Photo By Brittany Nelson | Over 150 leaders from Army posts around the world connected virtually last week with...... read more read more
By Scott Malcom, IMCOM Public Affairs
Over 150 leaders from Army posts around the world connected virtually last week with the leadership of U.S. Army Installation Management Command at IMCOM’s annual Garrison Commander Conference.
The host for the week-long mission command event was Lt. Gen. Doug Gabram, IMCOM’s commanding general, who led the group through interactive discussions on several topics important to the Army and the Soldiers, Families and Civilians who make it up. “Leadership is the most decisive weapon in our arsenal. This conference is about making us better leaders by pulling from the wisdom of the crowd through the sharing of best practices and lessons learned.”
Gen. Ed Daly, Commanding General of Army Materiel Command – the Army Command that oversees IMCOM and 10 other subordinate commands – kicked things off Monday morning by addressing the group about the importance of diversity in our workforce. “Diverse organizations perform better,” he said. “Every hiring action should orient on that truth.”
Daly summed up a long list of recent and significant accomplishments by the IMCOM global team this way, “You are the unsung heroes of the Army. I like to call you the linemen of the Army; you’re in the trenches grinding out the hard but essential work that moves the ball down the field.”
Two distinguished speakers also engaged the group, both focusing on important aspects of garrison command and leadership in general. Mr. James Hunter (http://www.jameshunter.com/) led a compelling discussion about servant leadership that reinforced the IMCOM Service Culture - the idea that focusing on engaging, developing and caring for the workforce manifests itself in excellent customer service at the point of delivery.
Gen. (Ret.) Vince Brooks joined the group from his home in Austin, TX, to provide his view of garrison command based on years’ experience as a senior commander. Brooks characterized Army installations as “economic engines for their communities.” He went on to say “garrison commanders are uniquely positioned and equipped to be ‘conveners’ who bring together partners inside and outside the gate to strengthen the community.”
Beyond these compelling discussions, the leaders focused on a number of IMCOM and Army priorities, including a review of the IMCOM playbook for fighting COVID on our bases, the strategy to build back FMWR capabilities while maximizing the efficiency of resources that have been reduced due to the pandemic, and a number of topics related to improving housing and barracks.
These last discussions centered on the Facility Investment Plan and the Housing Implementation Plan. The FIP is a ten year prioritized plan, coordinated across the Army, to invest in required infrastructure in a way that maximizes the effectiveness of every dollar.
The HIP is a partnership with the Army’s privatized housing companies to strategically invest in new construction and renovation projects over the next five years. The HIP is implemented through regular weekly meetings with senior leaders from the Army and RCI companies, along with garrison commanders and their local privatized housing manager. This concerted effort synchronizes intent and action from the garrison up through HQDA and our private partners’ senior leadership.
Closing the conference at midday on Friday, Gabram said “While I’d like to have you all here on the River Walk where I could look you in the eye and spend personal time with you, these tools that allow us to come together virtually are powerful, and they allow a broader cross section of the command to benefit from these interactions. This week has exceeded my expectations.”
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.23.2020 12:01 |
| Story ID: | 383566 |
| Location: | TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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