Deirdre Sumpter, the Technical Director for the U.S. Army Evaluation Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland was the speaker at the Feb. 22 Tea Talk on Leadership held at the Post Theater and via MS Teams.

Tea Talk on Leadership

Sumpter started off by going over the U.S. Army Evaluation Center mission and said their customer is the Vice Chief of the Army. She said the mission is to provide decision-makers essential information.

“When you talk about leadership you need to know who your boss is, and you must know your boss’s vision.”

Sumpter then went on to talk about leadership and what it means to each person.

“Being true to self, leading by example and being that role model/mentor for inspiring future leaders.”

She pointed out that S.M.A.R.T leaders are:

Strategic – exhibit flexible, responsive leadership that makes good use of experience and plans for the future.

Motivational – energize and encourage others to pursue leader-defined goals.

Achieving – obtain results by overcoming barriers to effectiveness.

Resourceful – deal with problems, concerns, and questions promptly and effectively.

Team-Oriented – share rewards and responsibilities.

“You have to develop your own leadership style and own it,” Sumpter said.

She said good leaders do the following:

1. Model the way – exemplary leaders know that if they want to gain commitment and achieve the highest standards, they must be models of the behavior they expect of others.

2. Inspire a shared vision – give your team a reason to come into work energized each morning by creating a shared vision that they can be excited and proud of creating.

3. Challenge the process – whatever the challenge, it involved a change from the status quo. Most leaders challenge the process.

4. Enable people to act – make sure your team has the tools they need and are empowered to take the necessary actions to make that vision a reality.

5. Encourage the heart- people can become exhausted, frustrated, and disenchanted. They’re often tempted to give up. Leaders encourage the heart to carry on. Genuine acts of caring uplift the spirits and draw people forward.

Sumpter said she prides herself in being emotionally intelligent and takes the time to hear extraordinary ideas that come from introverts because they are not often given the opportunity to speak.

“I pause during meetings so I can hear from that person who really wants to speak.”

Finally, she went over Executive Core Competencies:

1. Leading Change – The ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals and to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.

2. Leading People – The ability to lead people toward meeting the organization’s vision, mission, and goals and to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

3. Results Driven – The ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations and to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.

4. Business Acumen – The ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

5. Building Coalitions – The ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.

In summary she said to lead looking two up and one down, to develop and own your leadership style and to be you.

As a leader, Sumpter said the best scenario is to lead those you think you can count on but as a true leader you have to remember that you signed on to lead all people.

Miriam Rodriguez

WSMR Public Affairs