Picking up on PN's last para in Post #9 regarding risk-aversion:
It was noticeable that younger ATCOs didn't seem to think too seriously about the risks they potentially imposed on their customers. The older ones entering the field felt the responsibility quite heavily, some to the point of severe loss of self-confidence.
I had a first-tourist who had changed Branch in her mid-30s: she was perfectly competent, but struggled initially with the responsibility she carried. We just jollied her along, and within a year or so (without warning) I started her on Supervisor training. She was horrified, the Training Team and I just smiled sweetly and carried on. She swam brilliantly at the deep end, and never looked back
