Bloom where you are planted

Grab your journal and your The LOTUS Within book (https://www.amazon.com/LOTUS-Within-Purpose-Ignite-Passion/dp/B0DDRDXB89 ). This week we are focusing on blooming where you are planted.

For those that know me, you know I have a passion in teaching/coaching/mentoring. We recently completed the Junior Leader Course and Iron Major Week. I was also asked on what tips I had for someone coming to the organization at their first duty station. This prompted me to create a list of items I typically discuss with junior leaders in the SP Corps. I hope you find it helpful for you or someone you coach, teach, mentor and counsel. Which ones resonate with you? What else would you add to the list? What has helped you in your career?

Bloom where you are planted

·       Bloom where you are planted

·       Be the change agent, if there is something that needs to be fixed, how can you be the catalyst to make it better

·       Look for a mentor in your Corps to review your goals and career timeline

·       Products: CV/resume, baseball card, bio, career timeline, OERSF, prepare for OER, ACT AOC-specific Career Map

·       Reach out to your local SP Corps Installation Support Team, network early and often; be involved in your civilian organizations that support your profession (eg AUSA, AAPA, APTA, etc.); attend your local IST events, SP Corps Townhalls, AOC-specific quarterly forums; let your consultant know that you want to be involved in one of their committees, etc.

·       Reach out to your consultants, your GEM (Graduate Education Manager), local mentors, etc.

·       Recruitment: who are you helping to get to where you are? Enlisted? Civilian? Another officer? You are our best recruiter.

·       Retention: Review retention bonuses/incentive pay/special pay, do you qualify? Who are you helping? Is there a direct commissionee that just got to your duty station that needs your help?

·       Recognitions: Look at current MILPERs, what are the requirements for 9A, TSG-PARA, IMW, JLC, Douglas McArthur; your specific civilian organization that recognizes your professions; HJF, MHS; O2M3; recognize your people often (submit them for awards they deserve, while they are in their unit and on their way out either via PCS/ETS/Retirement)

·       Clinical: Be the best clinician you can be, this is nonnegotiable. Keep up with your privileges and credentials; complete and document your CME/CEU on time; improve what is in your toolkit as a clinician; Be very familiar with H2F

·       Professional Development: Look in ATRRS and look up your AOC/Corps/AMEDD/Army, what courses are available to you?; DHA CEPO and DMRTI websites, other services/Joint, browse in there on what’s available

·       Reading: Read based on your profession, based on your interest, Army leadership (Get Borden books for free; sign up for your profession’s journal; take advantage of your local and MWR free libraries; Read what is in your leader’s reading list; start a book/journal club

·       Writing: You need to hone your skills writing, read the Military Review on this topic; Write a topic that you are a SME for the Medical Journal, AUSA, Military Medicine, your profession’s journal, know how to write a defense paper

·       Research: Write a case report and publish, find out who is doing research in your MTF and your Corps, be an AI in one of their projects; present your findings/expertise

·       Staff: Get with your rater/senior rater, how do you add value to the organization, how can you make your organization excel (your leaders, you, your peers and your subordinates); “To Conserve Fighting Strength”- how are you doing that for your organization?

·       Command: Reach out to your HRC assignment manager, what are command opportunities for you, reach out to someone in your AOC that has commanded

·       Education/Training: Look up the MILPER on the LTHET/TWI opportunities; get the list of PPSCP opportunities SP Corps and your AOC ; Find courses in DHA, Army, AMEDD, etc.

·       Go to your education center and get the mandatory training to get started on everything they offer including CA/TA opportunities

·       Skill Identifiers: Review everything that is available to your AOC, your Corps, AMEDD, Army

·       Mentorships/Coaching: mentor at least one civilian, one enlisted, one junior officer (know how to do their evaluations - even if you may not be supervising a civilian now, get ahead of it by learning from someone who is, it is vastly different than doing ones for military personnel -DPMAP, iPERMS, etc.)

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·       Family: This should be first but build your career timeline based on what your family’s requirements as well

·       Physical/Mental/Spiritual: Take care of yourself, attend the medical appointments you need

·       AFT: Don’t just look at the minimum, look at what it takes to max (Even if you can’t max, at least you have it as your goal/objective)

For your journal writing and commenting:

1. Which ones do you do now?

2. Which ones do you need to start doing?

3. Which ones resonate with you the most?

4. What else would you add to the list?

5. What has helped you in your career?