Photo By 94th Airlift Wing | U.S. Army Col. Kristin Baker, center, Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe,...... read more read more
An unusually quiet, 24-year-old train at RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom runs for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The historic train, metaphorically the day-to-day operations, keeps pushing forward on equally old, corroded tracks that guide U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Department of Defense and civilian personnel, as they work tirelessly to provide the fuel needed to keep it going.
Just as a train needs fuel, the tracks and various parts to operate, there needs to be someone to control the machine.
Together, U.S. Army Col. Kristin Baker, Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe, Analytic Center commander, Department of Defense civilian Carla MacMullen, JIOCEUR Analytic Center deputy, and U.S. Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Shannon Shropshire, JIOCEUR Analytic Center senior enlisted leader, collectively and cohesively engineer the locomotive operations of the four joint services, civilians, DoD personnel and their dependents.
While guiding any large force is no easy task, they make sure they are there to help keep it on track, relying on their past experiences to lead the way.
Baker, who said she initially attended West Point, N.Y. to prove to her father, a retired U.S. Army colonel, that she could graduate his alma mater, graduated as the school’s first female captain, the academy’s highest honor. As the school’s first female cadet commander, she led an entire brigade of 4,400 cadets.
Her plan was to serve her five-year commitment, then separate and return to her hometown of Dickinson, N.D., but after entering the school, she had a change of heart.
“West Point has such a rich and proud tradition, it’s overwhelming and makes you proud, it makes you want to serve,” she said. “I remember while I was there I saw a female colonel, and seeing that was so rare, they were like unicorns at that time. I thought to myself, ‘that’s what I want to do.’”
After graduating West Point with her name written down in history, Baker progressed through her career the same as any other 2nd Lt. – starting at the bottom and working her way up.
The only setbacks in her early career, Baker said, were her own self-doubts. Letting go of those doubts, she relied more on her determination and pressed forward.
Now, as the lead locomotive engineer of the JIOCEUR Analytic Center’s operations, Baker modestly suggests her accomplishments weren’t because she was a female overcoming a challenge, but a military officer doing her job.
“It doesn’t matter whether a person is a male or a female,” she said. “I think it’s about the same how well we all adapt and handle stress. We are all military personnel in uniform. It’s about each person’s individual personality.”
While Baker overcame historical challenges in her career, Shropshire, on the other hand, overcame personal challenges.
Shropshire initially enlisted into the U.S. Army National Guard from Laconia, N.H., to pay for college. After nearly three years, she decided to make her enlistment a career and crossed into U.S. Navy active duty to travel the world.
After she enlisted into active duty, Shropshire instantly knew she wanted to make it to the rank of master chief petty officer.
“My first enlistment in the Navy, I saw a female master chief. It was a rare sight at the time to see a female in the high enlisted ranks and I said to myself, ‘that’s my goal,’” she said.
She completed her degree and sped through the ranks, marrying and raising two boys in the process.
Fast forward to today, Shropshire reflects on her early years.
“I admit, early in my career, I felt like I had to work harder and prove I was on equal standing with the men I worked with. I was so mission-oriented that I don’t think I was very good at taking care of home,” she said, as she compared her life to exercising. “My first eight years, I constantly worked out my body (my job) so vigorously while at the same time engaging my core (my home life). After a while, my body became strong, and then my core became so strong that I finally got it together and became tough enough to balance both.”
As Shropshire overcame her challenges, she said she has since relied on her own moral compass to help steer her in the right direction.
“I don’t try to be another person anymore,” she said. “I don’t feel the need to be on equal ground with my male coworkers. I try to stay on my own path.”
Carrying her learned experiences with her as she leads the JIOCEUR Analytic Center enlisted personnel, less than eight months in, she welcomes her first-time experience of an all-female command.
“I’ve waited 20 years to have counterparts to share ideas and leadership strengths and weaknesses with. As much as I grow professionally, this helps me grow personally,” she said. “I wouldn’t have felt comfortable sharing my personal thoughts it if hadn’t been for the talks I have had with the two women I work with.”
