CECOM ILSC Executive Director Ms. Nicole D. Osaghae formally rolled out her initiatives to the ILSC workforce at their quarterly Town Hall on 8 November 2023. There are many elements that will drive future success at the ILSC, but it can really all be boiled down to one word: AIR.
That’s ‘A’ for “Agility”, ‘I’ for “Innovation”, and ‘R’ for “Resiliency”, three hallmark areas that the ILSC will make a concerted effort to embrace in our pursuit of supporting the Warfighter to the fullest extent possible. Taken separately, each of these three tenets are vital on their own. When banded together, they ultimately form a tripod that cannot stand unless they are each accepted and actively practiced by the organization as a whole. Far from being abstract concepts that don’t clarify direction, Agility, Innovation, and Resiliency can be tangibly tracked among a workforce like ours where we implement sustainment support for C5ISR systems.
AGILITY is the capability to adjust quickly and be flexible in the face of moving targets, whether they be new opportunities or changes to the external environment. The ILSC is currently achieving this through Lunch and Learns, supervisory and team lead offsites, the launch of ILSC University (with LTSD TMD College as the initial foray), mentoring programs, and other initiatives. At the root of agility is a commitment to growth and learning, to increase our ability to pivot and adjust course as the mission calls for it.
INNOVATION is the ability to address challenges that lie ahead, finding solutions for potential issues before they turn into a true crisis. Supply Chain Optimization (SCO), as an AMC-wide four star initiative, gave way to opportunity for CECOM ILSC to further align resources with Provisioning consolidation, realignment of SCRs/LSTRs from G3/5, and COMSEC modernization. Moreover, the ILSC’s approach to telemaintenance and data analytics is shining a light on our proficiency in this area.
RESILIENCY also involves thinking ahead to prepare for contingencies, but it is chiefly concerned with recovering quickly and effectively when disruptions occur. The ILSC excels in this area through our emphasis on stress management and expanded wellness program efforts to strengthen the workforce, our Safety Risk Mitigation Strategy and ASOHMS rollout, Predictive Logistics improvements and advancement, and the exciting change management initiative that will guide future endeavors.
No organization can be truly successful if they focus on just one of these areas; rather, recognizing the interplay of all three concepts helps to forge a path to real accomplishment. The capacity for agility allows for resiliency, resiliency drives innovation, innovation substantiates agility, and around it goes, a cycle that powers organizational achievement now and in the future. The resulting team cohesion and effective communication within the ‘AIR’ construct flow naturally into the upcoming Change Management Campaign that will augment our efforts to connect teams together across the ILSC.
ILSC’s Change Management Campaign will allow Center leadership to participate in a series of trainings presented by the Center for Creative Leadership and Defense Acquisition University, both in person and virtually, from February through May 2024 . These sessions will focus on the ability to navigate the ever-changing environment, leadership communications during times of disruption, and building resilience among themselves and their teams. According to Professional Development and Career Management Branch Chief Mr. Josh Passwater, “The upcoming training will help build a resilient workforce better equipped to remain optimistic and have the confidence and energy to adapt to change and overcome challenges.”
Mr. Abel Salgado, Associate Director, Logistics and Technical Support Directorate, further echoed this campaign’s importance, saying, “Successfully going through change requires a holistic approach. This means the whole organization, from the most junior employee to our Executive Director, must be engaged and committed to making our change management plan a success. The organization is providing tools to help us all navigate and lead ourselves through this effort.”
As leadership takes part in their Change Management sessions, the ILSC’s general workforce will complete several learning modules during this same time period, which will foster collaborative discussions and reflections during meetings at the division and branch levels, as well as increasing general awareness of these concepts during day-to-day interactions among staff. Mr. Tyler Edmondson, Acting Director, Supply Chain Management Directorate (SCMD), explains the critical importance of this entire process for the whole organization. “As we take the AIR concept away from the high concept realm and into the sphere of practical execution, our executive leadership team here within the ILSC is seeing the ongoing analysis of the post-SCO environment as one key area where the application of change management principles will help expand the aperture of understanding for the entire workforce.”
Mr. Edmondson is experiencing this firsthand, having recently come to SCMD from the Communications Security Logistics Activity (CSLA). His adjustment to his new role and CSLA’s subsequent backfills are an outstanding example of ILSC leadership’s ongoing commitment to career development opportunities.
Thanks to the success of SCO and upcoming education aimed at furthering change management efforts across the Center, the ILSC is taking active steps toward being a true difference-making organization for our Army. As ILSC Deputy Executive Director Mr. Craig Russomano says, “In any dynamic and transformational organization, change is required to ensure progress — If we are not changing, we are not growing!”
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