Action Officer (AO)

[Virtual Presenter] How do we define AO? Simply defined, an Action Officer is the person responsible for a specific project or in many cases at VSCOS, taskers coming from all directions. As an Action Officer, it’s your responsibility to build team and gather information relevant to matter, and make it digestible for decision makers across all command levels. You’ll also provide subject matter expertise as an Enterprise 2T3, to provide recommendations, validate observations, and develop event collection plans and after action reports to support task or project requirements. In meeting settings, all AO inputs have the same impact regardless of rank! Collects, documents, validates, and analyzes observations, personal assessments, interviews, questionnaires and research activities. Provides subject matter expertise and recommendations in determining observation ownership and resolution venues to improve warfighter operations. Develops collection plans, concepts of operation, and after action reports in support of the vehicle enterprise. Staff member who works actions (tasks) on behalf of senior decision makers Shapes info/submits recommendations that eventually become decisions Speaks and work on behalf of VSCOS/CC/Director, Senior Leaders up the chain, etc. The AO is SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF senior leaders!.

[Audio] Why is this important? As you make your transition into VSCOS, you will notice that although we are in fact a Squadron, we have and serve many staff functions. It is important to recognize the difference here versus being in a tactical LRS or VM Flight and the gravity of impact your responses, messaging and decisions have to the Enterprise, external and internal stakeholders. The information you are sharing up and out directly drives Senior Leader Decision making across multiple levels of Command. This feeds directly into our next topic of Effective communication and why it is important to recognize who our customers and stakeholders are and the significance in ensuring our messaging out to these customers and stakeholders needs to be in sync and aligned with DAF priorities but also in line with our Commander's messaging and intent..

[Audio] Here are just a few examples of items you will be asked to lead in developing, coordinating and routinely updating to help further capture specific topics or answer specific data/information calls from external entities. When in doubt, open the Tongue and Quill!.

[Audio] Your requirements may further look a little more like this. Leading up topic or region centric working groups, pulling routine data pulls or specified data calls in coordination with your working group efforts. Developing high level briefs – immersions, topic centric, etc. with the goal of educating our senior leaders to make informed decisions on behalf of our unit's mission and processes. Art of the Possible and Continuous Process Improvement efforts – identifying waste and bottlenecks within our own processes and processes we influence, and helping to refine these processes through organized, controlled efforts. Finally, you may be called to coordinate internal efforts like town halls and commander's calls, but also enterprise engagements like the annual VTAC. In these, you will be asked to organize a team/multiple teams to get after the goal at hand and make the event run smoothly..

[Audio] As shared above and as you will see in the next couple of slides, we answer to many people and organizations daily. Whether a senior leader or another customer, we owe it to them to be in sync and deliberate with our messaging. Units look to us for guidance and direction more so today than yesterday and lean on us for forward projecting as we transition into this new fight, and to support the National Defense Strategy. Too many times, peers call up asking for information on topics as a "buddy" and turn around an hour later saying "VSCOS said." That means we need to be on our toes and messaging the same across the board. Knowing when to elevate matters and when to seek leadership direction from above, as there may be times where the risk isn't' yours to take, but one for the commander to take..

6. 441 VSCOS SAF HAF DoD Agencies MAJCOM / Combatant CCs AFPET AFLCMC AFIMSC Log Panel / PEM POTUS / Congress DAF Fleet Managers Warfighter.

7. You! HAF/A4L AFMC 635 SCOW 735 SCOG 441 VSCOS Command Team Flight Chiefs CSS ACF FSF JLTV PMF Squadron.

[Audio] EMAIL ETIQUETTE: Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) What is your bottom line (your position, conclusion, or recommendation) Proof read- Look at it more than once to ensure it gets the correct message across and have someone else read over your work Ensure you are answering the question If you don't understand what's needed, ask! Use active voice Emphasizes the doer of the action Shows who or what does the action in the sentence Avoid use of jargon, "official-speak," and acronyms Know your audience on the other end Simple, understandable Be selective about what messages you send Remember OPSEC Be selective about who gets the message Reply to specific addressees to give those not interested a break Use "reply all" sparingly Get permission before using large e-mail distribution groups Double-check the addresses before hitting the send button Check all attachments before sending Read/sanitize email traffic before forwarding Keep inbox and other folders organized Set "out of office" when away more than 48hrs Protect e-mail during transmission to ensure data integrity Digitally sign PHONE ETIQUETTE: When answering the phones we must always keep a professional tone When taking a message or referring someone, ensure you ask for customers name/rank phone number reason they are calling. Always be respectful because you never know who you may be talking to. Signature Block Etiquette Do not include quotations or other extraneous items in signature block Include a signature block on all official e-mails Name must be in ALL CAPS.