QUANTICO, Va. -- The Office of Special Investigations develops its exceptional force in various ways. The latest is via the inaugural Unit Management Workshop, Feb. 10-12, 2020, designed to equip new leadership teams with the tools to run their field units.
Following an OSI headquarters mission orientation briefing at the Russell-Knox Building here, the new field leaders were immersed in the workshop where they got a taste of issues addressing: civilian, enlisted, officer and IMA personnel management programs; resource management; readiness; the Inspector General; and resiliency.
The impetus behind the first UMW was OSI Command Chief Master Sgt. Karen F. Beirne-Flint, who experienced first-hand the need for this specific information sharing during her career.
“Over the course of my 16 years with OSI, I identified a gap in preparing our detachment leadership teams for the vital job of running a unit,” she said. “As a young field leader, and then as a Region Superintendent, I struggled with trying to figure out how to run personnel programs, secure a budget, work through the deployment process, deal with facility issues, etc. It was trial by fire…always working to catch up and figure out what I didn’t know.”
Event organizers focused on the Command Chief’s priorities and requests from the field to formulate the curriculum for the workshop.
“After narrowing down the topics, we coordinated with the subject matter experts,” said event organizer Capt. Shaina Holler, Commander Military Personnel Flight, OSI Field Support Squadron. “We wanted to steer away from death by power point.”
Instead, attendees were provided with real world scenarios they may face back at their units.
“Our amazing field leaders spend a lot of time just trying to figure stuff out. With all of the things we need them spending energy on, we don’t need them stressing out over this. Not when we have the answers,” the Command Chief said. “We do an amazing job at preparing them to lead, educate them on managing operations, but have never provided the tools to actually manage the unit.”
Until now.
The UMW focuses on those vital management programs OSI field leaders need to know, without having to figure them out on their own. They will now show up to their new units with an understanding of the programs, exposure to OSI HQ perspective, and most importantly, who to call when they have questions.
“Bottom line, they will be better prepared to lead OSI Airmen and get the OSI mission done,” the Command Chief said.
It all comes back full circle to the big picture of OSI’s Strategic Plan…the Unit Management Workshop is a prime example of OSI’s Line of Effort 1 – Develop an Exceptional Force.