Institute for Leadership
Leading the Way in Leader Development for the Corps of Cadets and the Academy Community
Spring 2013 IFL Newsletter
Volume 2, issue 4
Leadership Recognition Breakfast
Cadets Encouraged to Trust
Their Instincts when Leading
Each semester the IFL brings together the incumbant
Regimental Staff and leaders of the seasonal sports to take a
moment and recognize both the challenges and efforts of
leadership within the Corps of Cadets. As the Corps of
Cadets returned from the Winter Break, the IFL hosted the
Spring Semester Leadership Recognition Breakfast. With
this event comes an opportunity for the Superintendant and
the Athletic Director to speak directly to those members of
the Corps who have distinguished themselves as leaders
among their peers.
Admiral Stosz’s comments specifically highlighted the
honors and challenges of peer leadership. First, it is
significant that these cadets were chosen for these roles by
their behaviors and because of this, she encouraged cadets to
follow their instincts. It was also explained that the peer
leadership role is a privilage and responsibility and not a
reward. Further, the burden of leadership is something that
can be used to inspire other cadets around the corps.
Admiral Stosz didn’t miss this opportunity to highlight
specific behaviors that set the chosen few from the ordinary
many. While there have been many opportunites to gather
and extol the virtues of leadership, she used this event to
address the cadets from a more pragmatic viewpoint citing
examples of true leadership behavior.
In one example from the fall sports season, Women’s Cross
Country team captain Julia Kane displayed true character in
leadership by placing the needs of others before her own
performance. Here, it was noted, a behavior can transcend
ideals that can define a Leader of Character. The Admiral
recounted the story of 1/c Kane in great detail.
During a race, Kane stopped to assist an opponent
from another team who had collapsed. By forfeiting
her own finishing place in the meet to care for
another athelete, she displayed one of the key virtues
outlined in The Architecture of Leadership; the Capacity
to Care.
The Admiral encouraged those gathered that morning
to reflect upon ‘that which is noble’ and what will
help to develop further the virtues and character
necessary to serve as an Officer in the Coast Guard.
Lastly, she encouraged those seniors that were
present to ‘savor every minute’ that remains of the
last year, the last game, and the last Regimental Drill
that they experience in the coming months. Soon
those seniors will leave the confines of Chase Hall
and the athletic fields for the role of commissioned
officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, leading men and
women through the operational challenges awaiting
them.
Seniors prompted to
‘savor every minute’
that remains of their
Academy experience.
Sixth Annual Youth
Leadership Conference
2/c Makaila Woodard creates an all-day
event and leads team
On a cold, damp Saturday in late February approximately 50
students were invited to the Academy to participate in the 6th
Annual Youth Leadership Conference. Funded by contributions to
the Institute for Leadership (IFL), this cadet-driven, one day
conference offers the Cadets an opportunity to develop, manage
and staff their own workshop for youngsters from the Naval Sea
Cadets and junior high schools from across the northeast. 2/c
Makaila Woodard created a team of over 30 cadets from across the
corps to participate in the organization of the day, leading
engineering projects and a Leadership Simulation while making
themselves available to future Coast Guard Academy Cadets.
The day began with a video presentation in MacAllister Hall
highlighting life as a cadet from Swab Summer to Graduation.
Throughout the morning, the students worked in 10 teams and
competed in 3 engineering events that included a bridge building
project, a catapult building competition and the classic ‘egg drop.’
Each team had a cadet acting as a mentor for the competition and
answered a myriad of questions about cadet life and service in the
Coast Guard. After lunch in the Cadet dining hall, the students
were separated in 3 large teams in a problem solving and team
building exercise similar to what is seen in the Coast Guard in
Leadership and Management School (LAMS), Cadet 100th week
and the Chief Petty Officer’s Academy (CPOA). The out-brief by
the cadets highlighted the need for communication skills and team
building skills required to lead at the Academy and today’s modern
Coast Guard missions. The day ended with a pizza dinner and a
showing of The Guardian.
