NCOA Dl Leadership And Management Practice Test

According to the Diversity chapter, diversity awareness is the ability to recognize and respond to the needs of various groups within an organization to improve working relationships, productivity, customer satisfaction, and mission effectiveness. In this scenario, TSgt Hayden realizes (recognizes) that SrA Silva has a unique skill that would benefit the situation...He then requests help (responds) to the needs of his Dining Facility team by successfully communicating with the customer thereby improving satisfaction and mission effectiveness.

According to the Emergent Leadership Issues chapter, PTSD is described as a psychiatric disorder that may occur in an individual following exposure to a traumatic event, such as combat or military exposure. SSgt Runner has recently returned from deployment, and shows symptoms described in the PTSD section such as reliving the event and hyper-startle. It’s appropriate for SSgt Runner to seek assistance through the MTF rather than to continue to try to manage PTSD on his own through individual approaches. TSgt Vann’s understanding of PTSD will most likely increase subordinate effectiveness because his reassurance that PTSD exists, and his referral to the MTF will help SSgt Runner move toward healing.

According to the Ethical Leadership chapter, the Three Rs of ethical principles are rules, results, and realities. It explains that “rules” gives us the ethical guidance, “results” are the outcomes, the bottom line, and the consequences of not following those rules, and “realities” which recognize the importance of the situation or circumstances. The scenario depicts SSgt Walker thinking through those areas and coming to an ethical decision

According to the Understanding Diversity section, primary dimensions of diversity are inborn and/or exert an important impact on your early socialization and have an ongoing impact throughout your life. These dimensions cannot normally change. In the scenario, TSgt Banks is clearly explaining the primary dimensions of diversity.

According to the CI chapter, decision analysis is a systematic procedure based on the thinking pattern that you employ when making choices. The four areas that you’ll evaluate in the decision analysis process are: decision statement, determine objectives, locate alternatives, and risk analysis. In the scenario, TSgt Carver follows all four steps when making the decision on which television to purchase. TSgt Carver thinks, “I have to purchase a television for the break room. (decision statement) It must be at least 50 inches and cost less than $750. It would be nice to have high definition picture and HDMI ports.” (determine objectives) After planning, Carver searches the GSA Advantage website and finds many options. He picks the top three choices and puts them in order (locate alternatives). Before submitting to the resource advisor, Carver contemplates, “Did I miss anything? Am I sure these are the best options?” (risk analysis) Later, the flight chief thanks Carver for being under budget and getting extra features he desired.

According to the Leading across lines of Diversity section, Inclusion is making sure everyone has the opportunity to fully participate in the workplace. TSgt Campbell’s action of calling on the Korean team during the meeting and seeing how their contribution was critical to the unit meeting mission requirements ahead of schedule shows that he illustrated the Inclusion technique and its impact on mission effectiveness.

According to the Emergent Leadership Issues chapter, the Area Defense Counsel, (ADC), provides independent legal representation to Air Force members who are suspected of an offense or facing adverse administrative action. It provides confidential legal advice from outside the local chain of command at no expense to the member. SSgt Griswold is upset because he was accused (suspected) of an offense, so he would benefit from confidential and unbiased legal advice.

CORRECT: According to the Ethical Leadership chapter, Worry over Image happens when decisions are made based on how the decision will impact one’s reputation/standing among peers, subordinates, supervisors, community, etc. rather than on military rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. Worried that reporting a lower VIC would bring unwanted attention to the section, MSgt Duvernay reported a higher percentage.

According to the Advanced Resource Stewardship section, ideas are generated, screened, and improved to ensure fact fortified ideas are forwarded to personnel such as wing and MAJCOM commanders for implementation consideration. Before submitting an idea, or suggesting others submit theirs, search the previous submissions. The Air Force will give monetary (as well as non-monetary) awards to recognize Airman for their implemented suggestions. In the scenario, TSgt Miller is suggesting that SSgt Nix submit his idea to the API program. He goes through the steps when he says, “You should submit your fix for Air Force wide consideration (Ideation).” Later that day TSgt Miller reviews the list of past submissions and finds nothing. He tells SSgt Nix, “You should submit it (Submission), then a high ranking commander will review it (Evaluation). Then, if approved by them, plans will be created and executed (Implementation). You may even get paid.”

According to the Emergent Leadership Issues chapter, your continuous education of your Airmen supports substance misuse prevention, including incorporation of relevant examples into safety briefings and posting visual aids. TSgt Anderson clarified expected consequences which also falls under education.

According to the CI chapter, the first step in the Eight-Step Problem Solving Process, defining the problem, is critical to your success. You must first clarify large, vague, and complicated problems as objectively as possible before you can properly identify and address the problem. The techniques for this step include go and see and voice of the customer (VOC). In the scenario, TSgt Becher leads her team through this step. They first meet to discuss the issue, then they go and see the process and get the VOC from the crew chief and pilot. The team then develops a good problem statement that follows the three guidelines: written down, factual, and agreed to by all parties. Because Becher followed the steps and used the techniques, the team should continue the process and resolve the problem.

