DVIDS – News – Get More Skills and Be Yourself at Fort Detrick: Leadership Development Cohorts Mentors Next Generation Leaders

On October 6, 2022, once again, the leaders of the Medical Research and Development (USMRDC) Command gathered at Building 1520 in Fort Detrick for a career-changing experience.

The Leadership Development Cohort Program, also known as the LDCP, consists of six seminars and one-on-one coaching sessions with two experts over eight full days. The necessary interactions with the Senior Leadership Benchmark are lessons learned, tactics, and techniques. Students develop leadership skills and prepare for future and greater responsibilities within the organization.

“The future is bright,” said Col. Andy Noos, commander of the United States Army Medical Materials Development Activity (USAMMDA). “Communication is key.”

Nuce discussed attributes of leadership during sessions with cohorts to help employees navigate transition and change.
“What matters is how we navigate and communicate with the team. Leaders need to communicate openly and let go of anxiety,” he said.

In 2017, USAMMDA’s Training Council launched a leadership development program. Based on the Executive Core Qualifications of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the LDCP enables employees to grow and develop personally and prepares them for career advancement by exposure to mentors and support systems that lead to professional opportunities. increase.

“Sometimes you want to be in the middle of everything and solve all the problems,” Kathleen Burst, Deputy Director for Acquisition and Sustainment at the Defense and Health Service and Deputy Component Acquisition Executive, said during the session. I was. “Don’t try to control what you can’t control. Control how you treat yourself and your team. Be honest and empathetic.”

Berst has been invited to speak at the Change Management session on October 6th.

“Be sure to share information,” she said. “Let them [employees] Please let us know if the information is subject to change,” she said.

Since 2019, the program has been open to multiple commands, allowing participants from across the USAMRDC to participate. Each LDCP cohort currently consists of his 25 to 30 civilian staff members from multiple commands within the USAMRDC.

Another speaker, Col. Matthew Clark, Co-Project Manager for the Medical Portfolio at the Joint Program Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, described how leaders can make a difference in their organizations.

“I shared the importance of developing leaders and followers,” he said in a recent social media post about the event. It has to be effective at both in order to work.”
Clark calls this character-driven leadership. He says it’s important to embrace duality.

The LDCP course is a six-month course that allows participants to apply what they have learned to their work. Six months later, students return to class to discuss what worked and what didn’t.

“John Riordan [consultant] Dr. Heath Jones, a research scientist at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Institute, said: “I really resonated with his approach and the way he brought the group to a fresh way of thinking.”

Under Riordan, the LDCP focuses on student engagement and interaction. Full physical and mental attendance is important for students to get the most out of the course. Throughout his eight days of the program, participants clear their schedules, turn off their phones, and receive support from supervisors and colleagues to ensure they are fully focused on the material.

Caitlin Guerriere Aaron, a research scientist at the U.S. Army Institute of Environmental Medicine, said: “It was important to actually participate, not just take the course. I have nothing but positive things to say about the course material and his John Riordan facilitation.”

Participants take risks and encourage their classmates to do the same. This approach allows cohorts to experiment with new leadership strategies without fear of judgment or failure.

“LDCP encourages us to explore and understand ourselves,” said Aaron. “Later, you can apply that understanding to improve your skill set.”
Although the course has grown to include team members from across the USMRDC, its roots remain at USAMMDA.

“This is an excellent program.” Judy Holian and I had been in a similar one-year leadership program and were eager to bring something similar back into the organization that would benefit civilian staff. Judy has put a lot of effort into establishing it and has achieved great success over the past five years.”
Riordan’s motto is ‘Get more skills, be yourself’.

Using lessons learned, tactics, techniques, and advice from key leaders, the program is likely to develop leaders for years to come, according to participants.