Photo By Joan Williams | David Gibson, a supervisory supply management specialist at DLA Aviation, in Richmond,...... read more read more
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Two Defense Logistics Agency employees feel they are better equipped to lead after their experience in a program of intensive classroom instruction, real-world problem resolution and guidance from industry executives.
David Gibson and Charmaine Camper graduated earlier this year from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, part of the Department of Defense's National Defense University, in Washington, D.C.
“The course is constructed around managing and balancing the four elements of national power: diplomatic, information, military and economic, and how best to utilize and allocate resources for national security strategy,” said Gibson, who began the program in August 2009 and graduated in June.
The college prepares civilians and military officers for senior leadership and staff positions, providing postgraduate, executive-level courses of study and research dealing with economic components of national power. The course curriculum places special emphasis on material acquisition and joint logistics, and their integration into national security strategy.
Potential students must prepare a nomination package that includes an application, a resume and an essay for consideration in the 10-month program.
When Gibson began the course, he worked as a supervisory logistics management specialist in DLA Logistics Operations. He is now a supervisory supply management specialist at DLA Aviation, in Richmond, Va., assisting with the implementation of Base Realignment and Closure requirements for storage and distribution processes.
The “big picture” perspective ICAF provided helps Gibson to consider external factors, he said.
“[I] look at issues differently … It’s caused me to stop and think about the strategic implications of our work,” he said. “Prior to ICAF, I was inclined to focus more inward and not necessarily … ask questions such as: ‘Is there value added involving another organization? Could another organization do this better? Are there shared, joint or inter-agency efforts or resources that could help accomplish this?’”
The ICAF program is advantageous for DLA employees because it explores strategy in the context of business, resources and supply chain management, he said.
“The ICAF experience helped me see how DLA’s mission supports its customers and how our national resources contribute to national objectives,” he said.
Gibson said he found it difficult to narrow down the most memorable part of the ICAF program, but noted a few outstanding experiences. He said he particularly appreciated “working with a variety of great people from [Department of Defense], federal agencies and international organizations and visiting international governments like Poland who are striving to improve their economic strength and defense capabilities.”
Graduating with Gibson, Camper, a procurement analyst, said that although her position title didn’t change, she went from working in DLA’s Acquisition Programs and Industrial Capabilities Division to a new organization, the Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office.
Camper said she was unsure the ICAF experience would be a good fit for her, but her supervisor encouraged her to apply.
“I’m a procurement analyst, so my expertise was in [that] arena, … and I only knew the work we do here at DLA,” she said.
Camper explained that prior to attending ICAF, she didn’t fully grasp that DLA is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle.
“A lot of times … we get that tunnel vision, we’re thinking it’s all about DLA,” she said. “We throw that ‘whole of government’ approach concept [around] but … you really don’t realize what that means until you actually get there.”
Training employees to become strategic thinkers helps build managerial assets at a time when many senior executives may be leaving or retiring, Camper said.
“[By giving individuals] that caliber of training, we put people in the pipeline who can actually … solve strategic and technical challenges,” she said.
Camper said she appreciated the opportunity to visit with various executives during the industry study portion of the program.
“We’d go out and visit industries and we speak with … [their leaders] at a round table face to face, and we had the opportunity to ask them challenging questions,” she said. “[Because it’s non-attributable], they openly shared their leadership ideas … how things are running in their company … that’s very interesting to hear.”
Camper studied Egypt and North Africa during the regional study section and got to speak with embassy representatives. She said it was an eye-opening experience in terms of foreign relations and policies.
“Basically that’s the whole point: [to] study the regions and find out why we’re there and find out why we have relations with these countries and how that is related to our national security strategy,” she said.
Camper said she thinks DLA employees can’t always see the full circle of support from their desks.
“Not understanding [national security strategy], you don’t get that ownership, that accountability, that responsibility. … It never really hit me how much impact we have on the customer,” she said.
Camper said she recommends ICAF to any DLA employee who has chosen to be become a leader, because the program benefits both the individual and the organization.
“You have this frame of mind that you can do anything. It shapes the person; it helps them … have better perspective of why the government does what it does,” she said. “You come back with that strategic perspective. … You leave like an infant and you come back [as] an adult.”
| Date Taken: | 10.07.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2010 10:32 |
| Story ID: | 57681 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 135 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Employees learn about leadership, national security strategies, by Dianne Ryder, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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