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Show 2 Hilltop Times July 15, 1993 (SoiurDiruQcairQGOoD-- Continued from Page provide services for essentially pays for the manpower we use for whatever amount of time it takes to get something done. They also pay for the overthe people we have head structure in both management and support positions who are working on something, 1 want to save the commander for a last resort," he said. "I have a style I picked up from General Yates, and that is if it helps to solve a problem, get the commander involved right away. Even if you don't think it helps to solve the problem, let him know and give him the option of helping you to address the issue. Communicate, municate, communicate. "As an example, I think people here accept a 'No' answer too easily from a captain or a civilian at the lower tiers at headquarters when they're working problems," he said. "I would like the opportunity to take things to the general officer level, if necessary, to get things resolved instead of automatically accepting 'No.' I think people are too passive sometimes; I would like them to be a little more aggressive." Lyles said the 11 months he spent as Hill's vice commander were invaluable. "It has certainly put me in a better posture, obviously, to know what the job here entails. I'm hoping it helped General (Lt. Gen. Dale W.) Thompson a little bit too, now that he's back at headquarters, because there are a lot of General Yates' initiatives in the new command that are carryovers from things we did in Systems but who perhaps aren't doing the aclabor. tual hands-o"What we have to do to be competitive is reduce our total costs to the cusn com- Command. "I think my having the chance to ex- plain the background and rationale for some of what the new command is going to be expected to do has helped prepare our senior people here too," he said. Areas of emphasis the general identified are: tomer, where we can, and provide the . ? . Quality Brig. Gen. Lester "Another major commitment I have is to the people who live and work here. I want to continue to improve our facilities and the base itself as a show-plac- e for people who live and work here. Challenges "I think we can say we're well poised for current challenges," Lyles said. "If you look across the last year, certainly the last two years, at the Air Force and command awards Ogden ALC has won, I dare say you won't find any Air Force base or any DOD organization that has achieved what we have. "To name a few, we have won the DOD Environmental Management Photo by Gregg Wixom Lyles will test our ability to make changes and to make improvements," he said. Ogden ALC needs to continue to as- The first thing I want to do is to ensure that the work force and all of us here really understand what our major goals and objectives are and that we're all working in unison to reach those goals and objectives. 99 -- said. L. 66 Goals combat forces that we can. "Second, our overall objective is to improve our depot functions so that we're the best fighter depot in the Department of Defense. Improving some of our other activities like our landing gear facility so that we're the best landing gear facility in the entire United States is another objective," he people or improving the process so we can do it quicker so it doesn't take as long and have as much cost associated with it." - "We have been having a hard time recently with the word 'goals' because we have command goals, strategic goals, etc., and maybe 'goals' is the wrong word to use," Lyles said. "First, I think our purpose for being needs to we're be made clear to everybody here to provide the best support to best services possible," he said. "That means doing the same job with fewer Brig. Gen. Lester L. Lyles Ogden ALC commander sess its organizational structure to determine the best alignment of all of its talents, Lyles said. "I am not the type who, just because I'm now in charge, will make wholesale changes," he said. "Everything will be studied very, very carefully before we make any major changes and disrupt the work force and organizational structure we have today," he said. "What we're going to have to do, given the challenges we have had in the past and what we anticipate the changes will be in the future, is to evaluate our organizational structure and alignment of our talents. Problems "The first thing I want to do is to ensure that the work force and all of us here really understand what our major goals and objectives are and that we're all working in unison to reach those goals and objectives," Lyles said. "Another problem we have is that in order to realize our vision of being the best depot in DOD and provide the best support to our customers, we need to constantly work on reducing the cost of our services," he said. "Even if we weren't in a competitive environment, it's the right thing to do for our customers, for the combat forces and for the taxpayers. "As leaders, we have to tell the workers what we think is important, what our visions and goals are, and