At CCAD, we know our “Why.”

By Colonel Kyle M. Hogan, Corpus Christi Army Depot Commander

What is your purpose? Do you serve something higher than yourself?

Do your people know this?

Have you ever paused amidst the hustle and bustle of life to ask yourself, "What is my purpose?" This might seem like a profound question, and indeed it is, but its depth is precisely what makes it so essential. Our daily routines often push this thought into the background with their pressing demands and deadlines. However, occasionally, it surfaces, reminding us of the larger canvas of our existence.

A quick Google search on employee satisfaction will provide you with many areas to focus your talent development. One aspect remains at the top of the list: purpose.

Service to something greater than oneself is a universal theme that resonates across cultures, religions, and philosophies. Such service can manifest in myriad ways: dedicating oneself to a cause, committing to personal growth that benefits others, or simply through everyday acts of kindness.

There are countless stories of people who found renewed energy, passion, and dedication upon discovering their purpose and aligning it with a higher cause. These individuals often report greater satisfaction in their personal and professional lives and a deeper connection to the world around them.

At the Army’s premier aviation remanufacturing and overhaul facility, Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), we place purpose at the forefront of everything we do.

We aim to provide the warfighter with a quality product at half the cost and in half the time as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). You hear our purpose in the CCAD mission statement; it is part of our vision and encompassed in our acrostic I AM CCAD.

It starts with me; the acrostic begins with taking the initiative at the most basic level, the individual employee. There is no deflection, no excuses, and the reality that personal responsibility at the individual level is where success begins.

I am Accountable – our employees step up when they make mistakes, evident with our quality metric lower than the aerospace industry standard. We acknowledge that even one escape could be catastrophic, so we strive for zero in every work center.

I am Motivated – Our team is motivated to enable success for the warfighter. They know what they do is more significant than the individual and strive to focus on the future.

I am Capable – Our team can accomplish what the country asks of us. Our core mission is to repair rotor wing aircraft and components in an economically feasible manner that meets the requirements of our nation in a time of need. We are a critical enabling force for the defense industrial base, unmatched anywhere else.

I am Committed – Our team is committed, which is evident in those who work here. Three and four generations of families are committed to serving something more significant than self here at America’s Aviation Depot.

I am Adaptable – As technology evolves, so must our team. We adapt and change to meet the demand and often lead the change. “The way we have always done it” is the fastest way to irrelevancy, and our team is moving forward.

I am Dedicated – With the end state in mind, our team provides the best product on schedule, on time, and at or above the quality standard. We are dedicated to continuous improvement and ensuring we show up daily with a purpose.

With this continuous process improvement mindset, in compliance with Army regulations earlier this year, we created a block of training and instruction to connect our people with their purpose. The reception has improved morale, employee satisfaction, and increased retention. As of this writing, approximately 1/3 of the depot’s employees have participated in this volunteer program.

This began as a grassroots request, but after analyzing it, the deliberate decision was made to deepen the event and ensure this was not simply a helicopter “joyride.” Starting with the selection process, initial briefing, flight, and after-action review, every piece of this event is tied to purpose and training. In its entirety, the one-hour block includes about 20 minutes of actual time in the aircraft.

Two aspects drive this initiative,

1. Purpose

2. Quality assurance.

Purpose means knowing the work you do in our resource management work center is tied to the end state of what we produce and aircraft or a component of an aircraft. The human capital work center hires the artisans who work on these magnificent machines, and the Directorate of Internet Technology ensures our systems connect and move data to support our success working on these machines. The security teams, facility managers, engineers, and even the executive admins in the headquarters are tied to our end state.

One of the many stories about this effort comes from the machine shop, where an employee who works on one of the cabin beams could touch the beam in flight, feel the vibrations occurring in the aircraft, and know his work would last another 20 years.

The second aspect of this initiative is quality assurance. Ask one of our artisans, “Did you give your best?” For those direct-touch labor employees who spend countless hours working on parts, components, and the aircraft themselves, we ask, did you give your best? Although a series of safety checks and processes ensure all our items meet strict quality standards, we expect the warfighter to “trust us” when a part or an aircraft leaves the depot and goes to a unit. With all these processes and checks in place, it is still reassuring when a person is willing to “stand by their work” by flying on a depot aircraft.

The response across the workforce has been overwhelmingly positive. As we examine all our efforts, how does this initiative improve productivity, retention, and reduced quality escapes? As a data-driven business, even training events and actions are examined to determine their ability to provide value to the organization.

As difficult as it may be to measure, our end state is to demonstrate how connecting everyone to the end state creates shared responsibility and accountability across the depot. As a master aviator with over 2600 flight hours, I still appreciate that flying in a helicopter is a fantastic experience and sharing that joy with our employees also serves my purpose.

Colonel Kyle M. Hogan is the commander of the Corpus Christi Army Depot, Corpus Christi, Texas.