TSA Weekly, July 6 - 10, 2009
A Message from Gale:
'What are the Qualities of an Exceptional STSO/Leader?'
Sal Badalamenti, AFSD-Screening (Detroit, Mich.), shares his thoughts about exceptional leadership qualities during a recent National Advisory Council conference. Photo courtesy of Public Affairs
"What does an exceptional STSO look like?" This was the question I challenged the NAC with in one of our intense discussions on enabling the frontline workforce to take full advantage of the principles of Evolution.
This question came up because STSOs play such a critical role in ensuring effective operations at the checkpoint. They create the day-to-day work environment; act as the central hub where SOPs, policies, and directives are translated into actions; and lead their teams to mitigate the threat. Our STSOs are high-performers; their continued development and support are fundamental to the culture change of security evolution – and to building engaged leaders.
Many leads and supervisors exemplify the qualities it takes to build a successful team with the skills, engagement and empowerment required to stay ahead of the threat. My goal is to capture those qualities, find supervisors who model them, and share their practices to further develop a large cadre of exceptional supervisors. Study after study indicates supervisors are the critical link to highly effective, engaged and enthusiastic frontline teams, and also to effective communication and operations with managers up the chain.
So, I challenged an experienced ad hoc NAC committee, with members from different airports and levels within TSA, to examine this question in a systematic way and come up with the ideal qualities of an exceptional STSO; they answered my challenge with care and expertise. During the HQ out-brief as the NAC closed its recent meeting, members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and I found ourselves sharing an "Ah Ha" moment as the committee presented the qualities of an exceptional STSO. It was all about engaged leadership! The identified qualities apply to all levels of management and embody what COACH! and Integrated Conflict Management System training are all about.
Lead TSO Alison Juliano (Buffalo, N.Y.) leads a discussion on leadership qualities at the National Advisory Council conference held at headquarters in June. From left, TSO Bill Reitsma, (Bangor, Maine), and STSOs Darrell Robinson (Oakland, Calif.), Julie Olson (Sheridan, Wyo.); and Scott McKellips (Madison, Wis.). Photo courtesy of Public Affairs
From the SLT to FSDs and SACs, to supervisors and leads, to formal and informal leaders, the qualities identified by the NAC are those which will enable each to engage and empower others to do their best work in the best environment we can create.
Realizing that the NAC was describing aspects of the ideal engaged leader – not just the ideal STSO – many of us in the room understood that we can evaluate ourselves against these leadership characteristics. When we say we must be vigilant at all times, it includes not only paying attention to the situation, but also constantly examining how we are engaging with others as leaders. Being a leader does not come with titles or positions. Leadership comes from within us. It comes from a deep sense of personal integrity and commitment to our people as well as the mission.
So, returning to my original focus on STSOs, you are critical to our every day efforts to mitigate the threat and achieve our mission. These are the qualities we want to encourage you to develop, model and coach. If you already model the qualities captured in the attached briefing, hold them up so that others can emulate them. Keep up the good work and help to bring others along! If you have a development need around one of the qualities, ask someone who models it to become your informal mentor or coach.
Many thanks to the NAC team members who answered my question superbly. Today, click on this link, review the "Qualities of an Exceptional STSO/Leader," hold up a mirror and ask, "How well am I doing?"
News
- 'We Ask You' Seeks Stories of Screening Catches
- LAX Employee Had Role in Jackson Learning the Moonwalk
- Colorado TSOs Honor Fallen Correctional Officers
- U.S. Honor Flag Greeted by Arkansas Officers
Evolution Practices at Work…
Practices at Work highlights Evolution sustainment practices created by and for field employees and taken from a catalog of Evolution field practices.
This week's installment, Wanted Poster - Gorilla, is from Security Training Instructor Patricia Cain, West Palm Beach (Fla.) International Airport. The practice reminds officers of the gorilla video and increases situational awareness.
To view the submission, go to the iShare home page, click on the Offices tab at the top and select Security Operations. Then click Evolution Field Practices on the left-side menu.
Engage the Evolution team with your questions and suggestions at CheckpointEvolution@dhs.gov.
News
'We Ask You' Seeks Stories of Screening Catches
From the IdeaFactory staff
Paul Altenburg Photo by Erica Williams
Consistent with DHS declaring counterterrorism as its priority theme for July, consider the "We Ask You" initiative announced earlier this week by the IdeaFactory:
Our idea is to take checkpoint screening stories and share them with the rest of TSA through TSA Weekly and the IdeaFactory Illuminator. Use the comments section of "We Ask You" to tell us about a suspicious or unusual item – not necessarily a prohibited item – that you found in the course of your work that helped TSA mitigate a threat. How did you find it?
"We Ask You," launched in April, gives employees an opportunity to weigh in and provide valuable feedback on programs and initiatives – existing or proposed. After reviewing comments, program offices post an update on the status of the program.
