# Presentation: 021486

## National LAO ConferenceWelcome to the  Midwest Area

- Kansas City, MO
- May 18, 2004

**Notes:**
Welcome to Kansas City 
Pleased to have you in the Midwest Area for your LAO Conference – we always happy when our colleagues are willing to come to the nation’s heartland (voluntarily or otherwise) –  we are accustomed to groans about the flat, windy, hot or cold (take your pick) Midwest.  It is flat, windy and hot or cold but it is home sweet home to many of us.     

Rather than talk about what is in the Midwest Area – that you might expect from a Director, I wanted to tell you about some things we are doing at MWA that we believe are having a big impact on people like you – who provide service and support to the research programs.

## Service and Support to the Research Programs

- Support personnel are critical to accomplishing the mission of ARS
- Support units need the interest and help of the Area Office

**Notes:**
I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE SUPPORT PERSONNEL IS AS ESSENTIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF ARS’ MISSION AS THE SCIENTISTS THEMSELVES.

MUST SUPPORT THE SUPPORT – THAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AREA OFFICE.

## MWA support staff initiatives

- Program and Administrative Support Task Group (PASTG)
- LAO Leadership Laboratory

**Notes:**
Diane and I recently launched an LAO Leadership Lab for the Midwest Area.  
Tell you about that in a few minutes.

Several factors contributed to our decision to launch this initiative

MWA has focused on strategies to increase the effectiveness, job satisfaction, and customer service of our LAO and secretarial staffs.
Share with you two initiatives that we are proud of

## Why launch these projects?

- Good support is essential to good science
- Well functioning teams provide better service
- High morale increases productivity
- Networking among peers increases efficiency

***It is the right thing to do***

## MWA Program and Administrative Support Task Group (PASTG)

- Formed in 1995
- Group of MWA secretaries selected as the founding group
- Charter
- AD secretary permanent co-chair
- Defined objectives of group
- Selected projects

**Notes:**
All know the history of the National Council
ARS Secretarial Review led to the creation of the National Council
Soon followed by implementation of Area Councils
MWA Directors instructed Sherri Buxton to assemble group
I have served as a mentor for the group for almost 10 years
Early road was rocky - Required a lot of guidance and team building
Now, group is mature, very cordial and very productive -

Sherri’s willingness to serve as a permanent co-chair has its advantages

	AD is available for help and advice
	As Sherri is quick to point out PASTG has a pipeline to the AD’s resources

	First year, Sherri was a very active leader
	Now serves as an advisor, co-chair leads the group

## Factors Important to PASTG’s Success

- Clearly defined objectives
- Visible, high impact projects
- Inclusive attitude
- Sense of purpose
- Hard work and commitment
- Service perspective

***A bigger and better tool box***

**Notes:**
PASTG has a mission to provide tools and support to the secretaries and Program Assistants in the MWA
In so doing improve the service to the research program
Several important Projects- talk about them in a minute
Area-wide buy-in and participation was an objective from the start
“We can do it” perspective – define what needs to be done and DO IT - What can we do to support ARS research  programs?

PASTG is not a club – those folks work hard

## Cooperation across the locations

- Vacancy support program
- Program support for MUs with a secretarial vacancy
- Organized by the PASTG
- Volunteer secretaries divide workload

**Notes:**
From time to time vacancies occur
PASTG recruit volunteers from around the MWA to manage the MU workload until a new secretary is on board.  Secretarial duties are divided up among the vacancy team, the RL knows who to turn to when assistance is needed and the job gets done.
The RL is not placed in the position of telling the SYs to suck it up and take care of themselves – or asking another location secretary to take on more work than is reasonable until the new person is on board.
Now that the RLs know this service is available they call the PASTG long before they will need help

## Information

- Web Page
- SOP, ARIS manual
- Important links to other valuable information
- Newsletter
- Awards programs
- etc

- mwa.ars.usda.gov
- Program Admin Support Task Group (PASTG)

**Notes:**
1999
Rich source of information

Links page is extensive

Notice that the PASTG web page is in the new ARS format.  Sandy Gronenberg, our web master served on the ARS Web page redesign and has incorporated all the approved formats into the PASTG page.

## Mentoring

- Every new secretary has a mentor
- Mentors are experienced, well-respected
- Mentor is usually at a different location
- RLs support the program

**Notes:**
Cadre of secretaries who are known to be very competent and service oriented

Select a mentor from a different location (if at all possible) so a new secretary can ask for help from someone who expects the call, who wants to help and will reassure the new employee that there is a lot to learn and not to worry if she hasn’t absorbed it all the first time

Huge success
RLs often request a mentor even before they hire a secretary.

## Training

- Scholarship Program
- FY 2000
- Up to $1,000
- Average 8 - 10 awards per year
- Wide variety of classes

**Notes:**
Originally conceived for secretaries but quickly expanded

Opened the program to everyone except Ph.D. level scientists
Each year we support about 8-10 scholarships

Attendance at
	Software training
	Learn how to use a new instrument
	AMA (American Management Association) course
	Attend meetings

Enthusiastic support around the area

## Secretaries meeting

- Cover wide range of topics
- General interest
- Time management
- How to build your nest egg
- Customer service and team building
- Hands on technical training
- STAR training
- Contracts and agreements
- ARIS training

- Networking

**Notes:**
Held every three years in the MWA.  Planning is already underway for the third 
Meeting.

Workshop format and all topics are directed to the secretary in his/her job.

Subject matter is divided equally between topics of general interest and hands-on technical training.

PASTG made a very important connection between the secretaries and the LAOs

## Teamwork

- Role clarification between LAO and secretaries
- RSA
- LAO is the ADODR and has contact with key University administrative staff
- Secretary works with individual University departments
- Status of funds
- Secretary tracks the dollars
- LAO balances the accounts

**Notes:**

Teamwork is a nice concept but finding a way to really implement teamwork is not easy.

All candor – turf battles had always existed between secretaries and their LAOs

PASTG seized opportunities to illustrate how a secretary and the LAO can compliment rather than compete with one another.  SOP helped a lot.

They have done an outstanding job of illustrating how the LAO, the MU secretary and the RL can really function together as a team.

EXAMPLE - LAO works with key university people to ensure that the RSA supports our program, and that the University understands how it works from ARS’ perspective.

The secretary, after the LAO engages RSA discussions with University Administration, MU the secretary works with his/her University counterparts in the various Departments  to ensure that all aspects of the agreement are implemented properly.

LAO has one role, the secretary has another and they work together for the program

Status of funds can make for testy discussions.
Once everyone knows her/her role, easier to work together.
Secretaries track spending
LAO balances the accounts

I won’t suggest that these relationships are all sweetness and light, but there is a framework for a dialog and disagreements are settled more easily because roles are defined

## What about the LAOs?

- Jack of all trades
- 			............ and a master of everything
- Broad technical skill set that must be continually enhanced
- Organizational and supervisory skills

**Notes:**
PUT ALL THIS ENERGY AND EFFORT INTO OUR SECRETARIES
WHAT ABOUT THE LAOs?

Diane and I are not shy when it comes to singing the praises of our LAOs
We boast about them – and believe they are among the very best in the Agency.
Notice everything listed here is skills – many of the very sophisticated – but still very technical

But we wanted to do something more
Something that would give them an opportunity to be more effective in their jobs but even more important, to give them a greater sense of their value to the Agency and an opportunity to really develop the people skills and network that is needed for them to function as a team.
Reason:
Spend considerable resources on technical training
Recently Jim Bradley shared the results of the LAO Skills Building Workgroup
The Workgroup did a wonderful job of defining what you need to know, and where you can get training.
Many opportunities out there to enhance your technical skills
Further, we develop training courses in the MWA so that our people will be ready for new software and the related responsibilities that go with a new way of doing things.

## Role of the LAO in the Midwest Area

- The LAO is a vital part of the Location Management Team
- Role is derived from the MWA Senior Management Team (SMT) concept
- Director
- Associate Director
- Assistant Director
**Area Administrative Officer**

**Notes:**
WE BELIEVE - This is really a revolutionary concept in ARS.

Idea derives from my management philosophy for MWA – the SMT – not unique to MWA certainly but we take the concept very seriously
Diane is privy to all information that I share with the other two directors – her input is essential to good decisions. 

Our big MWA locations everyone recognizes that they cannot survive without an effective LAO

On the smaller locations, LAOs  have been confused with secretaries and sometimes treated like gofers.
You know the situation – I need this yesterday and if you don’t get it, you aren’t providing the support we need

## LAO Leadership Laboratory

- Modeled  program after the RL Leadership Lab
- RLs frequently have little awareness of AFM issues
- Objective of the Lab: Integrate the LAO into the Location *Leadership* Team
- LC and RLs
**Location Administrative Officer**

**Notes:**
The LAOs need leadership training.

Objective – how can the LAO function more effectively as a member of the Location Leadership Team.  The operative word here is leadership.

Must be honest:  RLs have little awareness of AFM issues
Most of them don’t care
LAO’s provide a vital perspective that will help them make better decisions, better understand how the Agency manages the business side of the house

To assist us in this initiative we
We asked Alan and Amy Gilburg from Growth Dynamics to develop an LAO leadership lab that is modeled after the New RL Leadership Lab

They will be talking you tomorrow - 

## Leadership Lab Components

- Individual consultations
- 3-day small group programs
- Practice back at the job
- Availability of coaches
- CONFIDENTIALITY

**Notes:**
Focus was on the individual

Not a lecture course – but 1-1 coaching to help the LAOs reach their full potential

## What does the lab cover?

- Personality strengths and weaknesses
- Communication tools
- Development of constructive habits
- Creation of a network of peers
- Balance in daily life
- Self-confidence and power of influence
- Setting priorities

**Notes:**
No personality type is good or bad – it is just something we all have
Each comes with positives and negatives that impact the way we interact with others.

## How is it going?

- Lab has been running for several months
- LAOs have networked and formed a tight peer group
- MWA LAO conference calls
- Providing support for one another
- Better understanding of their role at the location, in MWA, and ARS

## Comments from Participants

- "I wasn't happy about it at first, but this has been one of the best things you have ever done for me.  I can't tell you how much I have learned.  I've really come to see that my colleagues aren't going to think less of me if I don't know something and we now feel very comfortable using each other as a resource...  Every LAO will benefit from going through this leadership lab."

## "This LAO Lab has been great.  However, you could live to regret this.  We are becoming a tight group and are going to be a force to be reckoned with!"

**Notes:**
LAOs now have regular conference calls without Diane.  

## "Thank you for the LAO Lab.  It has been wonderful.  I wasn't very happy about it at first because of everything already on my plate.  But I found that I didn't know myself or my counterparts as well as I thought.  Through our meetings, I've come to appreciate them more and found what a wonderful resource we can be to each other.  I don't hesitate now to pick up the phone to ask any of them for help if I need it and I feel I can pour my heart out to any one of them and won't be judged.  We are really working well together."