Garrison Leadership: Enlisting Others
Abstract
Command of a garrison requires a leader who understands it is unlike any other assignment. Writing for an earlier edition of the Journal of Installation Management (JIM), I offered a perspective to those officers about to assume garrison command and provided recommendations to help an incoming garrison leader make the most of the first 90 days in command (Allen, Journal of Installation Management online, Summer 2009). The key components of the leader transition were to prepare for command, to learn the command, and to establish a personal network of installation professionals. The new garrison commander (GC) prepares by internalizing the Installation Management Campaign Plan and other Installation Management Command (IMCOM) policies and strategies, while learning directly from those with garrison experience. This edition of the Journal includes articles from garrison commanders that discuss the many facets of leadership and workforce development that the typical garrison makes available to its community Soldiers, Civilians and Family members. The complexity of garrison operations is well established and there is the necessity to collaborate at multiple levels. But another, often overlooked, aspect of leadership development is the process by which the community receives and acculturates its new leader every two or three years. Therefore, upon assuming command, the garrison commander should develop strong relationships with the garrison staff and community members who are the constituents and key stakeholders, but also important mentors. One could say this is the paradox of leader and workforce development. In this case, the workforce contributes significantly to developing the leader.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA590625
Entities
People
- Charles Allen
Organizations
- United States Army War College