Photo By Jon Connor | Heather Tahja, program manager of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command’s Journey to...... read more read more
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ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – “Soldiers and officers know what the path is to be competitive,” said Matt Sannito, deputy to the commanding general, U.S. Army Sustainment Command, while speaking to the latest class members of the Journey to Leadership Tier II course here. “The Army does a good job laying out the career path Soldiers need to be promoted.”
This is because the Army has recognized that leadership training is essential to Soldiers, and therefore the Army’s success. But for civilians, the paths for leadership training are much less structured.
Military training is mandated, centralized and structured.
Noncommissioned officers and officers who want to advance their career are required to take a series of courses and classes that prepare them to lead at increasingly higher levels of responsibility and accountability.
This leadership training, whether it is an enlisted course like Basic Leader Course, or an officer course at a senior staff college, is focused on planning and the decision-making process.
“The Army does an excellent job of developing the military leaders through all the training opportunities they are required to take,” said Lisa Schuldt, the chief of ASC’s G3 Training & Programs Branch. “That wasn’t always true for the civilian workforce who lacked opportunities for development.”
ASC offers another type of leadership course, however, to both Soldiers and civilians. It is called Journey to Leadership. It is a multi-tiered leadership development program that was developed in 2005 and is administered by the ASC G-3 Training and Programs staff. There are three tiers -- I, II, and III.
The mission of JTL is to provide an additional opportunity for leader development. This need was further recognized as many leaders inside ASC were being promoted solely on their technical knowledge and lacking leadership skills, said Schuldt.
Unlike the Army’s leadership courses, these courses are not designed to be taken chronologically. Rather, the course levels are designed for the GS level, wage grade or military rank the participant holds.
“The overarching objective of JTL is to impart in participants the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to become effective leaders,” said Heather Tahja, JTL program manager.
While most Soldiers at ASC have taken several Army leadership courses over the course of their career, JTL is different.
“The type of leadership you learn in this course is different from the type you learn in uniform,” said Jon Connor, a public affairs specialist who was a guest panelist in a JTL class discussion.
Connor, who took JTL Tier II in 2020/2021, retired after 20 years in the Army and then segued into civilian service 15 years ago. “This course, while it’s not an Army-wide course, is one you definitely should put on your resume, whether you stay here, or move onto another job.”
Connor added that in JTL you hear different viewpoints and perspectives, while in Army courses you hear only one perspective – the Army perspective.
At JTL students attend several one-week in-person/online training sessions throughout the course of their program. It varies depending on which tier level you’re in.
“The training utilizes various training techniques, such as facilitator-lead presentations, exercises, activities, participant knowledge and idea sharing,” said Tahja.
Tahja said each participant is responsible for planning, scheduling, and conducting/completing the reports on the individual and group-participant requirements.
JTL Tier I is designed for civilians who are GS-10 and below, Soldiers E-6 and below, first and second lieutenants, and warrant officers and chief warrant officer 2s. There are three one-week training sessions, and the course lasts about five months.
Participants who take JTL Tier I will learn:
- Leadership fundamentals
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Decision making
- Conflict management
- Briefing and presentation skills
- Time management skills
- Teambuilding and interpersonal skills
- Wellness
JTL Tier II is designed for civilians who are GS-11 - 13 and Soldiers who are sergeant first class and master sergeant/first sergeant, captains and majors, and warrant officer 3s. There are five one-week training sessions, and the course lasts about nine months.
Participants who take JTL Tier II will learn:
- The characteristics and types of leadership
- Organizational development
- Management versus leadership
- Oral and written communication skills
- Decision making
- Critical thinking
- Change management
- Team building
JTL Tier III is designed for civilians who are GS-14-15 and Soldiers who are sergeants major and lieutenant colonels and colonels.
Participants who take JTL Tier III will learn:
- Participate as Mentor to JTL Tier II participants or in ASC’s Mentoring Program.
- Leadership Development Plan
- Organization Improvement Plan
- Four Leadership Readings
- Program Impact Paper
Like many Army leadership classes, the benefits to participating and graduating from JTL are huge.
Some Army leadership classes, however, are seen as beneficial while the Soldier stays in the Army, and in many cases, especially at the enlisted level, they are seen by the Soldiers as a “check the block” course to get promoted.
Master Sgt. Shannon Blackwell, currently assigned to Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, took JTL Tier II when she was assigned here. She said that the course helped her on a social level.
“I think any chance you get to hear other’s opinions, ideas and exchange thoughts is an opportunity not to be missed,” said Blackwell. She also said that the classes were invaluable because it broadened her educational scope. “I only have a high school degree, so the course helped (me) a lot.”
For more information on JTL please go to the ASC share point site at: https://asc.aep.army.mil/sites/G37/g3tng/journeytoleadership/SitePages/Home.aspx.
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2021 14:02 |
| Story ID: | 410813 |
| Location: | ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 181 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Journey to Leadership: A path for both civilians, Soldiers to get ahead, by Corinna Baltos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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