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Dickerson looks for job candidates who
demonstrate confidence |
Name: Colonel Rob Dickerson
Position: Army West Point Deputy Military AD
Age: 51
Where I’m from: Wilmington, DE
Where I call home: Wherever the army sends me (currently West Point, N.Y.)
Focusing on right now: Planning for the Army-Navy football game.
Best advice: If you want to be an effective manager and leader, you have to show your peers and those that work for you that you are concerned not only for them but for their families as well. You have to be able to motivate and inspire, and that requires good writing, verbal and public speaking skills. And you always want to be viewed as a team player.
Exec I admire the most: I’m very fortunate to have known West Point Superintendent Lieutenant General BOB CASLEN ever since I was a cadet at West Point. Here’s a guy who at 63 years old can out-PT (physical train) any young officer out there. He’s a great warrior and a great leader who is able to inspire just about anybody he meets. And he is also very flexible in working with AD BOO CORRIGAN. They both complement each other by doing what it takes to field competitive teams while understanding that the cadet-athletes’ primary mission is to become officers in the U.S. army.
Must for a new hire: People in the military profession have passed a very rigorous education and physical program to get to where they are, so you make a lot of assumptions. The trust is immediately there, so there’s more to be lost than to be gained. But the better leaders always rise above by exceling in certain areas: You need to be able to demonstrate confidence in your profession, and that requires learning and listening to those leaders above you.
Best book I’ve read: “In the Company of Heroes” by MICHAEL DURANT and STEVEN HARTOV. It’s an excellent book and a great Veteran’s Day read in particular, displaying Durant’s personal courage and will to survive despite dire circumstances after being shot down in Somalia. It’s filled with incredible acts of heroism displayed by many people during that fateful Oct. 3, 1993 day.
First thing in the morning: Have a cup of coffee. That’s just one thing in the military you never get out of the habit of doing. I’ll catch about 20 minutes of the news to catch up on what happened the night prior, and then I’ll go and do a physical workout for anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half.
Talking tech: Being a public institution funded by the federal government, we probably have access to more than what a civilian public institution has in terms of resources. Mr. Corrigan knows the business very well and is very good at mimicking what the best technological practices of other programs to bring ours right alongside them.
Must-have music: I grew up with late ‘70s and ‘80s rock, so I’m a big rock fan. I love LED ZEPPELIN, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and those types of rock bands from that era. If it’s got a great guitar rift, I’ll listen to it.
Food for thought: You’re talking to a person whose wife just recently found Blue Apron for meals to be delivered. My wife SHELLEY and I tend to try to get out about twice a week. We are diverse, but our go-to food is Italian. I love the fact that we share the same likes with food. She grew up in Kentucky, so she never necessarily had hoagies and steak sandwiches, but something I grew up on the East Coast with was a really good deli sandwich. Every time I go back to Delaware, I have to stop in to Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop and get The Bobbie, which is basically Thanksgiving on a roll.
How I unwind: I like the Friday, Saturday, Sunday get-togethers with my fellow officers and their spouses. We’re a very close-knit community because we’re all military officers with common beliefs and bonds, yet we’ve all had unique experiences due to the places where we’ve served.
Day in the life: I’ve got the best colonel’s job in the army, because it’s all the sweet spots -- management, leadership and sports. I grew up playing sports and love sports, so I get to do my job from an administrative and logistical standpoint, but at the end of the day, I get to go out and spend time with the football team, the soccer team, the basketball team and watch a lot of sports.
