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SEPTEMBER 2010 VOL. 5, NO. 5 The MV Mississippi Nation’s largest inland towboat pays historic visit to SWD’s McClellan-Kerr Navigation System Cover story see page 5 Also Inside Meet the SWG begins Corps new RBD $61.8 million volunteers director dredge project making a page 7 page 9 difference page 17 1 Pacesetter September 2010 Pacesetter Inside this issue Serving the men and women of the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers, Southwestern Division Page 3 SWD commander’s column Page 4 Making sense of the Campaign Plan Col. Thomas W. Kula Page 5 Cover Story –Motor Vessel MIssissippi Commander Page 6 Clearwater named Project of the Year Southwestern Division Page 7 Regional Business Directorate: ready and able Page 8 SWL commander’s column Martie Cenkci Page 9 Galveston District dredges Texas City Channel Chief, Public Affairs Page 10 SWF commander’s column Southwestern Division Page 11 Corps of Engineers represented at 105th GICA convention Page 12 Listen for workplace harmony Sara Goodeyon Page 13 SWD welcomes new deputy commander Editor Page 14 SWG commander’s column Tulsa District Page 15 Use care with government credit card Page 16 SWT commander’s column Associate Editors Page 17 Volunteers – generous civilians offer selfless service for greater good Edward Rivera Page 19 Smell the bacon – the best gig in the business Fort Worth District Page 20 Eight SWD lakes named among Outdoor Life ‘best 200’ Page 21 Spotlight on the Regional Leadership Development Program Cheri Dragos-Pritchard Page 25 Pacesetter Points Little Rock District Isidro Reyna Galveston District Nate Herring Tulsa District On the cover: The Pacesetter is an unofficial pub- The Motor Vessel Mississippi just after passing lication published under AR 360-1 through Newt Graham Lock and Dam 18 near for members of the Southwestern Tulsa, Okla. The nation’s largest inland towboat Division and its retirees. Contents brought the Mississippi River Commission to the and editorial views expressed are McClellan-Kerr Navigation System August 6-11 not necessarily the official views to learn more about how the system benefits of or endorsed by the U.S. Army stakeholders in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army or the U.S. Government. Articles or photographic submis- sions are welcome. All photos are USACE photos unless otherwise indicated. For more information about the Pacesetter, or to make a submis- sion, call your local Public Affairs Office. 2 Pacesetter September 2010 A vision to light the way on the road from ‘Good’ to ‘Great’ Col. Thomas W. Kula Commander, Southwestern Division A great engineering force of highly disciplined people remember that our partners are the reason we exist. We working with our partners through disciplined thought have a common goal, and their success is our success. and action to deliver innovative and sustainable solu- We need to help them achieve that success. Trust is a tions to the nation’s engineering challenges. key part of any relationship, and we need to work at our USACE Vision relationships (vertical and horizontal) routinely. I don’t n the two months that I have been commander of think it’s possible to over-communicate in our business. the Southwestern Division, I’ve had the opportuni- The bottom line is that we want and need our partners I ty to visit several projects and to interact with some to truly feel like they are partners and trust us. of our key stakeholders. It has been a great experience Another key term is “innovative.” Innovation isn’t to participate in an event simply using new tech- like the Motor Vessel Mis- nology, though we must sissippi inspection, for ex- leverage technology to ample, and see the close “The USACE Vision is the guiding light get the most bang for the bond between the Corps for the USACE Campaign Plan.” buck. It is also finding and our stakeholders. An new ways to accomplish added bonus for that par- a project by thinking out- ticular event was to see side the box or bringing in the great public interest in our work. new members of the team for a fresh look at an old My orientation visits with the districts are scheduled obstacle. to begin this month, and I am really looking forward In fact, bringing in new team members helps us break to visiting with all the great Pacesetters out there! The into the 21st century—and, in some ways, that means a district commanders have provided me with their Top culture change for the Corps of Engineers. Change is 5 issues or projects, and these visits will be a great op- necessary to go from good to great, and it is the impetus portunity to see up close the projects that you are so to drive our Campaign Plan. Make no mistake, I believe deeply involved in every day. You are the ones who ex- we already have a great culture in the Corps of Engi- ecute our mission and provide the disciplined thoughts neers. Our people are the best, and our missions endur- and actions necessary to accomplish our mission and ing and satisfying. Both our internal climate surveys achieve the USACE vision. and our customer surveys show many positive results. The USACE Vision is indeed the guiding light for But we need to refocus somewhat in order to go from the USACE Campaign Plan. If you break it down you’ll good to great as we implement the Campaign Plan. see the key elements that make up our vision. We all As we refocus, there are three premises that we know that we are committed to building a disciplined should key in on: workforce. “Disciplined thoughts and actions” means • Planning and change are the primary job of leaders. that we focus on priority I-Plan and O-Plan objectives. • People support what they help create. That discipline is built through training and dedica- • Use systems thinking—focus on outcomes—serve tion, and through the continuous support of working the customer! with our partners. As we work with local and state governments, port authorities, flood districts, utilities districts—the myriad See “Vision” page 26 of partnerships that each district deals with every day— 3 Pacesetter September 2010 E-I-E-I O-Plan: making sense of the Campaign Plan to reach the goals and objectives. as evidenced by the following in all mission The chief has spoken many times about the areas: By Karli Wise importance of each of the goals and objectives • Deliver superior performance; strategic planner to USACE missions and customers. His key • Set the standard for our profession; Southwestern Division message is that every single employee can find • Make a positive impact on the nation a place within those goals and/or objectives. and other nations; and There is something that each Southwestern • Built to last as evidenced by our Division employee does every day on the job strong “bench” at all levels—educated, that supports one of the goals or objectives, trained, competent, experienced, and ampaign Plans … I-Plans . O-plans. thereby getting the division to “great.” certified. What is that all about anyway? It is the workforce that makes SWD great. In October and November, division work- C This alphabet soup sounds like a chil- The division Implementation Plan provides places will be abuzz with chatter about the dren’s sing-along-song but it’s not; it is much actions and metrics under each applicable ob- regional I-Plan. There will be diligent efforts more than that. jective that put the CP to work. The actions to refresh the division I-Plan to reflect and These are the documents that the Army are regional priorities that the commander support district O-Plans in a more disciplined chief of engineers and commanding general of and senior leaders have set so that the division way. the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lt. Gen. supports the CP and moves in the right direc- With holiday spirit and gusto, the refreshed Robert L. Van Antwerp, and Southwestern tion. Like the Corps CP, each of the goals and I-Plan will be presented for final approval in Division commander, Col. Thomas Kula, say objectives are led by a division senior leader. December. will move the division into “greatness.” The district Operations Plans are like the I- After the first of the year, the districts will The Campaign Plan is the overall corporate Plan in that they support the Campaign Plan, be ready and able to refresh their O-Plans to document that lays out the chief’s main priori- but also support the I-Plan through tasks and reflect the most current and up-to-date actions ties and focus areas for the next several years. metrics. Every O-Plan is specific and particular and metrics in the I-Plan. Within the CP, there are four main goals: to each district and provides clear and defined With the I-Plan and O-Plans in hand, go readiness and operations; deliver water re- tasks intended to drive the I-Plan further down forth and do “great” things, SWD. source solutions; deliver sustainable infrastruc- the road to “greatness.” For copies of the I-Plans or O-Plans, or for ture; and, build a competent, resilient team. This is where the rubber meets the road. more information on the plans referenced in Each goal has four objectives that detail The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and this article, go to the website: https://kme.usace. what the end state for that goal should be, Southwestern Division will, through execution army.mil/SWD/HQs/RBD/BMD/SWDIPLAN/ and each goal and objective is led by a USACE of the Campaign Plan, the SWD I-Plan, and default.aspx.
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