Current IFL Staff
IFL DIRECTOR
Dr. Jonathan Jefferson
TYLER DISTINGUISHED CHAIR
IN LEADERSHIP
ADM James Loy (ret)
IFL ASSOCIATE DIRCTOR
LCDR Nicholas Jarboe
GOLD OFFICER
LT Andrew Halvorson
PROGRAM MANAGER
AETC Christopher Owens (ret)
IFL offices are located on the 3rd Deck
of the CG Alumni Center
(860) 442-2691
M-F 0800-1600
The Institute for Leadership would like to recognize the efforts of the Corps of Cadets who volunteered their time,
specifically 2/c Makaila Woodard, Project Lead; 2/c Scott Pratz and 3/c Elise Sako, Engineering projects; 2/c David
Thomson, Leadership Simulations and 3/c Matt Martin, Meal logistics. If you are interested in having a student apply to
next year’s Youth Leadership Conference, or would like to learn more about the event, contact Mr. Christopher Owens,
IFL Program Manager at [email protected] or 860.442.2691 x37.
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Tyler Chair Focuses on Federal Budgeting
Distinguished Visitors to the Classroom and DC Visit Bring Real-World
Perspective to Academic Models and Learning.
Each Spring Admiral Loy (ret), the IFL Tyler Chair,
‘adopts’ an academic course, inviting selected
speakers to visit the class throughout the semester
and to host a trip to Washington DC. For 2013,
Admiral Loy asked LCDR Anna Hickey of the
Management Department for her Federal Budgeting
class to be the focus. The purpose of combining the
DC trip with the Federal Budgeting class is to provide
cadets a realistic educational perspective on the
federal budget process and its impact on the Coast
Guard. Also, this provides a leadership overlay to the
Federal Budgeting curriculum that will expose cadets
to the responsibilities expected of them as future CG
officers who will be entrusted with safeguarding
public resources.
A passionate orator of American history, Admiral Loy
hosted a sunrise visit the to the Jefferson Memorial to
discuss the challenges our founding fathers faced when
creating the infrastructure of a new nation. The class’s
scheduled visit to the capitol had a unintended side
benefit to it’s timing when they arrived at Coast Guard
Headquarters the Tuesday morning after after the
sequestration process had been initiated. This chance
timing created unique conversations at Coast Guard
Headquarters during comprehensive briefings on the
budget process from senior officers within CG-81, CG82, CG-83 and CG-84. The cadets took full advantage of
the question-and-answer opportunites and were given a
realistic perspective of the current challenges that exsist
in this era of continuing resolutions and sequestration.
The first visit to the class was by Admiral Loy in
January. When in the class, he not only reviewed
The Architecture of Leadership, but also how it directly
related to the immense responsibilites of fiscal
decision-making and the trust that Americans place
on the Coast Guard to not only protect the nation’s
interests, but also to take responsibility for the
funding we annually receive for mission execution.
Later in the semester the Federal Budgeting class was
visited by VADM Brown, Deputy Commandant for
Mission Support (DCMS). VADM Brown took the
opportunity to speak with the students and field
questions regarding the Coast Guard’s Budgeting
process. There were some very frank conversations
regarding the sequestration process that was looming
at the time. The cadets were provided an overview of
the organizational breakdown and responsibilities.
VADM Brown also took the opportunity to visit
LCDR Parker’s Organizational Behavior and
Leadership course. Between the two discussions he
connected the importance of a constant need for
leadership development throughout an officer’s
career and the value in finding impactful positive role
models and mentors.
In the afternoon the breifings continued in Capital Hill
where they were afforded the unique oppotunity to sit in
the House Appropriations conference room with
Congressional Professional Staffer, Mr. Benjamin
Nicholson. A former Academy graduate of 1996, he
gave a very candid perspective that his position provides.
