After only 23 days on the job, Air Force Brig. Gen. Albert G. Miller, the Defense Logistics Agency Energy Commander, gathered employees for an All Hands at the McNamara Headquarters Complex, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Oct. 2.
Miller took the opportunity to outline his expectations to the more than 1,000 member DLA Energy workforce spread across headquarters and four geographic regions in the Middle East, Europe & Africa, Pacific and Americas. He said his number one priority is the warfighter.
“We’re looking forward to being predictive of the warfighter’s needs and how to support the dynamic force employment as called for in the National Military Strategy,” said Miller. “Collaboration is essential for success.”
Miller’s second expectation is an open dialogue and the need to communicate issues and risks up the chain of command.
“Leaders work for their subordinates,” he said. “Share your goals with your supervisors so they know how to support you and help you succeed.”
Maintaining balance is another tenant of Miller’s leadership style.
“We may ask you to lean in for a short duration, but we can’t have everybody sprinting through a marathon,” Miller said. “You have to maintain that balance and not run out of gas.”
Miller shared two of his pet peeves. First, he said he expects people to respect one another.
“My expectation is to have an environment where we respect everyone’s dignity,” he said.
His second pet peeve is problem admiration – a roadblock to decision-making.
“Data wins every argument every time,” he said. “Once we have enough data, we will make a decision and move out and on to the next issue.”
During the All Hands, Miller recognized 11 DLA Energy employees who received the Superior Civilian Service Award. They include; Tracy Keenan, Jessica Moore, Amy Yamato, William McCarver, Dustin Wilkerson, Michael Wilson, Christopher Ricketson, Stephanie Lehman, Rey Venus, William Davenport and Consondra Christopher-Davis.
Two employees received the honor of being selected for Employee of the Quarter for their performances during the third quarter of fiscal year 2018. Patrick Draper, a customer account specialist from DLA Energy Middle East, earned the WG/WL/GS 7-12 category and Chanceley Meadows, a contract specialist, earned distinction in the GS 13-15 category.
DLA Energy Pacific at Guam Deputy Director Victor Madaris was recognized for his 40 years of service.
Miller ended the All Hands by highlighting DLA Energy accomplishments from 2018, including the recent response to Hurricane Florence, and emphasized upcoming events including the 2018 DLA Energy Hall of Fame, the Joint Petroleum Seminar in January 2019 and the Worldwide Energy Conference scheduled for May 2019.