Leadership Reflection: Terry Harrington
 
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        Leadership reflections: Terry Harrington
            Area Manager Terry Harrington, DLA Disposition Services Ft. Bragg, North Carolina

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                    VIRIN: 220501-D-AU600-201** I serve as the area manager at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. My job is to effectively strike a balance between providing effective and efficient disposal support to our customers while maintaining a safe, warfighter-focused environment for our personnel. **How long have you worked for the federal government including military service?** Approximately 20 years. **How long have you worked for DLA Disposition Services?** 5 years. **What is your favorite memory with DLA Disposition Services?**There are a multitude, but they’re all centered around the same premise: professional/personal actualization of some well deserving teammates and being an integral part of it. **What aspect(s) of your current job gives you the most personal satisfaction and why?** Truly, without question, I gain the utmost satisfaction in watching others realize their potential, particularly those that are committed to DLA’s mission. **What is the best piece of advice someone has given you?** There are two: The way someone treats you is a reflection of how they feel about themselves.
 Life is all about managing expectations – most of all your own! **What kinds of training and education helps your work performance in your current role?** Other than the leadership and logistics training (miscellaneous/various) that I received on active duty, I’d say the education that I’m currently receiving via UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business school MBA program has been extraordinarily beneficial. Courses such as data analytics, marketing, operations, leading and managing, strategic economics, business communication, etc. have enhanced my ability to demonstrate the value of analytics via CPI, forecasting, etc, effectually communicate both oral and written, and better manage my team. **What would you say has been your major contributions to your organization this year in your job?**Elevating and maintaining morale for the Bragg team during a precarious and difficult period. **If you could speak directly to the warfighters you support, what would you tell them?**I cannot thank you enough for the sacrifices that you make each and every day for us. Please be reminded, that we exist because of you and are intent on providing you with the logistics support you both expect and deserve from us! **Where do you see yourself five years from now?** In an executive position with the agency, one where my talents and skills will be properly utilized. **Tell us something that most people might not know about you or your directorate?**Regarding DLA specifically, I don’t think many people realize how robust our agency is. If we were a Fortune 500 organization, we would be in the top 50. Regarding DLA Disposition Services, I believe many underestimate our reach as well. Other than Antarctica, we operate on every continent (in some capacity). **What is your best memory of working here?** Having a group of employees converge on my office to let me know how much they appreciated me. That meant a lot. **What was your first job?**A line cook at Wendy’s. **Who’s your biggest influence?** My mother and father! **Name your favorite/recent book(s) you have read.** “How to Win Friends and Influence People” – Dale Carnegie; “The Art of War” – Sun Tzu **What is your favorite quote?**“The secret of getting ahead is getting started” – Mark Twain **What did you want to be when you grew up?** An astronaut but I settled with being an Airman. **Who is your hero?** My father! **If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?**  Spend an entire day with my parents. **What’s the most thrilling/adventurous thing you have ever done?** Got married.