The 561st Network Operations Squadron (NOS), headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, manages and defends the Air Force enterprise network for 108 installations, scouring over 800,000 computers for threats.
Peterson Space Force Base
Peterson Space Force Base
The Challenge
The 561st Network Operations Squadron consists of over 250 people, representing a range of generations, backgrounds, and cultures. While everyone has sound operational knowledge, the unit’s leadership strives to ensure their teams have the skills needed to effectively handle the constant change found in military environments, work together productively as a team, and have the resilience to handle daily challenges.
To this end, they host Resiliency Days, bringing the full squadron together twice a year. In the past, these days have ranged from physical exercise to team building to difficult conversations around topics such as workplace satisfaction, well-being, and suicide prevention. This year, they wanted to specifically focus on how to enhance and build a culture of resiliency.
Having already certified Airmen as emotional intelligence instructors, they saw an opportunity to incorporate EQ training into their Resiliency Day program to help the squadron build their emotional intelligence skills and resilience to improve teamwork, develop resilience in handling change, and enhance their overall effectiveness in conducting their operations.
“Change is constant in the military, and we need our members to get behind it, to be part of team, and to have the EQ skills to handle whatever is thrown at them. That’s why it’s so important that we give more time and resources to developing EQ,” stated Chief Master Sergeant Rachel Hammer, the Senior Enlisted Leader for the 561st Network Operations Squadron.
The Solution
Based on the recommendation of Captain Chris Crutchfield, Chief Master Sergeant Rachel Hammer reached out to TalentSmartEQ to help restructure their Resiliency Day to incorporate a custom keynote presentation by Dimyas Perdue, TalentSmartEQ’s Director of Military Solutions, followed by breakout sessions in which they had deeper, more candid conversations about how they had reacted to and handled past challenges.
Having served in the Marine Corps for 22 years, Dimyas knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of this type of training and was able to share his personal experience to connect with the audience and help others to open up and share their challenges.
As one participant commented, “Dimyas is a fantastic speaker and captivates his audience with realistic examples that his audience can relate to on a personal level.”
The goal of the program was to give people a true experience, to not only learn about emotional intelligence and resilience, but to be able to experience it through storytelling and modeling. The program provided participants with emotional intelligence and resilience frameworks and tools, and created space for people to practice using the concepts in real-time, so they could continue to use them after the session.
“In the breakout sessions, we discussed what’s happening below the surface, what you can control, and what’s your purpose as well as sharing real challenges, from cancer to not getting a promotion,” stated Chief Master Sergeant Hammer. “Everyone was very engaged. They could connect with Dimyas’ story, and it really helped others to open up and share their own stories, and have deeper, more meaningful conversations.”
Results
Survey results from participants showed significant increases in program evaluation scores, in comparison to previous Resiliency Day programs, across all categories, including learning insights, impact, engagement, utility, interest and overall program quality compared to the baseline scores for traditional resilience training days.
“We take a lot of standardized tests, but just as important is EQ, the ability of people to work productively together, to respect the diverse range of views, cultures, and backgrounds in our squadron, and to build that teamwork and synergy quicker,” shared Chief Master Sergeant Hammer.
Comments from participants:
“I truly felt that this has been the best resiliency day in our squadron. We need more days exactly like this one. That way we can get the most out of operational pauses and take care of the most important piece. The human element. We are the greatest weapon system and we need to take care of one another.”
“Best resiliency day I’ve ever attended.”
“Fantastic speaker, captivates his audience with realistic examples that his audience can relate to on a personal level.”
Meet Dimyas Perdue
Dimyas leads TalentSmartEQ’s military solutions with 22 years of military training and leadership experience as a retired United States Marine.
Before joining TalentSmartEQ, he shaped pivotal programs at the Lejeune Leadership Institute, impacting over 185,000 Marines. An expert in communication, recruiting, ethical decision-making, and resilience, Dimyas has spoken at numerouse events and collaborated internationally, fostering strong partnerships through his expertise and humility.
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