell for a good leader (and I don't mean a perfect boss who never makes mistakes, I mean a generally solid supervisor who operates in good faith).

Okay, let me get this straight. If those of us who are fighting for change, corrective action, improvement and reform in our little agency had just kept our mouths shut everything would be fine? Our entire system of government was set up with the very idea of oversight, "checks and balances" and the peaceful/democratic means for corrective action (hell, the very reason why we don't have one national police agency is the fear of too much control in the hands of one cabinet level executive and the need to offset the predictable potential for abuse of power--you'll notice that military and intelligence agencies are split up into compartments as well). Those of us who are "standing up" have the courage of our convictions. History shows that speaking out against mismanagement is the right thing to do.

Well. I am yet another one of the agents fighting for change and reform in this organization. I know what it is to say "no" in the face of "improper, illegal or immoral decisions"...and to suffer swift character assassination, harassment, retaliation, hostility, etc, by ATF executives. I personally know what it is to the do the right thing and to suffer the consequences. I have worked through the proper channels. I have made my recommendations for improvement. I have had the one-on-one meetings with DADs, ADs, DDs, and Directors and the unanimous response was irreversable career dammage. The funny thing is that I remain open to some sort of productive dialogue with leadership. Unfortunately there has been no real "leadership" to have dialogue with.