Photo By Capt. Monika Comeaux | Capt. Robert Cook, III Corps executive wellness coach, explains to leaders of the 13th...... read more read more
KILLEEN, Texas - Senior leaders of the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) learned about the Real Life Management system during a leaders' professional development session March 26 at the Texas Land and Kettle restaurant in Killeen.
Capt. Robert Cook, chaplain and III Corps RLM subject matter expert, himself a firm believer and an active user of the system for the past 10 years, taught the session.
Leaders had to arrive having completed a three-minute survey, which provided them with scores in four categories: Tactical (T), rational (R), impulsive or independent (I) and mellow (M). The four categories are represented by the first letter of each word: T, R, I and M.
In each category, respondents are asked to circle any or all of the 10 listed adjectives which describe them. The number of adjectives circled will provide individuals with a four-digit number. Each of the four categories has to have its own assigned numeric digit - identical scores are not allowed.
Respondents then arrange the four letters in decreasing order of their numerical score, so respondents will end up with 32 different variations of the four letters, which, correspond to the individual’s "wiring," according to the book “The 3-Minute Difference,” which was written about Real Life Management.
The book also provides a more extensive explanation on what various scores and letter variations reveal about people.
“I have seen this material and I actually got some training in this material,” said Lt. Col. Brian P. Crane, 13th ESC command chaplain.
When the 13th ESC came back from their deployment to Afghanistan, the material was presented to the command team, who liked what they saw. So much so, that Brig. Gen. Clark W. LeMasters, the commander of 13th ESC, sat in the first row for the training and spoke about it enthusiastically to his subordinates before the session begun.
“The biggest thing is just to be honest about the assessment because you can skew it if you want to,” said LeMasters. “It is about understanding each other … when I start seeing these looks on people’s faces as Chaplain Cook goes through it, I will know that we are getting it right.”
Cook explained that most issues in life are grouped around three things: health, money and relationships.
He asked the poetic question, "If participants knew each other’s wiring, their own soldiers' wiring, their bosses' wiring or their family’s wiring, would that help them with assisting them with issues or communicating more effectively?"
Cook also believes that leaders must connect the dots of suicide, domestic violence and sexual assault to relationship, money and health issues, and the RLM survey allows users to do this.
Since all participating leaders had to display their own four-letter code, Cook was able to quickly highlight certain individuals' characteristic traits and do a little compare and contrast.
Cook's event went as far as describing LeMasters’ personality, using another individual in the room as an example, with the same four-letter wiring as the commander.
“Whatever I say about her is true about your commanding general,” Cook said.
Participants were rolling with laughter when Cook, never having been to any of the unit's command update briefs, described the level of detail LeMaster likely demands in data presented to him.
Cook also taught participants how the first letter of their "wiring" is their strongest trait, whereas the last letter is usually something individuals with the particular wiring feel very uncomfortable to do.
For example, someone with a "TRIM" wiring is likely very detail oriented, precise, punctual, and demands respect, however they are uncomfortable when they are patted on the shoulder or when they need to express their emotions. People with a wiring that starts with an "MI" or an "IM" are more relaxed, loving and kind, but often base their decisions more on their emotions and not so much on facts and figures, said Cook.
Cook shared that ever since he has been exposed to Real Life Management, it influences everything he does as a father, a chaplain or a leader. Before he joined the military and worked at a school, he even used the three-minute survey during a teacher’s hiring process.
“It is very effective to help communications amongst groups of people who work together,” Crane said.
Cook has already trained 50 chaplains on Fort Hood, 15 of them have since changed stations and took the method with them.
Some units and leaders liked the system so much, that they made it mandatory to fill out the assessment upon arrival to the unit.
One commander made leaders display their "wiring" on their doors, Cook shared.
Cook claims that out of 200 Fort Hood senior leaders, he dealt with, 198 said that the test results described them 80 percent, and the remaining two said they were 60 to 70 percent correct.
In some of his closing comments talking about the effectiveness and practical applications of the system, Cook asked his audience the following, “When you get an officer evaluation report or a noncommissioned officer evaluation report, what does that represent?"
Then answered his own question, “The rater’s perspective. So you better know what he is looking for.”
According to Crane, members of the 13th ESC interested to learn more about the program will have future opportunities to do so.
RLM is a civilian enterprise, however one can complete the three-minute survey at www.3minSurvey.com at no cost.
Individuals wanting to learn more about the system or would like to include it in their unit’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program, should contact their unit ministry team.
| Date Taken: | 03.26.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.03.2013 15:49 |
| Story ID: | 104545 |
| Location: | KILLEEN, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Phantom support leaders learn about individual’s ‘wiring’, by CPT Monika Comeaux, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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