Leadership Handbook Available

A handbook of information and ideas for NWS leaders is available to all employees from NWS Eastern Region Headquarters (ERH).

The handbook is arranged in two parts. “Understanding Leadership,” helps relate leadership to the NWS and the organization’s goals. “What You as a Leader Can Do Now,” identifies actions leaders can take for self improvement, and for improving personal relations with staff, customers, and across the organization.

The idea for the handbook was an outgrowth of one of the sessions at the Eastern Region’s Management Workshop held in Atlanta, GA, in November 2001, said Tom Baumgardner, Hydrologist-In-Charge of the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, State College, PA. Baumgardner led a breakout session at the Atlanta meeting on “How to Successfully Lead a WFO/CWSU/RFC.”

The group, consisting of six managers (Bob Bell, Steve Harned, Tom Kriehn, Bernie Palmer, Bob Thompson, and Al Wheeler) and NWS Eastern Region Director Dean Gulezian, brainstormed the topic and settled on a handbook format. The concepts in the handbook are drawn from the team’s variety of experiences and training.

After the Atlanta workshop, the team further defined the makeup of the handbook and then put together the pieces. After Rosemary Auld Miller from ERH Scientific Services, edited and reformatted the handbook it was distributed to all Corporate Board members for redistribution. To read and download a copy (in Adobe Acrobat format), click here.

Baumgardner said the project was a learning experience for the team.

“First, we expanded our concept of leadership to include actions we take to build our own leadership characteristics, actions with the staff, actions to benefit the organization, and actions to support the customers we serve. Second, we saw that by working effectively as a group, ‘the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.’ We built on each other’s contributions to develop something we could all be proud of.”

According to Eastern Region Director Dean Gulezian, the leadership handbook was part of a continuing effort to improve the leadership skills of Eastern Region managers and supervisors. Other efforts at previous workshops included having round-table discussions on leadership and bringing outside speakers to discuss leadership topics.

Donna Layton, the course director for the NWS’s Executive Leadership Seminar, said in an e-mail to the handbook developers that the Leadership Handbook captures a variety of leadership wisdom, combined with practical application advice that has “unlimited potential to improve NWS.” Layton added that she is already learning from and using the handbook. "I salute all of you!” she said in her note. “The effort put into the handbook and the quality of what you produced is outstanding...You are keeping the leadership momentum alive and well!”

NWS Director Jack Kelly, in an e-mail to Gulezian, stated “Thanks for sending me a copy of the book. This great idea shows you have our field leaders thinking about leadership. Good show by all.”

Editors’ Note: Following are the final three letters submitted to NOAA's NWS Focus after the August 19 article highlighting a paper by Gary Alan Fine. Two letters ran in the August 26 issue. Thanks to everyone who submitted their opinions.

I would be interested to hear what the Corporate Board thought of Professor Gary Fine's presentation. Especially where he seems to question the "...surprising organization of the National Weather Service into semi-autonomous ‘regions’..." In light of the recent proposals for NCEP to handle much of the longer range forecasts, and the WFOs to deal only in the short range forecasts, it would appear there will be little future need for this type of organizational structure.

Bob Pifer
WFO Miami, FL

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Alan Fine's paper on the sociological aspects of operational weather forecasting was well written and somewhat provocative. Limited as his scope was, the author did have an accurate assessment of operational weather forecasting.

His prediction of the National Weather Service in the future is accurate, as we have left behind the good old days of weather forecasting and being public servants, and are now focusing on a different service group that is dictated by political direction, which is problematic at best.

Our service to the public is no longer the primary focus and this is a dangerous direction. The NWS is in the middle of culture change and its members are in the midst of finding the balance between what was and what is. Gone are the days when Integrity, Professionalism, Loyalty, and Public Service meant something. A moral issue to say the least, is the move away from these values which made the National Weather Service the great organization that it was. We must do our utmost to keep these values with us as we move further into the 21st century. We need to educate our customers about what we do and what services are available to them. In doing so, we can better fit their needs which will result in a more efficient service and a higher customer satisfaction rating.

The most valuable resource that the National Weather Service has is its employees. This resource needs to be treated fairly, without regard to race, religion, gender, and age. Human Relations must be just as important to the agency's mission as issuing warnings and forecasts. It should be reemphasized that it’s at the field offices that the NWS proves its worth and management should support the field offices, instead of the other way around.

David Swallow
WFO Austin/San Antonio TX

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Dr. Fine's article is a superb sociological overview of our organization and raises several valid observations. His last sentence is especially important, though easily overlooked, that our science is ultimately grounded in human relations. As a retired military person with extensive program management experience with the private sector, and a current and long-time successful businessman; I encourage all of us, and especially our leaders to keep his observations in mind and how we can improve the organization.

Bill Nichols
WFO Davenport, IA

NWS Launches New Distance Learning Aviation Course

In late September, NWS will launch a pilot version of a Distance Learning Aviation Course (DLAC). This “blended learning” course features a combination of web-based modules and teletraining, according to the NWS Training Office. Aviation Focal Points at NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) will initially be encouraged to take the course. Based on reviews of this course from students, a revised version of DLAC will be ready for a general offering in the second quarter of FY 03 to all WFO forecasters. The DLAC course was developed by the NWS/Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education, and Training (COMET). For more information contact Eli Jacks at Elliott.Jacks@noaa.gov.

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WFO "Science Team" Concludes Successful Year of Problem Solving

Fifteenth century author and poet Robert Green once quipped “Time nor tide waits for no man.” Had he been born a few hundred years later, he might have added “technology” to his famous quote. One NWS Weather Forecast Office (WFO) has developed a strategy for keeping up with advancing technology.

With a steady flow of new data, new systems, and changing procedures, employees often find themselves pushing to stay on top of new developments and working hard to avoid being left behind. Under the direction of WFO Little Rock, AR, Meteorologist-In-Charge Renee Fair, the office last year developed a special Science Team comprised of talented volunteers from both the technical and operational side of the office.

Team members meet monthly to apply crossover expertise to resolve technological or related problems, Fair said. They also serve as a quick response mechanism for more immediate concerns. Created in September 2001, the team operates under the direct supervision of Information Technology Officer (ITO) Dan Koch. Whenever a problem or concern develops, staffers are encouraged to bring it to the ITO for a quick resolution.

Fair says the team approach definitely works.

“We have so many talented people in this office,” said Fair. “Bringing all that talent together as a team has resulted in better communication, better coordination, and a dramatic improvement in our ability to resolve problems quickly.”

According to Newton Skiles, the Interactive Forecast Preparation System Focal Point, “We have meetings about once a month and deal with all facets of operations. It has been very helpful in handling problems as they arise in a prompt and efficient manner. We work well together.”

Computer model enhancements, interactive programs, and all of the problems inherent in learning and using the latest data gathering and forecasting tools–continues to set a fast pace for WFOs across the Nation.

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New Federal Travel Rates Available

New per diem travel rates from the General Services Administration (GSA) are available in the August 30, 2002, Federal Register.

The rates take effect October 1, 2002. According to the GSA document, the FY 2002 standard CONUS per diem rate and all other per diem lodging rates remain unchanged through September 30, 2003. GSA added 13 new destinations to the per diem listing.

Also On the Web...Navigations, NOAA's Employee Worklife Center Newsletter

The August issue of Navigations, produced by the NOAA Employee Worklife Center, has articles on how to prepare for a mid-career transition, information about the latest trend in business travel, and more worklife-related information.

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