Narrative:

I climbed into the left seat intending to lead by example in an unassuming manner that gives those working around me plenty of room to do their own jobs/duties with a minimum of interference from me as long as the whole process is operated safely and efficiently. I brief the first officer's to please speak their minds and encourage an open exchange of ideas in the cockpit. If a mistake is made or a procedure not quite up to standards, or if a particular technique has proven during my experience to yield a better result, I'll calmly communicate that information to the first officer with the intention of acting as a mentor rather than as a 'boss.' if the idea of concern is a small one, I'll often let it go completely. Usually, this all works just fine. However, during this particular 4-DAY trip, I was paired with an first officer who was 8 yrs older than myself, ex-military, and 'bull-headed' by his own admission. This individual was apparently used to a firm leadership style because for the first 3 days of our trip he increasingly showed less and less respect for my position as captain. Starting with minor comments about my techniques and an unwillingness to comply with simple operational requests, the situation escalated to where he ridiculed my food choices, mental agility, and the number of friends I may have. He basically did everything short of talking bad about my mother. Gutsy stuff for a probationary first officer with a grand total of less than 2000 hours as a pilot. In the interest of keeping the peace, I chose to ignore the personal attacks and concentrate on operational issues. However while holding short of runway 8R at atl, the first officer criticized me for not pulling up to the actual hold short line. His specific words being 'are you gonna pull up to the hold short line, or what?' I explained that since I was unsure about our sequence and did not want to block access to the runway from the other 2 txwys feeding the same hold short line, that I intended to hold my position. (The previous B757 had taxied to the hold short line out of sequence.) the first officer replied in an obviously exasperated tone, 'ok, you just do your own thing in your own little world over there.' well, that was it. Critical mass. It was certainly poor timing on my part, but I just couldn't keep from telling him that I had had it with the attitude coming from the right seat. As we taxied into position on runway 8R, I had just aligned the aircraft with the centerline when the first officer reached over and pushed my hand off the thrust levers while saying 'I have the airplane. You have the radios and the checklist.' well, that certainly wasn't the time for a confrontation, so I shot him the best 'look of death' that I could muster and, when cleared, off we went on a very quiet flight to mdt. The next morning, it was as if someone had flipped a switch or reprogrammed the first officer. The personal attacks stopped and he actually used the word 'sir.' day 4 was almost pleasant, the way day 1, 2, and 3 should have been. In the future, especially with an first officer of similar personality, I will have to be more firm from the outset and ensure that a respectful and professional cockpit environment is maintained.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CL65 FLC HAS BREAKDOWN OF COCKPIT CRM.

Narrative: I CLBED INTO THE L SEAT INTENDING TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE IN AN UNASSUMING MANNER THAT GIVES THOSE WORKING AROUND ME PLENTY OF ROOM TO DO THEIR OWN JOBS/DUTIES WITH A MINIMUM OF INTERFERENCE FROM ME AS LONG AS THE WHOLE PROCESS IS OPERATED SAFELY AND EFFICIENTLY. I BRIEF THE FO'S TO PLEASE SPEAK THEIR MINDS AND ENCOURAGE AN OPEN EXCHANGE OF IDEAS IN THE COCKPIT. IF A MISTAKE IS MADE OR A PROC NOT QUITE UP TO STANDARDS, OR IF A PARTICULAR TECHNIQUE HAS PROVEN DURING MY EXPERIENCE TO YIELD A BETTER RESULT, I'LL CALMLY COMMUNICATE THAT INFO TO THE FO WITH THE INTENTION OF ACTING AS A MENTOR RATHER THAN AS A 'BOSS.' IF THE IDEA OF CONCERN IS A SMALL ONE, I'LL OFTEN LET IT GO COMPLETELY. USUALLY, THIS ALL WORKS JUST FINE. HOWEVER, DURING THIS PARTICULAR 4-DAY TRIP, I WAS PAIRED WITH AN FO WHO WAS 8 YRS OLDER THAN MYSELF, EX-MIL, AND 'BULL-HEADED' BY HIS OWN ADMISSION. THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS APPARENTLY USED TO A FIRM LEADERSHIP STYLE BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST 3 DAYS OF OUR TRIP HE INCREASINGLY SHOWED LESS AND LESS RESPECT FOR MY POS AS CAPT. STARTING WITH MINOR COMMENTS ABOUT MY TECHNIQUES AND AN UNWILLINGNESS TO COMPLY WITH SIMPLE OPERATIONAL REQUESTS, THE SIT ESCALATED TO WHERE HE RIDICULED MY FOOD CHOICES, MENTAL AGILITY, AND THE NUMBER OF FRIENDS I MAY HAVE. HE BASICALLY DID EVERYTHING SHORT OF TALKING BAD ABOUT MY MOTHER. GUTSY STUFF FOR A PROBATIONARY FO WITH A GRAND TOTAL OF LESS THAN 2000 HRS AS A PLT. IN THE INTEREST OF KEEPING THE PEACE, I CHOSE TO IGNORE THE PERSONAL ATTACKS AND CONCENTRATE ON OPERATIONAL ISSUES. HOWEVER WHILE HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 8R AT ATL, THE FO CRITICIZED ME FOR NOT PULLING UP TO THE ACTUAL HOLD SHORT LINE. HIS SPECIFIC WORDS BEING 'ARE YOU GONNA PULL UP TO THE HOLD SHORT LINE, OR WHAT?' I EXPLAINED THAT SINCE I WAS UNSURE ABOUT OUR SEQUENCE AND DID NOT WANT TO BLOCK ACCESS TO THE RWY FROM THE OTHER 2 TXWYS FEEDING THE SAME HOLD SHORT LINE, THAT I INTENDED TO HOLD MY POS. (THE PREVIOUS B757 HAD TAXIED TO THE HOLD SHORT LINE OUT OF SEQUENCE.) THE FO REPLIED IN AN OBVIOUSLY EXASPERATED TONE, 'OK, YOU JUST DO YOUR OWN THING IN YOUR OWN LITTLE WORLD OVER THERE.' WELL, THAT WAS IT. CRITICAL MASS. IT WAS CERTAINLY POOR TIMING ON MY PART, BUT I JUST COULDN'T KEEP FROM TELLING HIM THAT I HAD HAD IT WITH THE ATTITUDE COMING FROM THE R SEAT. AS WE TAXIED INTO POS ON RWY 8R, I HAD JUST ALIGNED THE ACFT WITH THE CTRLINE WHEN THE FO REACHED OVER AND PUSHED MY HAND OFF THE THRUST LEVERS WHILE SAYING 'I HAVE THE AIRPLANE. YOU HAVE THE RADIOS AND THE CHKLIST.' WELL, THAT CERTAINLY WASN'T THE TIME FOR A CONFRONTATION, SO I SHOT HIM THE BEST 'LOOK OF DEATH' THAT I COULD MUSTER AND, WHEN CLRED, OFF WE WENT ON A VERY QUIET FLT TO MDT. THE NEXT MORNING, IT WAS AS IF SOMEONE HAD FLIPPED A SWITCH OR REPROGRAMMED THE FO. THE PERSONAL ATTACKS STOPPED AND HE ACTUALLY USED THE WORD 'SIR.' DAY 4 WAS ALMOST PLEASANT, THE WAY DAY 1, 2, AND 3 SHOULD HAVE BEEN. IN THE FUTURE, ESPECIALLY WITH AN FO OF SIMILAR PERSONALITY, I WILL HAVE TO BE MORE FIRM FROM THE OUTSET AND ENSURE THAT A RESPECTFUL AND PROFESSIONAL COCKPIT ENVIRONMENT IS MAINTAINED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.