The section was created by IdeaFactory user and two-time challenge winner Paul Altenburg, a Behavior Detection Officer from Burlington (Vt.) International Airport.
Besides giving the workforce more voice, "We Ask You" feedback gives program office staff insight about issues of most importance to employees. That feedback can be taken into consideration when implementing a new program or modifying an existing one.
Visit IdeaFactory to post your comments and check the site every Wednesday for a new question.
LAX Employee Had Role in Jackson Learning the Moonwalk
By Nico Melendez, Office of Strategic Communications/Public Affairs
Cheryl Song (top row, third from left) stands next to Michael Jackson. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Song
The news of Michael Jackson's untimely death was particularly upsetting for one TSA employee. Cheryl Song, executive assistant to FSD Larry Fetters at Los Angeles International Airport, knew and worked with the "King of Pop."
"I knew Michael in the early 80s when I danced on Soul Train," she said. "He asked me to dance in his Beat It video.
"After meeting privately with Michael, I put him in touch with some of my male counterparts to help him learn the Moonwalk."
Though she has not danced professionally for years, Song's popularity from her time with the Soul Train Dancers lives on. When VH1 recently interviewed her for a documentary on Soul Train, she said, "It was a great chance to catch up with old friends and remember a special time."
Song can be seen in the opening bar scene of the Beat It video and also appeared in Rick James' Superfreak video. She also helped choreograph a Lionel Richie performance on Saturday Night Live and toured Japan and the U.S. with Soul Train.
Kudos & Clips
I am retired from the Air Force and work for a major discount airline. … I lost count of my flying mileage about 15 years ago, at 2 million miles aloft, and I currently fly between 30,000 and 60,000 miles with my company … I believe that largely because of TSA, we have not had another precious airliner hijacked, and I very much appreciate that you guys are on the job. … I must say that your people at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport are the most professional, friendly and courteous that I have ever found in my often and many travels. They make the security screening procedure a good experience … Your Milwaukee people reflect high credit upon themselves and the TSA, and set a great example for others.
James J. Cowan, Acworth, Ga., to Mary K. Sage, Stakeholder and Customer Service Manager, General Mitchell International Airport. June 29, 2009.
No Major Glitches in Bag-Screening System at Sea-Tac
From The Seattle Times, July 10, 2009
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport officials say there have been no major glitches so far in a new $300-million fully automated screening system for checked baggage that's been up and running since November. Read more. 
(nwsource.com)
Air Security Better Post-9/11, But Vigilance Needed
From Reuters, June 30, 2009
Most but not all of the 19 Sept. 11 attackers would have been picked up beforehand if today's air travel security had been in place, so vigilance is still needed, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Tuesday. Read more. (reuters.com)
Getting There Safely
By Mike James, The Daily Independent, July 8, 2009
Maybe you drove by the rest area on U.S. 52 across from the Greenup Locks and Dam on Tuesday and saw the Ohio Highway Patrol's tour-bus-sized mobile response van. Read more. (dailyindependent.com)
TSA Experience
Colorado TSOs Honor Fallen Correctional Officers
By Carrie Harmon, Office of Strategic Communications/Public Affairs
STSO Steve Heffler (far left) and LTSO Jay Hall (far right) with CPOF’s Honor Guard. Photo courtesy of TSA Colorado Springs Airport
TSOs at Colorado Springs Municipal Airport lent their support to the families of fallen officers arriving for the Correctional Peace Officer Foundation (CPOF) annual memorial service.
Each year, the CPOF honors correctional employees who have lost their lives on the job. Famiy members arriving for the memorial service, held in a different state every year, were greeted by a CPOF Honor Guard.
Several TSOs volunteered their time to ensure that the Honor Guard was in place to greet family members at various gates.
"It was an honor to assist with this event," said Assistant Federal Security Director Dennis Woods. "Like TSA officers, these law enforcement officers play an important role in making us all safer."
U.S. Honor Flag Greeted by Arkansas Officers
Photo by Juanita Brown
TSA Little Rock (Ark.) National Airport officers and the Little Rock Air Force Base Honor Guard participated in a ceremony as the U.S. Honor Flag was carried through the airport on July 2, 2009. Pictured carrying the flag (center) is Firefighter Jason Mize, head of the Little Rock Fire Department Honor Guard. The U.S. Honor Flag has traveled worldwide since 2001, in honor of the fallen law enforcement and military personnel from Ground Zero to Iraq and Afghanistan. It was flown from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and received a water-cannon salute after landing in Little Rock. It was transported by a police and fire department motorcade to the Clinton Presidential Center where it was on display through July 5.
E-mail your comments and suggestions.
Download Plug-in
Some of the links on this page require a plug-in to view them, which are available below.
