Recently, senior Army leaders published two tri-signed memos: Army Civilians – A Critical Component of the Army Total Force, highlighting the importance of two-way communication between supervisors and employees; and Army Supervisor – Employee Engagement, which provides leaders with focused areas to improve communication. These messages highlight strategic components of the Army DACM’s talent management initiatives, which include both individual and leader accountability.
Talent management challenges are complex and sustainment of the AAW depends upon the investment we make today. We must use the tools, processes and programs currently in place to ensure we develop our workforce.
There is no substitute for proactive, day-to-day personnel development and management. It is incumbent upon supervisors to work with their employees to develop their IDPs and professional and organizational goals. The Army DACM Office webpage offers tools to assist supervisors in this area such as the Mentoring Toolkit and the Acquisition Career Field Models.
Additionally, it’s imperative that AAW members take responsibility for their own career development. The Army DACM Office website also includes career development tools for employees including —Career Field Models, the PM Handbook, leader development opportunities, tuition-assistance programs, and others. Employees should discuss these tools with their supervisors and develop a meaningful plan together.
Communication is the basic first step to ensuring we develop leaders who can prepare the force for the future.
This article was originally published in the June 2015 issue of the DACM Newsletter.
Access AL&T is the premier online news source for the Army Acquisition Workforce.
Click to Subscribe
