CAMP ZAMA, Japan – U.S. Army Garrison Japan leaders announced plans for a new workforce action team and answered questions during a town hall at Kizuna Hall here Dec. 6.
The garrison’s new Quality of Life Action Team will include representatives chosen from each directorate who will meet to help drive continuous workplace improvement for the garrison team.
Col. Marcus Hunter, commander of USAG Japan, said the initiative will benefit the entire organization.
“There are good ideas and good solutions all across the team,” he said of the garrison. “And I want to know and understand and make sure we are using the best ideas from everyone’s different perspectives.”
Hunter, who was joined by Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, the garrison senior enlisted leader, and Jenifer L. Peterson, the deputy garrison commander, said garrison employees work diligently year-round to support the community.
“Thank you for doing that for our community,” he said, “and thank you for what you will do for our own team inside the garrison to help us get stronger and get better in everything that we do.”
Ernestine Robinson, Equal Employment Opportunity manager and adviser for the garrison’s Climate Action Team, briefed recent garrison accomplishments in the past two years, including the creation of leadership training videos for supervisors and employees, several brown bag lunches with the commander, and a reasonable accommodation workshop for supervisors and managers.
A commander’s box was also placed on the second floor of Building 102 to allow anyone to leave comments for leadership.
Hunter said he checks the box just about every time he walks by it.
At least five comments have been left in the box since it was installed in the summer and based on the issue that is brought up, the colonel will directly address the comment.
“I appreciate everyone’s use of that,” he said, “and we would love to receive additional feedback.”
Hunter answered another question on if or when another garrison organizational day will take place. After taking a quick poll from the audience, who were mostly agreeable to it, he asked his staff to look at holding one.
“It’s an opportunity for us to gather as a team,” he said. “We’re all doing so many different things, so here we can get together and celebrate the organization in a unique and slightly different way.”
Hunter also highlighted U.S. Army Installation Management Command’s Service Culture Campaign, saying that dignity and respect are part of the foundation of the garrison’s culture.
“Our workforce is one that is built off of diversity coming from many different perspectives and understanding and experience,” he said, “but is drawn together through the inclusion of our entire team.”
Among the tenets in the culture campaign, Hunter touched on developing every employee to be a leader as a way to strengthen the entire workforce.
“Leader development and talent management is not based off of an individual person as a leader for a position as a leader,” he said. “And the reason I say that is because leaders come from all levels, and you all have a role at some point in time in which [you] may be in a position to lead an activity or an organization.”
He encouraged employees to complete an individual development plan and participate in civilian education programs, developmental assignments, career program training that focuses on technical competencies, and command training that may provide clarity on organizational activities.
“My challenge to all of our supervisors” he said, “is to think about some of those opportunities and then ask yourself within your directorate or your section how you can take advantage of those and how you can develop the talent of each of your individual employees.”
In closing, Hunter expressed gratitude for the valuable input he has already received from the workforce on how to improve the organization.
“What I’m committed to and excited about is, as a team, finding ways in which we think we want to change and develop,” he said. “But that’s something that we’re going to do as a team … [to] constantly strengthen and build ourselves.”
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