Lt. Gen. Daniel James visits Washington ANG Leadership Challenge Program

Photo By Master Sgt. Eugene Lewan | Former Director of the Air National Guard, Lt. Gen. Daniel James III with participants of the Leadership Challenge Program, Washington Air National Guard.  

SPOKANE, WA, UNITED STATES

07.27.2010

Story by Master Sgt. Eugene Lewan 

242 Combat Communications Squadron

Members of the Washington Air National Guard from the 141st Air Refueling Wing, the 242nd Combat Communications Squadron, and the 256th Combat Communications Squadron, recently participated in the Leadership Challenge Program 1 and Leadership Challenge Program 2. These programs were a cooperative effort between the National Guard Bureau and the SAF/AQ. Personnel from these units participated in the leadership development training which allowed the guardsman to use several personal assessment tools to identify leadership styles and personality types.

TSM Corporation provided this unique and insightful training. The TSM team consisted of three personnel; Carl V. Petty, a leadership and strategy expert, who is a former F-14 pilot with deployments in Bosnia and Iraq, Betsy Strines, a leadership development instructor, who has recently retired from the US Air Force as a Colonel with 25 years of service as an aircraft maintenance officer, and Angela Shank, a program manager for the Leadership Challenge Programs and recent graduate from Pennsylvania State University.

Preparation for these seminars began around early May with the completion of several, personal awareness assessments. Each participant, for level one, completed three self assessments, the first being the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, an assessment designed to measure different aspects of your personality.

Second, a Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior, which assesses the dimensions of interpersonal behavior.

Third, the Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, which helps reveal the preferred mode of handling conflict. The level two participants completed an additional assessment, the Campbell Leadership Index. This provided feedback about personal characteristics that relate to the demands of leadership by quantifying the perceptions of the individual and selected subordinates, peers, and supervisors.

Each two and half day course contained numerous proven assessment instruments to offer the participants a comprehensive look into themselves as leaders. Through the use of group discussion and assessment feedback the TSM team helped provide clarification in the areas of conflict resolution, decision making, motivational leadership, interpersonal behavior and generational influences on the diverse workforce of the Air National Guard.

All participants came away with something they could use in both their professional and personal life. Master Sgt. Renee Teston, first sergeant of the 242nd Combat Communications Squadron had this to say about Leadership Challenge 1:

“The Leadership Challenge Course was phenomenal! The two and a half day course was filled with interesting information. Not only did we gain insight into ourselves but also learned how and why others may behave the way that they do. This will go a long way towards building strong, effective teams to better enable us to do our mission. I would strongly encourage anyone that has the opportunity to attend this course in the future to take advantage of it. It will not only enhance your military career but also enable you to handle life in general in a more positive manner. “

A special highlight was a visit from former Director of the Air National Guard, retired Lt. Gen. Daniel James III. James spoke with candor to the attendees on the value of well trained and informed leadership corps and our responsibility to train those future leaders who will follow on with proud heritage of the Air National Guard.

• Date Taken: 07.27.2010
• Date Posted: 07.27.2010 18:24
• Story ID: 53510
• Location: SPOKANE, WA, US