By Ashley Tolbert
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Nov. 24, 2015) – Last week, 29 current and future managers from across the Army acquisition workforce attended the second Army Acquisition Leader Preparation Course (AALPC) in Arlington, Virginia.
The course is designed to generate thought and discussion about a host of challenges that future acquisition leaders will likely face when they get into their new jobs, and learn from accomplished leaders and seasoned practitioners who have faced similar challenges.
Lt. Gen. Michael Williamson, the Army director, acquisition career management (DACM) developed the course and launched the pilot earlier this year. Early on in his role as the director of career management for the 36,000-strong workforce, Williamson identified the need to better equip leaders preparing to assume key positions with the leadership and operational skills required to effectively manage their programs, according to Scott Greene, chief of leader development in the Army DACM Office.
The course featured guest speakers from across DOD, including Lt. Gen. H.R. McMasters, Director, Army Capabilities Integration Center. (Photos by Michelle Strother)
“When it comes to training and development, we’re constantly assessing where the gaps are and skill sets we see in order to prepare people,” said Craig Spisak, director of the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) and deputy DACM.
AALPC is an additional course to the precommand courses offered at Fort Leavenworth and Defense Acquisition University.
“The existing methodology for preparing people to take on leadership positions is very good, but this is really an opportunity for them to be embedded with their acquisition peers to have what I would call an acquisition-heavy, precommand-course environment,” added Spisak.
Craig Spisak, director of the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) and deputy DACM is responsible for coordinating and overseeing AALPC. He also served as the moderator throughout the four-day course.
The attendees included newly selected centralized selection list (CSL) product managers, acquisition directors, and contracting commanders, as well as the recently established central selection board product directors (PDs). Approximately 90 percent of the participants will be CSL new starts ready to assume command this coming summer, while the remaining 10 percent of the class comprised recent PD incumbents who assumed command this past summer.
Over the four-day course, a variety of senior leaders from in and outside of DOD spoke to the group covering a wide range of topics including; leadership, effective communication, talent and organizational management, risk identification and management, budget, and how to operate effectively in a complex environment.
“What we can do is prepare our leaders on how to approach problems and think about problems through a different set of lenses. That’s why in this course, we expose them to folks from academia, industry, senior leaders outside and in DOD because different perspectives on a problem can help you get out of your box and take a different approach.” explained Spisak.
Heidi Shyu, the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology and the Army acquisition executive, kicked off the first day of AALPC outlining her priorities to 29 current and future centrally boarded managers from across the Army acquisition workforce.
Heidi Shyu, the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology and the Army acquisition executive, kicked-off the event sharing her priorities. “We need to think about how do we shift and enable our Soldiers to fight in a much more contested environment. That’s my priority,” she said.
Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, explained what works for him and what he looks for in management. “I don’t want to do fads,” he said. “I want to figure out what works and do what works. I’m in favor of smart, thoughtful management supported by data.”
The course also helps participants better understand the dynamics of the environment in which they operate, know their roles, the roles of the subordinates, capture lessons learned, and develop an outline for what it takes to run an organization as an Army acquisition leader.
“Quite frankly, the best leaders that I’ve seen are those that embrace somebody who has a different perspective rather than one who sings the same song they do each and every time.” That’s the viewpoint of Air Force Lt. Gen. Wendy Masiello, director of the Defense Contract Management Agency, who spoke on the second day of the course.
Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, was among the varied speakers invited to attend the training session covering topics including leadership, effective communication, talent and organization management, risk management, and understanding your budget.
One student emphasized the networking benefits that the course provides as a result of hearing from various leaders and subject matter experts and discussing issues within his peer group.
“Coming to a course like this allows me to build my network—we’re able to share information that prepares us to go into a new environment. As the environment changes, it’s important for us to know who we can reach out and call because we know they’ve been through similar instances,” said Lt. Col. Al Niles.
The Army DACM Office plans to conduct two courses each year in the spring and fall to train the centrally selected managers prior to assuming their new positions. The next session is scheduled for April 2016 in the Washington D.C. area.
A group of current and future Army acquisition managers attended the second AALPC in Arlington, Virginia Nov. 16-20, 2015. The purpose of the course, developed by Lt. Gen. Michael E. Williamson, the director of Army acquisition career management, is to generate thought and discussion about a host of challenges that future acquisition leaders will likely face.
RELATED LINKS:
View additional photos from the course
Army DACM preps acquisition leaders for future success
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