The Forum was designed to provide a venue for leadership to plan, discuss, and present ideas surrounding division’s vision for anchoring change, while providing an opportunity to focus on operationalizing the CAV values and build team cohesion. VIEW ORIGINAL
FORT HOOD, Texas ------ Command teams and Leadership from across the 1st Cavalry Division gathered for a CAV Leadership Forum at the Killeen Convention Center, May 20-21, 2021.
The Forum was designed to provide a venue for leadership to plan, discuss, and present ideas surrounding division’s vision for anchoring change, while providing an opportunity to focus on operationalizing the CAV values and build team cohesion.
“We want to be lethal,” said Lt. Col. Paul Fleming, the 1st Cav. Div. Fire Support Coordinator, in his opening remarks to his working group. “We’re disciplined, we’re trained, and we’re fit. When we say fit, we mean holistically: physically, mentally, spiritually. How do we do that? We lead change. We are adaptive, we’re critical thinkers and we do this because we’re committed. We are proud of our unit and proud of our legacy.”
The CAV Leadership Forum brought leaders together to build the foundation for the future of the division through cohesive teams that are predictable, stable and synced. Fostering this type of environment focuses on the Army’s “People First” initiative and enhances the division’s warfighting capability as a whole.
To really drive home the importance of “People First”, a guest speaker from the surrounding community, Coach Scott Drew from Baylor University, provided insight on how he developed meaningful relationships with the people on his team, and shared his experiences in getting buy-in from his organization.
“What I love about the military is that you are diverse like we are,” Coach Drew said.
In my organization, we have candid talks and I listen to their feedback and what they say. I know my job is to serve them, so I have to know how I can best serve them and then, in return, change the world for the better together, he said.
In addition to guest speakers, members of the division staff led breakout sessions focused on key areas of emphasis such as the Values of the CAV, the Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model as it applies to the 1st Cav. Div., and the CAV’s Priorities and future Lines of Effort.
The Values of the CAV session established a shared language and a commitment to a set of behaviors that align with the values of the 1st Cav. Div.
“We need to have compassion,” said Lt. Col. Jim Rye, the 1st Cav. Div. Civil Affairs Officer. “We have to have integrity, honesty and transparency, because if we don’t have integrity, and if we’re not honest or don’t have that transparency, our Troopers are going to see right through us. If we have all of this, we will have pride and ownership throughout our formations all the way through. This is what will set us apart from the rest of the Army.”
The CAV Priorities and Lines of Effort session allowed for the synchronization of existing priorities and allowed an opportunity to develop the framework for anchoring change within the organization.
To really emphasize “People First”, the Army and the 1st Cav.Div. have implemented ReARMM, which enables the transition to a Multi Domain Land Power Force, while focusing on predictability, stability and habitual relationships in order to provide predictability to formations. This initiative’s importance was discussed during a break-out session in order to inform Leadership on the way ahead.
The event was a success as Leaders from across the 1st Cav. Div. worked together to lay the foundation for a better, more cohesive team. They worked as a collective and laid the groundwork to integrate values and behaviors focusing on “People First” within their organizations, with a better understanding of how the 1st Cav. Div. will manage its talent, plans, culture and how it engages its people now and in the future.
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