In contrast to Shropshire’s take on an all-female leadership, MacMullen was a bit apprehensive.
“When I found out about this assignment and heard my boss would be a female, I was slightly concerned,” she said. “I was afraid of the ‘queen bee syndrome.’”
According to MacMullen, the “queen bee syndrome” is an analogy to describe the idea that there can only be one queen bee in the hive, and to legitimize her position, she will “crush” other females.
It was something the Allentown, Pa. native witnessed throughout her 27-year DoD career.
As MacMullen began to progress in position, she said she noticed females trying to fit in with their male counterparts. While they weren’t being true to who they were, they were also failing as leaders in the process.
“I saw women who were bad managers and I didn’t like that,” she said. “I decided I didn’t want to be like them. I march to my own drum while following my career path. I stay true to myself, make sure I do help others and I make it work.”
Those examples of leadership, said MacMullen, were the reasons she wanted to be a leader - to make a change and be the opposite of what she saw.
As she now helps to lead the JIOCEUR Analytic Center, she said her main concern is to give all personnel the tools they need to succeed.
Also sharing that same concern, the three women in command make sure they work together in putting their diverse experiences to use and putting the people first.
“As long as everyone has mutual respect, it will all work out,” said Baker. “I need Carla’s experience on issues, and I need Master Chief’s creative ways for dealing with enlisted issues. To recognize the strengths and weaknesses, and bring out the differences in those experiences each of us brings forward, is what this relationship is all about.”
As she helps steer an operational train at full throttle, while also fueling the needs of a joint environment, Shropshire now faces a different challenge.
“At my rank, leadership is inherent, but keeping up with four services’ senior noncommissioned officers to move in the same direction is a challenge. My day starts normally and typically becomes untypical very quickly, it’s kind of fun,” joked Shropshire. “I don’t know what to expect. Everyday a challenge welcomes me. The joint environment is sharpening my tools and I’m still learning.”
Although the joint environment may be challenging, Baker admits she enjoys the pace as well.
“There are definitely challenges, but we have such a talented workforce, it’s been an incredible ride,” she said. “We have completely revised from a slow-paced to a fast-paced operational base. I look forward to coming to work because you never know what’s going to happen. We all have a ‘get it done’ mentality.”
As Baker commends the personnel for their hard work, she reflects on her “incredible ride” at the JIOCEUR Analytic Center, as she begins the process of packing up and leading at another station.
“The most rewarding thing about this assignment has been the people,” she said. “The people here are so motivated that this has probably been the best assignment I have ever had.”
While their concerns may be toward the personnel they directly lead, they also want to send a message to future women in power everywhere.
MacMullen’s concerns were geared toward those females who may try to lead by fitting in with their male counterparts.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” she said. “Do not rule yourself out and make sure to always be true to yourself. Don’t pretend to be someone you are not.”
Shropshire, on the other hand, focused more on the impact of today’s culture.
“I am afraid that because of social media, females will enter the military and care what others think and try to act based on what they think others will like, instead of being themselves,” she said. “I challenge them to not look at that as an option, but as a challenge. Don’t try to be tough if that’s not your style. Follow your moral compass. If you are not positioning yourself at north, you’ll never know what direction you’re going.”
As the three leaders continue to follow their own moral compasses, they use them to help guide the joint military and civilian force on the tracks to success, while leading the way to make sure everyone continues to be equal in America’s military.
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.01.2016 11:03 |
| Story ID: | 194094 |
| Location: | RAF MOLESWORTH, ENG, GB |
| Hometown: | ALLENTOWN, PA, US |
| Hometown: | DICKINSON, ND, US |
| Hometown: | LACONIA, NH, US |
| Web Views: | 2,706 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Total command: Honoring women in power, by TSgt Ashley Tyler, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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