Fort Huachuca, Arizona -- Col. Wendy Rivers, commander, Information Systems Engineering Command, hosted a Leader Professional Development forum focused on growing within the profession for officers and NCOs March 28 at Greely Hall Auditorium here.
A panel of professionals, including a civilian, sergeant, platoon leader, company commander and brigade commander was assembled to bring their insights into growing the profession, said Rivers as she introduced the panel.
Panel members included Capt. Chris Conklin, company commander, Network Enterprise Technology Command; 1st Lt. Renae Capers, platoon leader, Charlie Company, 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion; Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Roman, commandant, NCO Academy, Sgt. Lyle Wickham, Charlie Company, 40th ESB; and Michael Calabrese, deputy director, Communications Security Logistics Activity.
The panel discussed what attributes leaders look for in new officers and NCOs. The group consensus was a desire to improve, promote and learn.
Conklin said he was looking for "hunger.". We are "looking for troops that come in, want to be trained and want to contribute to the unit, want to be educated not just on their technical expertise, but also the history of the Army or what's going on in the Army," he explained. "The hunger needs to be there because there is nothing but air and opportunity here."
One of the most discussed questions asked from the audience was what transition points did you make or change about your growth to help you be successful?
Roman said he "had difficulty transitioning to an E-5. There is no such animal as a boss and a buddy. There is no such animal. It does not work if you try to be a boss and a buddy. You are either a leader or a buddy, as an E5."
Roman explained how his experience changed as he moved up in rank.
"As a staff sergeant, I started to become more aware of my leadership, how I acted," he said. "I was a platoon sergeant so I had to look a few levels up. It was no longer about me, it was serving the organization and making your Soldiers better."
Calabrese echoed the sentiments of looking ahead of a Soldier's current rank and to the future. He said he had to change his view to "we not I."
"One of the things that I always tried to do was to look at the position above me," he said. "Not the individual, but the position. Then work to the point where the person that was currently filling that position didn't have anything to do."
Calabrese said his main goal was to "always try to work my boss out of their job. We all know the best way to get promoted is to already know what you are supposed to be doing. It's even better if you are already doing it. I've taken that same philosophy and moved it into the civilian career. And it has worked for me.
"Know where your limitations are, know where your strengths are," Calabrese continued. "It's not all just on you. There are plenty of people at your level, below your level, above your level who will communicate your weaknesses to you if you ask them.
"I've always been told, get a mentor. That's wrong. Get some mentors. More than one. Get different perspectives. You need to see three different weaknesses, one coming from each of those mentors, in addition to the ones you see in yourself. Work on them. Get rid of them. Every time you get promoted. Pick one thing, 'I am going to change this one bad habit.'
"If you do that throughout your career, and you will progress, you will end up where I ended up. I joined the Navy as an E1, went into the Submarine force. My final assignment in the Submarine force, I was the number one guy in my rating, in my MOS for the entire Pacific fleet. I didn't get there by myself, but I sure helped myself doing what I just told you. It works in uniform and it works in the civilian side too."
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