Command Sgt. Maj. Jose Castillo has been with the Army Contracting Command for almost a month now, and he is learning as much as possible about the people and the workforce while simultaneously sharing his experience with all.
When asked about his long-term goals, besides readiness, he discussed the four leadership tenets that he has kept in his mind throughout his career:
• Be the leader you want to be led by- character in motion.
• Leadership by example- do right.
• Have only one standard -- be responsible and accountable for your decisions, your Soldiers and your equipment.
• Stand at the point of the spear -- be seen, heard and relevant.
Castillo's main priority is to follow the Army chief of staff Gen. Mark Milley's priority of readiness. When asked how he is going to improve it, he is quick to reinforce the chief's No. 1 priority.
"I'm not trying to improve it--it's about living it. The Army has great systems already in place," he says. "But right now, we have so many Soldiers who are non-deployable. We all equally share the responsibility to do everything we can to improve our readiness, from the individual to the most senior leader, we must ensure that we are putting and keeping the best team on the field. This is our advantage!"
Castillo emphasizes that there are many components to readiness -- medical, personal, tactical, technical. Each measure is an individual response that affects the formation as a whole; therefore, every Soldier must be fully dedicated to being successful, Castillo explained.
Prior to his assignment to ACC, Castillo was the command sergeant major for the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Korea. Other assignments include the 82nd Airborne Division; U.S. Army Special Operations Command; 10th Mountain Division; and the 10th Sustainment Brigade.
After serving at every enlisted leadership position, ranging from team leader to command sergeant major, there was still one thing missing from his extensive resume. He admitted that he was excited to come to this unique command when given this awesome opportunity by Maj. Gen. James E. Simpson to fulfill that experience.
"I have been leading Soldiers at all levels, whether it was Army or joint, but it was always service members. Here, there are a great number of civilians serving the Army and I want to be a part of who they are," he said. "It gives me a different perspective, a different understanding. I look forward to challenging myself. I think a little diversity is good for everyone."
Castillo plans on continuing to be available, approachable and accessible, no matter who he is leading
"Leadership is leading by example. It does not have a rank or branch, it's not civilian or Soldier. Leadership is taking care of people and the organization's needs," said Castillo. "It's about earning respect, building trust and bringing everyone together as a team to promote excellence."
He stressed that one of the things he wants the workforce to do is to continue to educate him on ACC and beyond as well as how the command leadership is taking care of its people.
"Taking care of people and allowing them the opportunity to grow…finding out about command climate and morale; I want to hear from Soldiers and our people. I have a tremendous appreciation for what they do for the Army and our great nation," he said. "The mission is there and we will execute to perfection. I always want to take care of our people."
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