KY Logistic & Distribution CIO Organization Assignment

Leadership Philosophy

My philosophy is basic…provide the highest quality service possible to every person you encounter. We

are a value based, customer service organization and we need to have a patient-centered approach to

everything we do. We are caring for America’s heroes; both past and present. When we care for their

Family members, we are also caring for heroes, for they are the ones that are supporting the service

member and they are key players in our military team, which serves this nation. Every one of these

heroes that walks through our doors should feel like a VIP. What each one of us does on a daily basis

matters, regardless of our job. We all contribute to the mission. No one job is more important than the

other. If just one link (team member) in this chain fails to perform a portion of the mission to standard,

we all fail because we are not providing the best care possible to our beneficiaries. You have the ability

to make a positive difference in peoples’ lives every day. Every member of this team should ask

themselves, "Am I living by our values and making decisions that are consistent with these values when I

interact with patients and coworkers?"

Some key points:

- Know your chain of command and how to use it. You have not exhausted your chain of

command at BJACH until the issue reaches me.

- If you are lacking something to perform your mission, bring it to the attention of your chain of

command so we can promptly address it.

- Any patient safety issue should immediately be brought to the chain of command.

- Use the chain of command. When you need to go beyond it, keep your chain informed.

- Continually strive to improve processes in your individual work areas.

- If you see a problem, fix it or bring it to the attention of someone who can. Don't ignore it.

- Supporting each other is just as important as supporting the mission.

- Ask for help before it’s too late (in all aspects of your life and career).

- Continue the relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction. Customer/patient feedback is a

valuable tool to improve patient care.

- Basic military courtesy should be a part of everyday life.

- Always strive to do the right thing, even when no one is looking or when tempted to take the

“easy” wrong.

As a leader, I believe that all members of the team are important. Our civilian and contractor colleagues

are essential to the success of our mission. As a military leader, I believe, as the NCO creed says, that

Noncommissioned Officers are the backbone of the Army. I cannot over emphasize the importance of

quality leadership in the NCO corps. Quality leadership doesn’t stop with the NCO; officers must lead

from the front, by setting the example. Be sure that regularly scheduled performance counseling sessions

are conducted for military and civilian employees. Cover the good which should be sustained as well as

the areas which need improvement. Although I like to be informed, I believe in allowing leaders to lead,

managers to manage. A big part of my job is to provide you the support systems necessary for you to

accomplish your mission. Tell me what you need and don't worry how it will be resourced. Let me

worry about that.

Expectations of leaders at all levels:

- Take care of your people.

- Set the example of how the team should think and act because all will be watching you to

model your behavior.

- Know your people - keep them informed, be sensitive to their needs, make their lives as

predictable as possible.

- Develop your subordinates, military and civilian, so that they will be ready to lead others with

high quality, effective leadership skills.

- Don’t ask your Soldiers or civilian employees to do anything you aren’t willing to do yourself.

- Set the example in military bearing - weight, uniform, physical fitness, or civilian

professional appearance.

- Live the Army values – honor, integrity, courage, loyalty, respect, selfless service, and duty.

- Be innovative and receptive to new ideas.

- Support unit functions and activities and maintain Army and AMEDD customs and traditions.

- Remember, the AMEDD includes a Civilian Corps.

- Reward individuals for going above and beyond; we do not thank our people enough.

- Work hard, but don’t forget to have fun too.

I have my “pet peeves” like anyone else. These are the things that will cause an emotional response on

my part. In fairness, I’ll share those with you now. My trigger points include:

- Inconsistent and/or unfair treatment of others.

- Rudeness to a patient or fellow coworkers.

- Not giving the chain of command the opportunity to fix a problem before you take it outside

the facility for action to include using the patient complaints system to address internal

problems or disagreements.

- Answering with, “Because we’ve always done it that way,” when there is no understanding as

to the rationale for a process/action. This usually indicates lack of motivation or no

consideration of potential improvements.

- Trying to cover up an honest mistake rather than admit to it and learn from it.

- Blaming others for your mistakes or errors.

- Having no initiative to improve your work area. You should strive to leave an area better than

you found it.

Take pride in your profession. We are all here as volunteers, let’s strive to do our very best.

KELLY A. MURRAY

COL, MC

Commanding