MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- In an effort to align with the Air Force’s Enlisted Force Development (EFD) Action Plan, the Integrated Resilience Office is offering a professional diametrics program (PDP) ProScan and TeamScan for Airmen looking to better themselves and their units.
The IRO team is a total force collaboration of Airmen and civilians with expertise in building physical, mental, social and spiritual resilience through collaboration with helping agencies and coordinated activities.
Heading the PDP ProScan Team is Stephanie Wynn, 6th ARW IRO community support coordinator and PDP lead trainer. Wynn has worked across the Air Force bringing programs like PDP to installations pursuing the EFD Action Plan initiatives. Since her arrival at MacDill, 158 personnel from 10 different work groups have taken the assessment and seen the results of the program.
“I did the program with the Security Forces Squadron last month,” said Wynn. “This was a group that was a section made up of all different specialties from varying shifts. They collectively came together to complete the training because they knew they needed it, and they have certainly shown an improvement since then.”
The evaluation consists of a five-minute word association test identifying strengths, energy level, energy drain, motivators, stressors, satisfaction, communication and leadership styles, logic, back-up styles and more. The class portion breaks these categories into three subjects of discussion: basic/natural self, priority environment and outward self.
The basic/natural self focuses on developing a view of how you handle life when you are free to function with no constraints, whether it be one’s strengths, how they receive information, making decisions and working projects. The priority environment addresses how the participant feels others perceive them, painting a picture of how they feel they have to act in their environment. It addresses the pressures and stressors of the last six to eight weeks. Finally, the outward self is a representation of how they may be perceived by others based on both the basic/nature self and the priority environment.
“I’ve had supervisors keep a copy of the Quickview report, which is a one-page summary, of each of their Airmen,” said Wynn. “That way when someone starts struggling with something, that supervisor is able to understand the person’s thought process with one quick scan of the document. That method has worked great because it’s one more tool that supervisors are able to use to reframe a conflict before it develops any further.”
Following the assessment, participants or organizations may choose a two or four hour training session, at which point they’ll discuss what the results mean and how they can be applied. The goal is to allow the participant to develop a plan to better understand how they can best utilize their strengths to achieve their mission in work and life.
In addition, the IRO offers a team dynamic report, called TeamScan, which is set up to evaluate team dynamics. The results of each individual examination are compiled for an overall team chart that paints a picture of how the team is functioning. This addresses some of the strengths the team has and maps out potential conflicts that may arise as a result of conflicting behavioral traits and stressors.
At its core, the PDP ProScan and TeamScan are designed to help Airmen better understand themselves and to work better with one another. Wynn claims the keys to healthy and successful relationships is to understand yourself first, then those around you, be that your work team or your family. Wynn continues, the more open people are about themselves the more productive communication will be and the less conflict will arise.
“I believe in this program so much that when I first met with my supervisor here, I gave him a copy of my PDP ProScan Quickview results,” said Wynn. “I told him ‘this is me in a nutshell,’ that one sheet gave him everything he needed to know about how I function and communicate.”
Programs like PDP look to develop Airmen in a way that aligns with the EFD Action Plan’s non-traditional education by providing “opportunities and content beyond traditional classes, courses, and schools.” These programs serve as a testament to the 6th ARW’s continual investment in their enlisted Airmen at every rank.
The IRO team, along with the other helping agencies, is continually facilitating programs designed to create a healthier and more inclusive workspace.
In the EFD Action Plan, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Brown Jr. and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass cosign, “An environment focused on continual growth is key for our Airmen to thrive and reach their full potential. By further investing in and empowering our Airmen, we better position them to act with confidence and out-think our adversaries by approaching and solving problems in new ways.”
To learn more about the IRO team please visit https://www.macdill.af.mil/Units/Integrated-Resilience/ or call 813-828-9339/9338.