Command focused on collaboration for first quarter of leader-led culture series

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – Among the efforts to address feedback gathered through last year’s annual stakeholder questionnaire, U.S. Transportation Command senior leaders are each promoting a cultural virtue this year. This week, the command transitions between the “collaboration” quarter led by Army Lt. Gen. Kathleen Gainey, deputy commander, and the “trust” quarter led by Air Force Gen. William M. Fraser III, commander.

As Fraser announced in his Commander’s Call this past January, each of these virtues — collaboration, trust, empowerment, and innovation — would be promoted by a different senior leader, one per quarter.

Since that time, Gainey has championed the first virtue, collaboration, through activities including leader led lunches, informal coffee talks, and “Pick It Up” a professional reading club.

Underscoring her passion for collaboration Gainey said, “By nature, TRANSCOM was created for collaboration; that’s why we’re a joint command. I want all of us to focus on what’s important, regardless of where it falls in the organization. We need to remember that we are not individual commands, we’re directorates and we must work together.”

Gainey selected “Silos, Politics and Turf Wars,” by Patrick Lencioni for the book club. She encouraged fellow readers to discuss the book with her via the blog and in person. Various teams, including the team writing the command’s new strategic plan, used the book as a point of reference. Steve Daniels, who works in the Agile Transportation for the 21st Century branch, Strategy, Policy, Programs and Logistics directorate, also implemented some of the guidance from the book with his team.

“I did encounter some initial resistance, but we worked together to develop a 'thematic goal' and 'defined objectives,' two recommendations from the book,” said Daniels. “We also identified cross-functional disconnects or silos as the book calls them. These disconnects often complicate
coordination across areas of expertise and limit communication. Our team is now 'on the same sheet of music' and working well toward accomplishing our 'thematic goal'.”

The global campaign plan for distribution team recently invited Army Col. David Dworak, Ph. D, professor, Army War College, to review and advise on its mission analysis work. Dworak has written on the importance of joint logistics within the American military and was at TRANSCOM to work on this Department of Defense synchronization effort. He commented that from department of defense and senior leadership, he’s hearing that, “it’s about relationships, and understanding different perspectives.”

“When people don’t bring in their department’s position into the room, when they aren’t there to protect their ‘thing’ and working against each other, it’s amazing what comes out,” Dworak says. “This has to be a cultural value that is stressed by leadership.”

Another effort offered in conjunction with collaboration quarter objectives was a customer focus program hosted by USTRANSCOM. During the courses, attended by both USTRANSCOM and partner organization staff, attendees covered a variety of topics including defining customer focus, utilizing effective strategies for making team decisions, creating and maintaining trust, and building customer loyalty. Each directorate representative has been asked to share some of the tips and tricks they learned.

Said one course attendee, Tim Childress, chief, USTRANSCOM program management office, acquisition directorate, “I expect [the material] to help me foster greater collaboration both within my organization and across the various stakeholders I support.”

Finally, the command hosted several sessions of the "Power of the Positive" seminar throughout the first quarter. This workshop helped attendees identify their key strengths, others' perceptions of them, and how to operate and communicate more effectively in particular environments.

Bill Howard, organizational change management lead, command, control, communications and computer systems directorate (USTC-J6), has integrated the Power of the Positive approach across the leadership in J6.

“I think the Power of Positive approach is very beneficial to understand each other's positive attributes better and to be able to take communication to the next level to enhance our overall work environment. ”

Many individuals participated in collaboration quarter activities and have taken steps to adapt related habits, and all are encouraged to maintain their efforts to work toward collaboration beyond the first 90 days of the year. USTRANSCOM staff can find more information on the activities Fraser will lead as part of the “trust” quarter on the Third Deck Blog and on the Culture Virtue of the Quarter SharePoint site.

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