RUN ALAP AHEAD
the information out there and to find a way to continue to support our teammates through the process.
I reached out to various organizations within the Army community to see if there was already a program or workshop available, but came back empty-handed. I was able to find publicly available written guides and decided to use them to develop our own training. With the help of JPEO A&A’s ALAP alumni and a plethora of online resources, the brainstorming began. Te goal was to not only educate the work- force on these available opportunities to get them focused on career ownership and building their career road map, but to also see how we could help prepare candidates who were invited to participate in ALAP in the 2024 fiscal year.
“ALAP is a win-win initiative all around,” said Johnny Figueroa, an ALAP alumnus. “Te Army wins by thoroughly assessing
the interpersonal skills of its up-and- coming leaders, while the candidates learn their innermost strengths and weaknesses and how to improve them."
A NEW ROAD With those two goals in mind, we decided to take two different approaches. My colleagues and I launched the first ALAP information session at JPEO A&A on April 26, 2022. Te deputy project director for Joint Bombs, ALAP alum- nus Steve Bielamowicz and I presented a virtual information session to our work- force highlighting CSL, CSB and ALAP opportunities. Over the course of an hour, participants were able to gain a much clearer understanding of what the CSL and CSB are, when to start preparing for these opportunities if they are a part of future career goals, what the application process looks like, nuances with accepting or deferring these opportunities and what it means to be invited to ALAP.
We closed the session with a request and an offer for anyone who had applied to the 2024 fiscal year CSL or CSB. We asked that if they were invited to partici- pate in ALAP over the course of the next few months, to reach out to the Talent Management Office. We promised that if interest was shown, we’d continue to build opportunities to help prepare these indi- viduals as best we could for their weeklong travel to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for ALAP that October.
NOT QUIET FOR LONG After the initial workshop, things were quiet, but not for long. Just a few months later, as the GS-14 and -15 ALAP partic- ipant lists were announced, emails began to trickle in, expressing both excitement and nervousness. Tis time we needed to do more than just a virtual workshop- type approach. Although I had an idea of where I wanted this program to go, I also wanted to make sure I had the support for developing it. We drafted an idea for the concept, being mindful that we weren't developing a program that would break any ALAP alumni nondisclosure agree- ments or prepare participants in any way that would compromise their participation at the actual event. With an encourag- ing approval from JPEO A&A’s deputy program executive officer, the work began.
BEHIND THE CURTAIN
Volunteers sit behind a curtain waiting for a participant to join a blind interview session during the ALAP workshop in September. The hidden team—consisting of a former ALAP participant, a Senior Service College graduate and a senior leader—asked behavior- oriented interview questions and provided anonymous feedback based on the ALAP verbal communication rubric. (Photo by Keith Gooding, JPEO A&A)
It started with researching and leverag- ing as many resources as I could find to develop an ALAP preparation support guide, which encourages and aids partic- ipants preparing on their own time for the ALAP experience. Referencing many of the already available Army guides and resources, it’s easy to use and full of information on the various ALAP events, such as the timed argumentative writ- ing assessment, blind interviews, physical fitness and psychometric assessments. Te support guide also includes advice from ALAP alumni, ideas for practicing and
106 Army AL&T Magazine Spring 2023
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