Photo By Matthew Montgomery | Sharon Philo, Defense Contract Management Agency general counsel, recently retired...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT LEE, Va. — Sharron Philo, Defense Contract Management Agency general counsel, was honored today during a retirement ceremony culminating 32 years of government service. She has served the contracting community for the duration of her career — seven years as a member of the Senior Executive Service.
Following today’s ceremony, Philo will be on terminal leave until early April when she officially retires from government service. She took some time prior to leaving to share her experiences, leadership style and expectations for the agency.
Q. What path led you to government service and DCMA?
A. In law school, I studied criminal law and loved it. I worked in the public defender’s office and with a couple law firms. After my second year of law school, I got a job working for a firm near where I grew up in Michigan that dealt with criminal defense and divorce. I worked there during breaks from school and summers. The firm offered me a full-time position pending my passing the bar exam. My mom worked for the U.S. Postal Service so I was also being encouraged to apply for jobs with the federal government. I got offered my first government job working in Battle Creek, Michigan, and I was really torn as to what path I should take. Luckily, one of the partners in the law firm told me it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I should go with the federal government. He said I could always come back to the firm if I didn’t like it. It worked out well for me and I’ve been with the government ever since.
In regards to DCMA, I’ve seen the agency evolve since its inception. I started my career with the Defense Logistics Agency, when DCMA was part of DLA, and I served in various capacities. When they split off, I went with DCMA as the counsel to special programs. Before that, when it used to be the Defense Contract Management Command, I was the chief counsel to the Asia Pacific region when the overseas mission transferred to DCMA from the military services.
Q. How has the government changed the way it does business to better support the warfighter?
We’ve become more business-oriented and performance-based in terms of looking at what we do. There are always plenty of things you can find to work on, but we’ve gotten better at asking the question, “What is the value I’m contributing back to the taxpayer? And, what am I working on that is the highest priority and returns the most value?” I think we’ve done a good job identifying those areas where we were getting wrapped up in the paperwork and focused our attention back to the work that really affects not only the taxpayer’s, but also the contractor’s, bottom line. I really like the fact that we’re focused and performance-based in how we approach things.
Q. With all the areas GC covers, how important is your team?
Extremely important. My highest priority has always been hiring the most talented, best-qualified people that I can bring into the agency. I consider this the most important part of my job and make sure I spend as much time as necessary ensuring we have the right people. It not only impacts General Counsel’s ability to get the work done, but it also makes a huge difference for the client. A key part of what makes a good lawyer these days is being integrated into the business operations. You have to understand where the agency is going, whether it’s with their quality assurance program or new technology initiatives, you have to be read-in and able to provide the very best advice. In order to do this, you have to know the priorities and organization vision so you can best support it. You also need to be involved in the decision-making process. I think we’ve always operated as one large law firm; in fact it’s been in our briefings for years. For this reason, I’m fully behind and support the director’s “one team, one voice” vision for the agency. I think we’re at our strongest when we have that type of cohesion. I also like that the general promotes and encourages getting input from all levels of the organization — down to the factory floor. Everybody has to be able to see how it all fits together and how they can add value to the agency.
Q. What are the challenges of managing a team of lawyers spread around the world?
Keeping everyone informed so that when they are giving advice they also understand the context — especially at the field activities. Because the information doesn’t always flow out like it should, sometimes they only get a sound bite of the information and not the full picture. To overcome this, we’ve implemented a number of communication activities to ensure we’re speaking as one voice. We have ‘all-counsels’ calls with region, contract management office and center attorneys; quarterly X-team meetings; webinars and other informal methods to make sure everybody has a similar base of knowledge and know where the hot issues are so they can react accordingly. If a legal issue comes up at one CMO, then chances are it’s coming up at multiple CMOs. For this reason, we have to be able to communicate across the organization in GC. I think we do a really good job of this, but there’s always room for improvement when it comes to communication.
Q. Can you describe your leadership style and philosophy?
It’s a number of things really.
- Above all else, be honest. Sometimes it’s difficult for people to be honest, especially if it’s not what people want to hear. I had a great general counsel mentor at DLA that talked about absolute honesty — the idea of not withholding information that might sway an opinion. It really resonated with me because it deals with integrity. Some people can omit facts or data that don’t support their opinion and be completely okay with their actions. I’m more of a “put it all out there” person — give the good, the bad, and then assess it, talk it through and come up with the best solution. When you think about it, being a lawyer is pretty much problem solving — you’re either solving problems you already have, or you’re trying to anticipate and plan to avoid legal disputes or claims. In order to do this effectively, you have to be absolutely honest. Also, we manage the ethics and fraud programs for the agency, so we have to set the standard.
- From a management and leadership standpoint, I encourage people to stretch themselves outside of their comfort zone. This allows them to show they can perform at the next highest level. That’s why I like to see people get engaged — volunteering for new initiatives and opportunities to help shape the agency. These and other volunteer opportunities are great ways for employees to showcase their talents and pick up new skills at the same time.
- Next is mentorship. I think everyone needs a good mentor, or at least a strong supporter — somebody that can help them through the rough days, but that can also be their cheerleader as they succeed. It’s also important to set goals. Not only for the organization, but for yourself as well. There is something about writing down your goals and talking them through that makes them more ingrained.
- Strive for excellence. I really like what the director said, “Words matter.” They do — especially in legal documents.
- Work hard and always be willing to go the extra mile — people notice. In GC, I’d like to believe our clients know they can count on us.
- Last, I think it’s important to do something every day that you can feel good about. This can be as simple as taking an exercise class or completing a goal.
I started my career in the field working where the rubber meets the road. When I’m writing a policy, I’m always thinking how it’s going to come across at that level. The majority of the workforce is not here at the headquarters, and we exist to support them and make their job easier. We have to always keep that in mind.
Q. What are you going to miss the most about working for DCMA?
The work is never dull; the issues are extremely complex and challenging. I’ve never been bored because we are truly at the forefront in helping to develop the department’s acquisition policies, especially on the administration side, but we’re even starting to work on commercial item acquisition and cost/price issues that come in on the front-end. In the future, the team here will be focused on working with the buying commands’ legal offices and the program offices to take some of our lessons learned and incorporate those up-front into the new procurements to avoid problems later in the process. I’m excited about this and can’t wait to see how it works and evolves.
| Date Taken: | 02.02.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.02.2015 15:31 |
| Story ID: | 153308 |
| Location: | FORT LEE, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 263 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, General counsel reflects on service, by Matthew Montgomery, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT