Command invests in creating a high-performance culture and a strategic plan connecting workforce to mission Published June 24, 2024 By Bonnie Poindexter, SSC Public Affairs EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- What needs to change and what will stay the same are considerations of almost every new military commander, including Lt. Gen. Phil Garrant when he took the helm of Space Systems Command (SSC) last February. In SSC’s case, the answers weren’t easy. For SSC - and Space Force overall – ongoing improvement is actually what will stay the same. Space Force, now in its 5th year, and SSC approaching its 3rd, will continue to evolve, grow, and change as the branch and field command leadership teams identify opportunities and gaps and the most effective ways to fill them. At the same time, they are continually looking at how to optimize structure, organization, and priorities in order to meet increasing threats in space, and how to take the greatest advantage of a burgeoning commercial industry, other government agencies and allies, all of which are eager to align and support what’s described as today’s new era of Great Power Competition. “What we’re developing at SSC is a strategic plan – an action plan - that will connect our leadership team and our entire workforce to our mission,” explained Lt. Gen. Garrant. “Change isn’t going away, and it shouldn’t go away – not at Space Force, nor at SCC – and quite frankly, not at any organization or company that operates in a competitive, technology-driven industry. No matter what our individual role at SSC, we are all challenged with managing ongoing change with responsible behaviors, transparency, and a new outward mindset that will better create the collaborate culture we all strive to develop.” What is SSC doing differently? As the first step toward building a strategic plan that SSC’s entire command could align to, Lt. Gen. Garrant kicked off an invigorating leadership development workshop series. Here, leaders were challenged to learn about and adapt outward mindset patterns that began with seeing others as equals and considering needs and challenges of other individuals and teams. “We brought SSC leaders together and challenged them, often quite uncomfortably, to reflect on their current leadership styles and interpersonal engagements at work and home,” said Garrant. The workshop series involves facilitated exercises including skillset and mindset change scenarios and case studies designed to help leaders discover and implement more effective styles and development solutions. “As our senior leadership, program executive officers, command office directors, and two letters proceed through the outward mindset workshops, I’m eager for us all to see different approaches; new, collaborative behaviors,” said Garrant. Operating and leading in a new way -- with an outward mindset -- takes some thought; some practice at first. Team SSC is set up for success with the series of recurring workshop sessions where attendees continue to practice the new styles and become more skilled at deploying them across their professional and personal relationships. “And we’re not stopping there,” shared Col. Michelle Idle, deputy commander of SSC. “We’ve created a cohort program which will enable a broad selection of SSC personnel to participate in the facilitated Outward Leadership Development workshops. The entire workforce reaps the benefits of leading with an outward mindset. The value even expands to our interactions with sister field commands and other government agencies.” SSC’s strategic plan Concurrent with the development workshops, SSC leaders have been highly engaged in building the command’s new strategic plan. This includes rethinking the organizational structure and determining programs or units that require attention, whether that be redesignating resources, realignments, efforts we might stop or pause, and even establishing new or combined operating units such as the stand-up of SSC’s Operational Test & Training Infrastructure program executive office, or its integrated mission deltas earlier this year. “Developing SSC’s strategic plan with a collaborative approach that includes the leadership team coming together with our newly acquired outward mindsets has visibly improved our ability to look beyond our teams’ individual needs and focus on what we need to do as a command,” said Garrant. The strategy includes effecting lasting organizational change by investing in and connecting the workforce. Engaging in healthy discussion about the big picture, building stronger relationships, fostering collaboration and trust, is the foundation for SSC’s strategic plan, which is nearing the final stage of development stage before being shared across the Command later in early Fall. Garrant is taking a unique approach with the plan and will invite representatives from Space Force, sister field commands, government agencies, and even allied and commercial partners, to come together in August to review SSC’s strategic plan together. Attendees will be encouraged to share feedback on their understanding of the plan and how it may impact their own business decisions, including their ability to partner with SSC now and in the future. How can I get involved? SSC personnel who are interested in learning more about changing your mindset, please send an email to SSC.PA.StratComm@spaceforce.mil. Quick tips for creating your own outward mindset: It is human nature to carry distorted ways of seeing ourselves vs. others. How we see ourselves compared to others greatly affects how we see and experience others and how we react to situations. What is the difference between an inward and outward mindset? Individuals with an inward mindset typically choose behaviors that protect and advance their own agenda or best interests. These people are usually self-focused on their objectives and choose behaviors that help only them or their teams. They see others as objects-obstacles, vehicles, or irrelevant when it comes to advancing their own agendas. Individuals with an outward mindset focus on understanding the needs, goals, and challenges of others. These people choose behaviors that advance the collective mission. An outward mindset enables people to see others as people with equal needs, objectives and challenges and take those things into account when choosing their behaviors. Developing an outward mindset begins with believing that others matter just like we matter. Consider adapting the SAM framework: See others: Consider the needs, challenges, and goals of others. Try to see people as people and believe that they matter. You can ask yourself questions like, "What would it be like to be him?" or "What are his/her worries?" Adjust your efforts: Try to be more helpful to others based on what you've observed. Measure impact: Hold yourself accountable for the impact your actions have on others.