New command team outlines expectations in town hall

By Guv CallahanSeptember 11, 2014

New command team outlines expectations in town hall
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Commander Col. Michael D. Henderson gives remarks during his first workforce town hall meeting in the Community Center on the Fort Myer portion of JBM-HH Sept. 3, 2014. Henderson discussed his philosophy of command and ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New command team outlines expectations in town hall
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Command Sgt. Maj. Randall E. Woods gives remarks during his first workforce town hall meeting in the Community Center on the Fort Myer portion of JBM-HH Sept. 3, 2014. Woods discussed his philosophy of command and expec... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New command team outlines expectations in town hall
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Commander Col. Michael D. Henderson gives remarks during his first workforce town hall meeting in the Community Center on the Fort Myer portion of JBM-HH Sept. 3, 2014. Henderson discussed his philosophy of command and ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall's new command team, Col. Michael D. Henderson, commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Randall E. Woods, introduced themselves to personnel and explained their individual leadership philosophies during a town hall meeting Sept. 3.

Both Henderson and Woods stressed teamwork and maintaining service levels with less funding due to sequestration.

"Basically, because of the financial constraints we've been going through the last year or two, the common theme is we're going to do more with less," Woods told a crowd of joint base personnel in the Community Center on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base. "That's a true statement. There's going to be risk. We just ask that you let us know when we're coming up short."

Henderson said he has been a customer of Army garrisons around the world for 23 years, and that he has a multi-dimensional plan to leave the base better than when he arrived.

"Our budget is about $100 million, so we have to be accountable to the American taxpayer, especially in these lean times with the economy and sequestration," he said.

According to Henderson, these constraints mean that personnel need to maintain buildings, facilities and equipment to avoid unnecessary cost.

"It will be a challenge to maintain our facilities," said Henderson. "Some of them were built at the turn of the century and others were built in the 1930s."

But if personnel do their jobs to the best of their ability, as Henderson said he expects them to, then operations will continue to run smoothly.

"We have to maintain our core skills but then also strive to improve what we know so that we can get better and deliver a better product to our customers," he said.

Woods said that personnel needed to have their sights set on the future.

"We have to see down the road - where we're going to be," Woods told personnel. "Two years from now I'm not going to be here but I want to make sure this installation is a better place."

Success will be achieved through teamwork across the joint base, Henderson and Woods said.

The pair said they believe in honest, open communication as key to delivering the best possible services to joint base customers.

"Having a positive, winning attitude is infectious," Henderson said. "Things are never as bad as they seem, so if we have a positive attitude we can overcome whatever challenges are thrown at us."

Henderson also encouraged personnel to take pride in their work.

"Be proud of your technical competence," he said. "It always impresses me to watch experts work in their fields."

He and Woods also stressed the importance of family, balance and fitness in their personal lives. Both admitted to including physical fitness as a regular part of their lives.

"I would encourage you all to find a way to stay fit - exercise, getting enough sleep, eating right - because we need you in the fight," Henderson said. "Because of financial restraints, hiring more people could be a challenge, so we need everybody every day."

Henderson said his day improves immensely when he's able to do some sort of physical fitness work. An Idaho native, Henderson is an avid college football fan and an outdoors and military history enthusiast.

Woods said he loves football - namely the Kansas City Chiefs - as well as golf, hunting, fishing and spending time with his family: wife Lea and Walter, his pet pug.

Henderson and Woods both know they have much work to do, but they said they are confident the base and its personnel will continue to thrive.

"When we follow our systems and processes, I think we will be steady and reliable in just about every aspect of the business that we perform," Henderson said.

Henderson and Woods assumed their current positions on JBM-HH following a change of command and responsibility ceremony at Conmy Hall Aug. 27.