Again, the question and answer session created a
dialogue that was honest and insightful. The theme of
the day became an application of Federal Budgeting
theory and practices compared to the realities of fiscal
decision-making. LCDR Shuler and the staff from the
Coast Guard Senate Liason Office acted as hosts for the
afternoon taking the cadets to the Senate and spending a
few hours in the Senate Appropriation Conference room
with Mr. Scott Nance, a Professional Staff Member with
the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland
Security. He passed around two significant documents
that provided a historical perspective to Federal
Budgeting. First, he presented a copy of the original
Senate budget proposal by James Madison. Totalling
three pages in length, his was the first funding proposal
signed into law that framed the operational expenses of
the U.S. Government in the late 1700’s. The total cost,
around $500,000 was in stark contrast to the 2012
Budget signed into law.
Praesent vitae nisl.
The week prior to spring break, the IFL delivered the
Federal Budgeting students to Washington DC for a
whirlwind tour in a day and a half. There was no rest
for weary legs as both days began before dawn.
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The 2012 law, which was fourteen hundred pages in length
and at a cost of billions of dollars, allowed Mr. Nance to
place a clear perspective on not just the growth, but also
the complexity of drafting annual federal budgets. Without
knowing it, he had returned to the earlier point made
during ADM Loy classroom visit weeks earlier, that there
is an immense responsibility to managing budgets and the
trust that Americans place in all of us as to how we execute
the expenditures of that money. Prior to leaving Capitol
Hill, the cadets were offered one final interaction with a
high-level individual connected with Coast Guard
budgeting. In the lobby of the Hart Senate Office Building
they met Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. who sits on the
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs and is the Ranking Member on the
Subcommittee on Investigations. Though brief, the
meeting with Sen. Coburn also allowed for a discussion on
the challenges of creating consensus needed to pass a
Senate Bill.
The day ended when the IFL hosted a dinner in downtown
Washington DC where the cadets spent quality time not
just talking finance, but taking advice on career
development and sharing sea stories with ADM Loy,
RADM Metruck from CG-8, RADM Poulin from CG092, and the Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation
at DHS, Mr. Morgan Geiger (USCGA ’97).
The IFL is very happy to have made the most of this trip.
In fact, the backdrop of sequestration actually created more
dynamic conversations and demonstrated the real need for
fiscal management in a way that could not have been
duplicated in a classroom. The following day there was a
planned visit to the Department of Homeland Security’s
Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Peggy Sherry and a visit to the
Library of Congress. In the early morning hours of
Wednesday, however, all of the Federal Government
offices were shut down due to an impending snowstorm.
This was dubbed a “snow-questration” by those inside the
beltway and put an early end to an otherwise extremely
successful visit to DC. While the cadets were disappointed
to have the trip cut in half, they relished the chance to get
back to the Academy a little earlier than scheduled
Wednesday evening – the night before billet night and
spring break the following week.
In the first week of April the final visit to the course was by
Mr. Martin Rajk, the Deputy Assistant Commandant for
Resources and Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the
Coast Guar Guard. Mr. Rajk’s visit was the final capstone
interaction with the people responsible for Federal Budget
Management.
SOME OF THE IFL’s OTHER ANNUAL
PROGRAMS:
Leadership Reflection Dinner
At the completion of each Coastal Sail Training Program
(CSTP) sortie, the IFL provides the funding for a dinner.
During this dinner the cadets are provided feedback on
their performance during their two-week sailing
experience and the leadership skills they developed.
Spirit of the Bear
First awarded in 2009, this is part of the Coast Guard
Academy's informal recognition program and has been
created to recognize efforts in the development of cadets
and officer candidates. Nominees demonstrate the
following characteristics: a high level of dedication to the
cadets or officer candidates - taking the time to ensure
they succeed and grow as leaders of character, active in
many facets of the cadets were officer candidates
Academy experience - enabling development across
multiple domains, and engage with cadets were officer
candidates in their personal as well as professional
development. Prior recipients have included coaches,
teachers, cadet support staff, and even the Academy’s
contract chef.
Faculty Leadership Luncheons
Each semester the IFL provides a lunch session in which
faculty are given updates on current leadership
programs the IFL is working on, asked for their opinions
and ideas to benefit these programs, and given an
short leadership development session. Session topics
include how to be a better mentor, dealing with
different personality types, and how to motivate a
struggling cadet.