Buy in from the workforce is necessary to bring any useful change to an organization. While unions and leadership are often set against each other, the things they can accomplish when they work together far exceed those they can accomplish when moving in different directions. The union can give the MD valuable feedback on wants and barriers to implementation, and the MD can get an idea of how to effectively introduce change to the department with wide support. I’m fortunate to get to work with Selena Xie, who is smart, politically savvy, collaborative, and has an eye for the immediate future and years down the line.