After almost six months as the Army Contracting Command's Deputy to the Executive Director, Harry Hallock sees thing from a brand new perspective.
"I definitely have more insight into the pressures that come down on folks at the headquarters from personnel at levels higher than the headquarters," said Hallock , who is returning to ACC-Warren, Mich., as the executive director, he'll be an even bigger asset and a champion for the headquarters.
"I have a much better idea of how this enterprise runs and as a result, it will make me a better director once I get back to Warren," he said.
"Harry has done a superb job as our deputy and I have appreciated his wise counsel, advice and support," said Carol Lowman, ACC executive director. "Bringing a field perspective
to our headquarters, he helped sharpen our focus and made us all better. Harry really cares about people and we'll miss him."
One area where he knows he can make a big difference is response times to requests received from the headquarters staff.
"There were requests where we would push back and frankly it was because of ignorance on our part," said the Michigan native. "I now have some insights that I think will allow us to be more discerning about the things we push back on. There's no reason to waste time and energy, in the field and in the headquarters, on things that simply are what they are and we just have to deal with them. That would make ACC-Warren and ACC headquarters more efficient.
"I've been in this business for 32 years in a pretty big command. I've had interactions at the different levels -- headquarters Army Materiel Command, Department of the Army and the Office of the Secretary for Defense levels -- so you sort of get comfortable thinking; yeah I know how this enterprise works. I realized I was kidding myself. The truth is you don't know until you are up there doing the job at that level and that's what I've gained here. I've gained the perspective of things at the headquarters level and as a result I better understand the pressures that come down from Congress, from the assistant secretary of the Army for Logistic and Technology and the rest. Those pressures are different from those at the major subordinate command level and I never realized how much was filtered before it got down to my level.
"I have a better understanding now as to why taskers come down the way they do. Now I have a clearer picture of why and how things are requested from this level. We may not understand why, but that's ok. There's a reason why it was asked for and I understand better now that many times that's more than enough," he said.
According to Hallock, having been through the experience, it would be great to rotate each of the directors in the field through the headquarters at some time in some form or fashion.
"I realize it would be difficult and almost on the order of impossible, but when the opportunity presents itself, there is no doubt in my mind that we would all learn more and benefit from the experience," he said.
One of the most important things for Hallock was getting to know and working with the ACC staff.
"I feel I am a consensus builder and I would like to feel I did a little bit to bring the headquarters staff and those in the field together on issues that affect the entire command," he said.
"Working with the staff members here was incredible. I'm really impressed with the caliber of talent here and the hard work and effort to run this enterprise and feel fortunate to have been a part of it firsthand. There's no doubt that there are some fantastic people working here at the headquarters and I saw that every day I was here."
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