UofSC Darla Moore School of Business - Summer Internship Essay (December 11, 2016)

University of South Carolina

Background

It is impossible for me to write about my Summer Internship at the United States Adjutant General School (AGS) without discussing the events that led up to it.? In August 2015, there was a dark cloud lurking over my head and affecting my every thought.? This dark cloud was the Officer Selection Board (OSB).? This is one of the Army’s techniques for conducting a Reduction in Force (RIF) and the Department of Defense’s efforts to drawdown the Army from a strength of 566,000 to 450,000 soldiers by 2019 (See Appendix A).? The selection board convened for one week in September and reviewed thousands of officer records.? Board members assessed each eligible officer’s career in a matter of minutes.? In February, I received notification that the board did not select me to leave the Army.? ??

I actively pursued numerous companies during their information sessions and the career fair.? I interviewed with over 12 companies.? These companies included APEX, CH2M, Communication Management Inc., Cummins, Honeywell, Ingersol Rand, International Paper, Pepsi, Quintiles, Sonoco, Textron and UNISYS.? Although I tried to hide it, the recruiters could see that I had no desire to leave the military and it made no sense for the Army to off board me. ?My most notable interview was with Honeywell.? “Fantastic Friday” in Washington D.C. was an awesome event that included a tour of their headquarters, a social on Thursday, and an interview with three Honeywell VPs.? One interviewer asked me why an internship instead of a direct hire.? I said, “I would love to be a direct hire but an internship was required, as part of the MHR program and there were lots I could learn from an internship.”??? The second question interviewers asked the most was “Why are you leaving the Army?”? This question was very difficult and often left me wondering, “Why was I interviewing for an internship?” I had a career in which I fit and felt that I still had value to add.? ??

On April 1, I began my efforts to secure an internship with the Adjutant General School (AGS) on Fort Jackson.? On April 6, I interviewed with Mr. William C. Villnow, the Chief of Staff of the AGS and he was enthusiastic to have my services for the summer.? US Foods called that same morning but it was too late.? I had committed to serve were my career as an officer began.?

Organizational Analysis

The AGS is responsible for training all Human Resource Professionals in the U.S. Army.? Its departments include the Basic Officer Training Division (BOTD), the Advanced Officer Training Division (AOTD), Equal Opportunity Training Proponent (EO), Proponency/Leader Development Division (PLDD) and the Senior Leader Training Division (SLTD).? The BOTD trains the Army’s newest HR Officers (Basic Officer Leaders Course) and Warrant Officers (Warrant Officer Basic Course).? The AOTD trains mid-career HR Officers in the Captain’s Career Course, Reserve Captain’s Career Course, Warrant Officer Advance Course and the Reserve Warrant Officer Advance Course.? The EO Training Proponent develops EO training and doctrine material for the United States Army.? The SLTD conducts the Pre-Command Course, the Human Resource Management Qualification Course (Civilians), the Brigade S-1 Operations Course and the HR Plans and Operations Course.

?In addition to the divisions mentioned above, the AGS maintains the Adjutant General’s Corps Regimental Association (AGCRA) and an Integrated Personnel Pay System – Automated (IPPS-A) department.?? The AGCRA is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for the Army’s Human Resources community.? The AGCRA was established in 1987 to preserve the heritage of the Adjutant General Corps and serves to sponsor new HR methods, provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and information, promotes Esprit de Corps through the sale of AG (HR) related merchandise and publication of the AGCRA’s magazine, 1775 (see Appendix B).? The IPPS-A department consists of Booz-Allen Contractors, who are primarily Retired Army HR Officers, and two current Army Active Duty HR Officers.? The contractors and HR Officers conduct Fit/Gap Analysis and establish User Role Responsibilities for IPPS-A, which is to be the Army’s new HR System.? IPPS-A will consolidate some Finance and HR processes and abolish over 10 legacy HR Systems.??? IPPS-A replaced DIMHRS, which was the Department of Defense’s attempt to create a universal HR system across all branches of service.? DIMHRS was a 10-year investment that cost $850 million.? Leaders scrapped it because of numerous delays and technical problems.? The divisions above, in partnership with the senior leadership of the AGS, train thousands of Army HR Professionals each year, and ensure they possess the skills necessary to support military organizations in accomplishing their strategic goals.