what our problems are. That's up to the leadership here to make sure we articulate that to the work force," Lyles Award. In this command, we have the best civilian personnel office; we have the best finance office; the best housing officer; we won both the Golden Plate Award and the Golden Door Award; we have the best airfield support award, the Rex Riley Award; and numerous others. This tells me that the talent is here and whatever challenges we have ahead of us, we need to marshal those talents and utilize them to help us solve our problems. "The bottom line is we have the best of the best in personnel and organizations. That to me automatically says that whatever challenges are ahead, we have the right people to try to address them," he said. He identified problems that have to be dealt with. The emphasis on downsizing for all the DOD will continue, Lyles said. said. "We skated by the RIF this year and "Now where the work force comes in we're not going to be considered for is as the experts, as the ones out on the base closure at least for the next cou- floor who do the work and know the ple of years, but we can't rest on our work better than any of us. It's a two-wa- y laurels, because there will be more emstreet. They have to tell us and we phasis on reducing personnel. There have to look for ways to help them will be more competitive efforts on the solve their problems, reduce costs and part of logistics centers, which means improve processes and quality," he we could lose major workloads if we said. "The communication has to flow aren't competitive. There will be more both ways. "I want to elaborate on what I mean emphasis on reorganizations and consolidations and things like that which by costs," Lyles said. "Whoever we "Air Force people building the world's most respected Air and Space Force Hilltop Times Published by MorMedia, Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under exclusive written contract with Hill AFB. This commercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. military services. Contents of the Hilltop Times are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. 394.9655 (OGDEN) OR 532-777- n Global Power and Reach for America. The appearance of advertisements in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or MorMedia, Inc. of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Ogden Air Logistics Center Public Affairs Office staff. Bldg. 1102. Room 118, Ext. 77321. Unless otherwise indicated, all photos are U.S. Air Force photos. TO PLACE AN ADVERTISEMENT, CALL "As we've stated in the past, quality is something we all have to pay a tremendous amount of attention to in order to stay competitive in the future and in order to ensure we're providing the best product we can to our customers," Lyles said. "I have to do a job of reinvigorating the emphasis on quality," he said. "The term has been around for so long that some people have either lost faith in what we're trying to do or lost the desire to work on things associated with quality. "Previously, we were working under the President's Quality criteria, and we're switching to the Malcolm Bald-rig- e criteria," he said. "The reason we switched is because Malcolm Bald-rig- e has a bit higher stature. I applaud the Air Force leadership for going for the best. It shows we're serious about it, but it has caused some confusion on the part of our people. We have not lost our allegiance to the quality movement; we've just stepped up to the best of the quality movements. "I want the workers to know that both (vice commander) Brig. Gen. Charles H. Perez and I are going to do our level best to keep the center operating properly as a logistics center. I value his comments and advice just as I value those of the other senior leadership here. We have a wealth of experience and probably the best of their kind in command at this center. It would be folly not to take their advice and counsel," Lyles said. "My management style is a hands-ostyle from one standpoint," Lyles said. "I want to understand new things, that is my natural curiosity. I want to be involved and I want to stay involved. I want to know the good things and the bad things," he said. "However, I know that nobody has enough time to get involved in everything, so I have to also follow General Thompson's approach. That is, he let people solve the problems. He gave them the leeway and let them go ahead and work things, and they came back to him with solutions. I want base workers to know I will do the same and to pass on the message that I'm here to make things work better for them to get their jobs done." Hill AFB Editorial Staff: Brig. Gen. Letter L. Lyles Commander, Len Barry Acting director, Public Affairs Editor Gary Hatch Staff writers Jay Joertz, Frances Kosakowsky OO-AL- C Deadlinott Editorial and "Around tho Hill" itomi, 3 p.m. Tuotday, nino day boforo publication; sport articUl, 9 a.m. Monday, wmIi of publication; clattifiod p.m. tdi-toad, 2call r. wook of publication. For mora Information, tho y, Ext. 4 (SALT LAKE CITY). |