COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Army Futures Command (AFC), U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center
TITLE: Team lead
YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 7
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Practitioner in engineering and technical management
EDUCATION: M.S. in electrical and computer engineering, University of Delaware; B.S. in security and risk analysis, Penn State University
AWARDS: Certificate Of achievement for exceptional service (2020), Special Act Or Service Award (2019), employee of the month for the Space, Terrestrial and Communications Directorate (2018)

Jacob Sisko

by Cheryl Marino

From an early age, we learned the golden rule—treat others as you would want to be treated—one of the most basic philosophical principles, tweaked in various ways by different groups to guide our actions in a variety of situations. For most adults, it’s unspoken common knowledge, but is it common practice?

It is for Jacob Sisko.

Sisko, who is the team lead at the Combat Capabilities Development Command Command Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C51SR) Center, spends a lot of time in group settings both in and outside of work, and said he always ensures that others are treated with the same brand of respect and consideration that he would hope to receive in return.

“One of the most important things I’ve learned is to treat people how you want to be treated,” he said. “I try to make connections and build strong relationships with my coworkers and leadership because you never know when they may be able to help you or how you may cross paths with old colleagues in the future. Being able to maintain healthy relationships has helped me in my career progression and increased my ability to get work accomplished.”

Sisko’s team GAMET, the Global Autonomous Mitigation and Evaluation Team, is comprised of 30 contractor and civilian personnel who support the counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) mission. More specifically, his team supports the commercial off-the-shelf UAS Exception to Policy Army Board—which pre-approves all UAS (or drone) activity in the Army. The process, he said, focuses on cyber vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies to reduce risk for UAS activity. He also provides vulnerability assessments and mitigations for the systems to securely activate and operate them in the field. “We support the whole cycle, from acquiring, building and assembling, and ensuring the UAS is airworthy and secure,” he said.

Sisko spent the first two years of his Army career in the Chief Information Officer, G-6 Army Knowledge Leaders (AKL) Program, where he received extensive on-the-job training, skills-based rotational assignments, mentorship and formal instruction. He learned techniques for facilitating decision-making through improved flexibility and adaptability, and the integration and synchronization of people, processes, tools and the organization. After successfully completing the program’s training requirements, he transferred to the C5ISR Center (formerly known as the Communications-Electronics RD&E Center) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, where he joined the Army Acquisition Workforce. “What appealed to me about the work was the rapidly changing environment that I supported and how we were responsible for developing innovative technologies and capabilities to meet the needs of the warfighter,” he said. The C5ISR Center conducts research and development to empower the warfighter by discovering, developing and rapidly delivering innovative technologies that enable decisive lethality through information dominance in multidomain operations.

“I think the most important points in my career with the Army Acquisition Workforce have been the professional development opportunities because they provided me with training to enrich and build upon my leadership skills, as well as develop new relationships and make connections within the Army and DOD,” said Sisko, who maintains a “team player” mentality, always advocating the golden rule strategy. “I have benefited greatly from the Civilian Education System (CES) courses, Emerging Enterprise Leader Program courses, and most recently, the Inspiring and Developing Excellence in Acquisition Leaders (IDEAL) program, which has helped me get to where I am today.”

Sisko, who strongly believes in continued learning, completed the IDEAL course in July. “I saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself,” he said. His expectations for the course were to learn and interact with other leaders within the Army and to take home new skills and knowledge that could also be applied to his work environment and daily life.

Sisko found that the weekly themes presented by the IDEAL program really held his interest and were useful in his leadership role. “Two highlights from the course were the ‘Crucial Conversations’ lessons as well as the ‘Getting Things Done’ lessons. ‘Crucial Conversations’ taught me how to successfully navigate difficult conversations with others when the stakes and emotions are high, and ‘Getting Things Done’ taught me how to more effectively plan and manage my time, and execute my to-do lists,” he said. “I would recommend this program to any early- or mid-level employee who takes initiative and has the drive to be a leader and seeks professional development opportunities to improve upon their leadership skills. If you are open-minded and enjoy self-reflection, this is a great opportunity for you.”

Through experience and continued training, Sisko has honed his leadership and team building skills, and gained a keener sense of self-awareness—putting him in an even better position to pass along advice to others. He said of all the advice he has shared with junior acquisition personnel, most importantly, he recommends being proactive and taking advantage of opportunities when they become available “because it gets harder to find the time to complete the necessary courses and desired programs as your career progresses.”

For Sisko, being a team player and practicing the golden rule doesn’t stop at the end of the workday. “Outside of work, [friends and family] know that I like to go to the gym and play sports, and that I am an easygoing, kind person,” he said. “What it has in common with my work is that I am a team player who gets along well with others, and I am usually calm and collected even during stressful situations,”—something he has found to be of benefit no matter who he is with or what he is doing. “Remaining calm under pressure not only keeps you focused, but makes you feel more connected to others and better able to control your thoughts to find better, more well-thought-out solutions.”