Internship Description

My responsibilities during this internship were to assist the Chief of Staff of the AGS in whatever tasks and projects he assigned me.? My three major projects were the Adjutant General Hall of Fame (HOF) and Distinguished Members of the Regiment Ceremony (DMOR), the Data Management of the HR Master Task List, which was an IPPS-A project, and the creation of a HOF/DMOR Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).? I completed many minor assignments but will only highlight three.? The first one included reviewing the Commandant’s remarks for the AG Ball to guarantee he recognized all VIPs.? The second one included out-processing the old commandant, Colonel Jack Usrey, from Fort Jackson, which ensured his successful relocation to the Pentagon.? The last one included answering the phone, fielding questions, and taking messages for any of the C-Suite leadership (Commandant, Deputy Commandant, or Sergeant Major).?

The week of June 3 was AG Regimental Week, which is a very stressful time at the AGS.? This is a weeklong celebration of the AG Corps, with the HOF/DMOR Ceremony and AG Ball being the culminating events.? The Chief of Staff (CoS) really stresses this ceremony and expects it to go flawlessly because of its high visibility and nature.? This year’s event included seven HOF Inductees and 14 DMOR Inductees.? These inductees are HR professionals who have made positive, lasting and significant contributions to the Army’s HR Corps.? There are at least 36 key tasks associated with the preparation and execution of this event.? I will explain three of the many, which were my sole responsibility.? The first was the dreaded seating chart (see Appendix C).? It was always a headache for the CoS because it is constantly changing and must be right to create a tranquil atmosphere during the ceremony.? Most senior leaders are peculiar about their seat location and associate this location with their stature in the HR Corps.? Each seat had a label and twelve ushers affixed these labels the morning of the ceremony.? My duty was to make this task as simple for the ushers as possible.? I gave each label, 124 of them, an alpha/numeric number, which made the labeling go very efficiently.? I divided the auditorium into three sections, the rows alphabetically and the seats numerically.? I briefed the ushers at 5:30 a.m. the morning of the ceremony about how to execute the task, said a personal prayer, and continued with other aspects of the ceremony.? I prayed the number I wrote on the label and my instructions were as clear to them as it was to me.? Mr. Villnow, the CoS and my supervisor, was on edge this morning and had less patience than usual.? He walked each isle and ensured no label was out of place.? To add to the stress, he thought I had lost a PA system, which the AGS Supply Officer had mistakenly moved.? I managed to keep him calm by assuring I would locate it.? ?This PA system was for use in the Hall of Honor portion of the event (see Appendix D).? Despite all the things that could have went wrong, the event was a success and I was “coined” by the Commandant for my hard work.? “Coined” is a term used in the Army to describe an action were a senior leader presents someone a coin in recognition of a job well done.? The recipient receives the coin in the form of a handshake, either formally in a ceremony or informally just between the two individuals (see Appendix E).?

The HR Task List was my second major task and one that consumed a majority of my time as an intern.? Mr. Villnow paired me with Mr. Christopher Nichols, a retired HR Lieutenant Colonel and Booz Allen Hamilton Contractor, for this task.? The IPPS-A team and the AGS requested that major organizations complete the HR Master Task List Survey.?? The intent was to include and automate as many of these tasks into in the Integrated Personnel Pay System.? Twenty-five major army commands completed the HR Master Task List Survey. This survey contained 36 major tasks and 589 minor tasks.? My duty was to organize the data in a manner, that the IPPS-A team could submit to the Department of the Army.? Correlation, Regression, Causation, and Associations inundated my mind but Mr. Nichols only wanted the data consolidated with graphs.? A majority of the feelings and thoughts about the HR Task List were not pleasant ones.? Army units were reluctant to participate and almost all of them missed the suspense for submitting the data.? Mr. Villnow even told me that I did not want to know what most of them thought about the task list.? Despite these feelings, I completed my task and Mr. Nichols was more than satisfied (see Appendix F).

