Even though the Space Force has been around since 2019, many still aren’t exactly sure what the Space Force does or why it’s so important. ClearanceJobs had the chance to sit down with Jason Lamb, Talent Strategist for the Space Force, to learn what makes the Space Force different and the culture he and his colleagues are building.
Lamb graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1995 and was commissioned as an active duty intelligence officer. He spent over 25 years as an officer until retiring as a colonel.
Shortly before he retired, he began writing articles under the pseudonym Colonel Ned Stark. These articles challenged the way the Air Force was promoting officers. “There seemed to be a disconnect between what we said we were all about and what we were actually promoting, so I challenged the Air Force on a number of fronts, under both my name and the pseudonym,” said Lamb.
These articles got a lot of attention, and after his retirement, the Space Force reached out to him for help building their talent management program. They wanted the Space Force to be different, and Lamb jumped at the chance to put his words into action.
Lamb wrote the Space Force’s human capital strategic plan, the Guardian Ideal and led the development of Guardian Commitment. The Commitment is a social contract between leaders and members based on the principle that everyone on the team should be accountable to the same standards centered around the Space Force Values: character, connection, commitment, and courage. While there are some differences between Team Leaders’ and Team Members’ responsibilities, all of those responsibilities tie back to the values.
“What really struck me was formalizing the idea of this contract between Guardians who are team members and their supervisors,” said Lamb. “How do we make this a two-way street, so it’s not just the commander or the supervisor who’s saying ‘do this, do that.’”
Contrary to popular belief, the Space Force is not actually sending its members into space. Working in this field requires a lot of understanding of physics and space, being technically savvy, and keeping the mindset of a warfighter even though team members might not actually be in harm’s way. Rather than team members competing with each other, they all bring their unique knowledge and insights to the table to solve problems and continue their mission.
“No one person can do this alone,” said Lamb. “The Space Force construct was built on recognizing that one person can’t know everything. We have to rely on diversity and working together. We’re intentionally developing the strengths of individual guardians, not making them one size fits all or interchangeable but building their skillsets and knowing them well enough that we can build a team and make the most of the Guardian’s strength.”
The Space Force is the smallest military service, but its Guardians are responsible for the largest and most physically challenging of the warfighter domains. “The only way we’re going to be successful is with our teams, and those teams are based on the Guardian Commitment,” said Lamb.
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