CECOM invests in future with Junior Advisory Council

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Maryland (April 28, 2016) -- The U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command took an innovative leap into the future by engaging those who will one day be in charge of it.

An initiative called the CECOM Junior Advisory Council or JAC was established to officially team junior civilian employees from GS 7-11 or equivalent to identify, assess and recommend solutions to issues that are common across the command. The JAC was conceived by CECOM's Commanding General Maj. Gen. Bruce T. Crawford who aims to open the aperture of where new ideas are produced.

"Our future success will be decided on who comes to the whiteboard first with the next great idea and the JAC is a way to tap into the intellectual curiosity and create collaborative space for CECOM's junior workforce to make an impact beyond their day-to-day mission," Crawford said.

The JAC is comprised of 15 members representing CECOM headquarters, its subordinate commands/centers, and the Army Materiel Command Legal Office -- Aberdeen Proving Ground. The members were hand-picked by their organization's management and serve in a part-time, collateral assignment that meets periodically as a team or with CECOM senior leadership to discuss assigned tasks and seek CECOM-wide implementation of proposed programs.

"It's wonderful to see senior leadership wanting to engage us newer employees and it really shows how much they care about our thoughts and ideas," said Thomas Yanochko, an electronics mechanic at CECOM's Tobyhanna Army Depot.

During the JAC's most recent collaborative session at CECOM headquarters, the members briefed their vision for several new initiatives to include a mentorship program, a home organization leadership course and a workplace morale program. The members were able to practice their presentation and organization skills in front of CECOM's Deputy to the Commanding General Mr. Larry Muzzelo who also provided feedback and advice from his career experiences as a leader.

"A leader is not just a position or title," Muzzelo said to the JAC. "Leaders emerge as those who are able to tap the diverse skills of people working collectively on a task." Muzzelo also lauded the JAC because these junior employees will be exposed to challenges, different perspectives and opportunities to display initiative that are key in developing the "Character, Competence and Commitment" that he views as guiding principles for being an effective Army leader.

Maj. Gen. Crawford also spoke with the council and addressed the strategic importance of nurturing junior employee development in non-traditional ways.

"New leaders are going to lead in an exponentially more complex environment in the near future," Crawford said. "One of my biggest responsibilities is developing the next generation and I believe it's critical to provide this kind of venue to hear their ideas and help grow agile and adaptive leaders who can create new, innovative ways to evolve their organization."

JAC members also absorbed leadership advice from a panel of senior directors and received insight into developing their natural leadership styles through a professional self-reflection exercise.

Overall, the JAC serves as another way CECOM is investing in the future to provide sustainable readiness for today's Army and beyond.

"This (JAC) was an inspiration for me to be a part of and I hope to bring that inspiration back to my home organization," said Robert Kinsey, an electronics mechanic supervisor at Tobyhanna.