Summary Assessment

My internship was a success.? I began my internship with some reservations.? I had never executed such a prestigious ceremony, like the HOF/DMOR Ceremony, nor did I really know anything about IPPS-A.? Self-efficacy was a term I came to understand in Professor McFarland’s and Professor Nyberg’s classes. I understood that I often failed to give myself credit for my knowledge, skills, abilities, experiences, and leadership skills.? My parents, who were high school dropouts, and were never married, failed to develop a confident and courageous child but the Army did.? The Army developed the leader in me and my first year in MHR Program made me realize that I still lacked self-efficacy. The MHR Program aided me in overcoming my fears of failing and enabled me to be successful in my internship.? ?

??????????? Throughout my interactions with Mr. Villnow he told me that being diplomatic is necessary to surviving any organization without undue stress.? I consider myself a change agent and often favor revolutionary change over evolutionary change.? I have now accepted that I must attempt to be more diplomatic.? This could alleviate the unnecessary amounts of stress I place on myself, my family and my coworkers.? Opportunities at my internship allowed me to delegate tasks, supervise and follow up accordingly.? I also finally realized that superior officers are human beings.? They may be more knowledgeable and more experience but I am competent enough to carry on intelligent conversations with them.? Mr. Villnow and other senior members of the AGS welcomed me and immediately got me engaged in events critical to the success of their organization.

Performance Assessment

I faced one professional and a couple of personal challenges during my internship.? The first challenge was one that I foresaw before my interview and discussed it with Mr. Villnow during my interview.? Leaders in the military love to task and they will over task you if it benefits them.? I asked Mr. Villnow who I would report to and he said I would report directly to him.? He asked why I was concerned and I told him that I did not desire for everyone to drop their unwanted responsibilities on me.? I wanted the officers and civilians of the AGS to understand why I was there and who was supervising me.? I knew I would have to answer to Mr. Villnow for failing to accomplish any tasks he gave me.? In the second week, the Director of Training (DOT), a Lieutenant Colonel, two pay grades above me, started giving me tasks through email.? I felt like he was bypassing Mr. Villnow.? I addressed this with Mr. Villnow but he seemed nonchalant about it.? The DOT kept tasking me and his tasks conflicted with Mr. Villnow’s tasks.? I needed my tasks prioritized and eventually told the DOT that Mr. Villnow must approve all tasks he gives me.? I had a discussion with the DOT and told him that I was not trying to be disrespectful but I was there for an internship.? I had to answer to Mr. Villnow.? The DOT accepted that and everything was fine after that.?

The personal challenges I faced were both mental and physical.? The temporariness somewhat took its toll on me.? The past year at USC and my three months at the AGS left me longing for a more semi-permanent position like I had been in for the last 15 plus years.? The completion of my Master’s Degree and my Internship are part of my lifelong learning but it has been difficult overcoming the feeling of my military career being stagnant during this time.? I often felt myself wanting to give more advice than an intern should give.? I had to make a conscious effort to keep my ideas and opinions to myself.? I listened to numerous complaints about the Deputy Commandant and most complaints addressed his unwillingness to change.? I Change is inevitable but change does not come easily for some people.? I did my best to motivate the other members of the AGS Staff and not get engage in gossip.?

??????????? My physical challenge was two-fold.? First, approximately three weeks before my internship ended I injured both ankles and could hardly walk.? This injury required numerous visits to my Primary Care Provider, Orthopedics and Physical Therapy.? My providers placed my right leg in an air cast and put me on crutches.? I had served 15 years without being seriously injured and now I was hobbling into the AGS on crutches.? I was not ridiculed but it was wearing having to explain what happened to me, repeatedly.? Mr. Villnow was very understanding and held no ill will toward my absences for appointments.? He had experienced a similar injury during his last year of active duty.? Second, I believe my temporariness and lack of making my work area more permanent resulted in aches and pains in my elbows.? I attribute this to poor ergonomics.? I normally utilize an ergonomic keyboard to lessen the strain placed on my wrists and elbows.? I wish I had made better choices.? A trip to Staples and $60 out of my pocket for an ergonomic keyboard and mousepad made me feel more at home and on my way to recovery.?

