Introduction
Even as a young lady,
the skill of leadership has come with an instinctive nature. I learned very
young that confidence, empathy, and an ability to listen created a desire to be
followed. Serving in student councils and city youth organizations since I was
thirteen offered a structured outlet for my natural capabilities and cultivated
my leadership growth. Today, I have spent over ten years providing government
service in both the military and defense contracting.
My four-year service to the military provided me discipline, persistence, and a work ethic I may have never otherwise discovered. These traits, invaluable to business administration, fostered a passion improving the process of managing people, methods, and the “big picture” of an organizational mission. The Air Force gave me courage to overcome both personal and professional challenges as well as allowed me to reach educational goals. With a wealth of admiration and respect for our service men and women, I have since dedicated the years following my separation to supporting the military through defense contracting.
Two definitive aspects have led to my success as a government contractor: operational skillsets and high managerial competence. With an elevated aptitude for operational military aviation, I transitioned to the contracting world with ease. Here, I supported the Remote Piloted Aircraft (RPA) with aircrew training administration and a vast understanding of process management. I led two initiatives in which I greatly improved efficiency of aircrew training. My managerial experience brought much-needed organization and process management to undeveloped and inconsistent systems. Efforts included restructuring departments and aligning tasks to streamline individual duties. Eliminating duplicated work provided higher rates of effective training, reduction of hours worked, and less stress on contractors and military customers alike.
Today I support the military by writing government proposals for contracted work. The online MBA program at Southwestern College was attractive because it promised enhanced skill development and an opportunity to study project management, an expertise necessary for my current responsibilities. Through this program I looked forward to broadening my understanding of global business operations, associated financial aspects, and strategic analysis. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I had a desire to expand my leadership growth which I have found is a foundation to organizational success at every level.
While each of my anticipated learning goals was met, the education I gained from my MBA at Southwestern College stretched far beyond my limited expectations. Here, I acquired a greater understanding of the dynamic activities required for operational business success. The first of these was found in the human factor of an organization. I have found that people trigger thousands of variables in business caused by characteristics ranging from emotional, personal, education, familial, promotional, and capable attributes. Managing such variables takes empathy and practice not always found in a textbook. The second dynamic activity for which I gained a greater understanding was the varied processes within the internal organization. I learned that each department, level, and corporation may employ different systematic methods for accomplishing work. Broken processes, bottle necks, and inefficient activities must be corrected to prevent deterioration to production. Organizational culture adds an additional level of complexity to human and process management. As the heart of the business, culture pumps attitude, mindset, and motivation throughout the organization. The final dynamic I have found intriguing is the external competitive forces that business are challenged to overcome. I have discovered that corporations must balance its competitors, suppliers, and partners with a sound internal organization.
My four-year service to the military provided me discipline, persistence, and a work ethic I may have never otherwise discovered. These traits, invaluable to business administration, fostered a passion improving the process of managing people, methods, and the “big picture” of an organizational mission. The Air Force gave me courage to overcome both personal and professional challenges as well as allowed me to reach educational goals. With a wealth of admiration and respect for our service men and women, I have since dedicated the years following my separation to supporting the military through defense contracting.
Two definitive aspects have led to my success as a government contractor: operational skillsets and high managerial competence. With an elevated aptitude for operational military aviation, I transitioned to the contracting world with ease. Here, I supported the Remote Piloted Aircraft (RPA) with aircrew training administration and a vast understanding of process management. I led two initiatives in which I greatly improved efficiency of aircrew training. My managerial experience brought much-needed organization and process management to undeveloped and inconsistent systems. Efforts included restructuring departments and aligning tasks to streamline individual duties. Eliminating duplicated work provided higher rates of effective training, reduction of hours worked, and less stress on contractors and military customers alike.
Today I support the military by writing government proposals for contracted work. The online MBA program at Southwestern College was attractive because it promised enhanced skill development and an opportunity to study project management, an expertise necessary for my current responsibilities. Through this program I looked forward to broadening my understanding of global business operations, associated financial aspects, and strategic analysis. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I had a desire to expand my leadership growth which I have found is a foundation to organizational success at every level.
While each of my anticipated learning goals was met, the education I gained from my MBA at Southwestern College stretched far beyond my limited expectations. Here, I acquired a greater understanding of the dynamic activities required for operational business success. The first of these was found in the human factor of an organization. I have found that people trigger thousands of variables in business caused by characteristics ranging from emotional, personal, education, familial, promotional, and capable attributes. Managing such variables takes empathy and practice not always found in a textbook. The second dynamic activity for which I gained a greater understanding was the varied processes within the internal organization. I learned that each department, level, and corporation may employ different systematic methods for accomplishing work. Broken processes, bottle necks, and inefficient activities must be corrected to prevent deterioration to production. Organizational culture adds an additional level of complexity to human and process management. As the heart of the business, culture pumps attitude, mindset, and motivation throughout the organization. The final dynamic I have found intriguing is the external competitive forces that business are challenged to overcome. I have discovered that corporations must balance its competitors, suppliers, and partners with a sound internal organization.