Learning Assessment? ???????

??????????? The major thing I learned during my internship is the need to be more diplomatic.? This word had never really been in my vernacular.? I perform and I have always felt that my performance will get me promoted and placed in positions of higher responsibility. ?My performance has gotten me where I am at today.? I now realize that my career journey could have been a little easier.? Mr. Villnow said everything goes smoother when you are more diplomatic.? This discussion about diplomacy did not arise from any incident during my internship but came out during sessions where we discussed our past HR war stories.? I now have a better understanding of the fact that diplomacy makes revolutionary and evolutionary change within an organization less hostile and stressful.? I do intend to continue to self-reflect on my past leadership engagements and experiences, ensuring I attempt to be more diplomatic in the future.? Of course, the immorality, illegality, and unethicalness of the situation will determine that.

Strengths and Weaknesses

??????????? I now understand the saying, “Be a business professional with a focus in HR.”? I understand that my HR strategy must be in line with the strategy of the business.? Senior Army HR Professionals say, “Think like an HR Operator.” I understand that the actions of my HR Department must add value to the organization, my customers and society as a whole.? HR 4.0!? I do not have to be a “yes man” but I should make an honest attempt to assist my business partners in the accomplishment of their objectives.? I can do this by ensuring they understand how human capital affects the organization and adds value.? Great things happen when the HR Strategy is in line with the business strategy.?

??????????? There are many competencies I must continue to develop if I intend to be a leader within any HR function of an organization.? I must understand business acumen and know what makes the organization profitable.? I must know business operations and understand the responsibilities of other departments as well as HR.? This will be indicative of my respect for other roles in the organization and portray the idea that HR is on the same team.? I must embrace the challenges presented to HR.? I must understand that every HR action and vision must add value to the organization, meet the expectations of customers inside and outside, and maintain the integrity of the globalized world.?

Professional Reflection

In the words of the authors of HR from the Outside in, HR professionals must be capability builders, change champions, credible activists, strategic positioners, HR innovators/integrators and technology proponents.? These things will make me successful in all other functions of HR.? HR professionals will only have credibility when they truly know the organization, know business acumen, and incorporate HR into making the business successful.? In doing this, HR professionals must monitor the outside world for developing trends and get ahead of how these global trends will affect our organizations.? Mr. Villnow’s and Mr. Nichols knowledge of the AGS and the Army was impeccable and it far surpassed mine.? They truly understand the role of HR and how it makes the organization and the commander (CEO) successful.? It was apparent in almost every conversation I had with them and changed my perspective about my responsibilities as an HR professional.

The top three challenges I think HR professionals will face in the next 5-10 years are the expansion of the multi-generational workforce, increased desire for HR analytics, and ever changing employment law.? Change champion, capability builder, strategic positioner and technology proponent are all critical competencies that will aid in meeting these challenges.?? ?

Looking Ahead

??????????? I would love to be an Assistant Professor of Military Science for ROTC at major university or a Recruiting Company Commander.? The Army classifies these positions as broadening assignments and these positions will place me in uncomfortable situations.? These situations will allow me to grow personally and professionally.? These situations will call for diplomacy, the ability to coordinate, the development of future networks and the need to call on individuals from my current network.? These positions will also give me the platform in which to lead, motivate, encourage, and develop others.? All things I take pride in and enjoy doing.?

??????????? My 5-10-year vision is to continue my development as a leader and HR professional, both in the military and civilian arenas.? In about 8 years, I foresee myself retiring as a Major from the Army and entering the civilian HR workforce.? My longing to work and desire to be a part of something bigger than myself will aid me in getting there.?

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