According to the NPSC section, the settle negotiation style is a compromising style to be used when there is little chance of getting everything you want, but a solution is necessary. This style minimally satisfies the interests of both negotiators and typically begins with a “soft offer” in order to leave room for maneuvering toward an option. The people orientation is moderate to low, as we expect the opposite to take care of their interests while we take care of ours. Also, on the NPSC chart, settle is in the neutral position between the task and people orientations. In the scenario, TSgt Silvers is clearly explaining the settle style.

According to the Leader Influence chapter, coercive power is when others perceive your ability to impose consequences for ineffective behaviors or actions. In the scenario “You find out one of your trained people takes a shortcut on the steps of the process and causes the equipment to malfunction, halting production. You bring the person into your office and present her with a letter of counseling for not following the steps.” Legitimate power is based on title, role, or position and it allows you to make decisions and requests. In the scenario, “You give 3 days to your team to put together a continuity book for the equipment and put it on the shared site; you bring the person into your office; and partner her up with your most knowledgeable worker.” Expert power is perceived by others when you can influence through your experience, education, and job knowledge. In the scenario “You just finished conducting an in-depth training session with your people on a new piece of equipment and updated their training records.” If power is used improperly, subordinate effectiveness could be decreased; however, power was used appropriately so subordinate effectiveness most likely will increase. In the scenario, because coercive, expert, and legitimate powers were used appropriately, “her retraining/ recertification was passed successfully and ahead of schedule” which will most likely result in increasing her subordinate effectiveness

According to the Emergent Leadership Issues chapter, advanced warning signs are observable changes in typical behavior that doesn’t definitively identify suicidal thoughts, but could be indicators. Examples include excessive sadness; unexpected rage; changes in personality, such as moving and talking faster or slower; loss of interest in things the Airman used to enjoy; sudden state of peace and calm after a period of despair, plans to visit/call friends and family to say goodbye. SSgt Murphy displayed all of these things regardless of whether TSgt Dylan thought they pointed at suicidal thoughts or at an improved outlook.

According to the Leader Influence chapter, self-awareness involves getting to know yourself, understanding your strengths and developmental needs, and receiving feedback about areas you need to improve upon. In this scenario “You received some feedback from your subordinates about your nonverbal communication.” According to the Leader Influence chapter, support team is about recognizing others to help you think about situations, stay focused, and be honest with yourself. In this scenario “You talk to your best friend and ask about your nonverbals.” By accepting the feedback from your people and talking about the situation with someone, you took action to improve yourself and are willing to help others improve thus reducing your questions with researched inputs which should enhance your NCO effectiveness.

According to the CI chapter, system 1 thinking, is a vital decision-making tool that operates in the background of your mind. It aids you in supporting daily activities and making quick decisions. This type of thinking relies heavily on situational cues, prominent memories, trial and error, and heuristic thinking (e.g., discovering solutions for self) to arrive quickly and confidently at judgments. In this scenario, TSgt Johnson uses system 1 thinking when his “training immediately kicks in” and he “instinctively swings open the mobility crate” and “begins his perimeter check without hesitation.”

According to the Diversity chapter, Stereotype is a standardized mental picture that one person or group of people holds in common about another person or group of people. In the scenario, TSgt Baer said, “…All I’m saying is everyone knows that we men are stronger and we do most of the hard work. You women just can’t do as good a job as us and I respect that.” This is an example of a stereotyping statement.

According to the Negotiation chapter, cooperating is a negotiation style that generate options that are valued by all negotiators and the solutions are usually better than what we could have created on our own. In the scenario, cooperation took place because both negotiators won (e.g. Smith was able to gather intelligence and conduct his patrols and the villagers received food and medical care with less interruption to their daily routine).

According to the Leader Influence chapter, the Impoverished Leader style is a delegate and disappear management style preferring to be detached from the team process. This style is used in a self-sufficient work center where the people are very independent and don’t require a lot of supervision. In the scenario “you have four competent subordinates; your boss sends you a task and you immediately hand it off to your team; you expect a quality product in a timely manner; you don’t want to influence their development in handling special tasks; you won’t see the task again until your team hands the final product to you so you can forward up to your boss; you don’t want to be bothered with questions about the task; and when your boss asks you questions about the task, you say, ‘I’ll find out.’” According to the Leader Influence chapter, the Country Club Leader style is used in a highly efficient and disciplines work center that isn’t being rewarded properly or where people are motivated by rewards. In the scenario your people show indications that they’re motivated by rewards, “They’ve been talking about the upcoming quarterly awards board hoping they were going to be submitted for all their hard work in making you look good since they weren’t submitted for last quarter.” According to the Leader Influence chapter, overuse of one style in most or all situations will most likely degrade your ability and effectiveness to influence others. You may want to consider adapting your leader style after diagnosing the status of your people.

According to the Leader Influence chapter, the 5 Essential Qualities of Effective Followership are self-management, committed, competent, integrity, and initiative. SelfManagement is determining one’s own goals within a large context and to decide what role to take at any given time. In the scenario you “let your boss know that you wanted to be more involved in helping her manage the work center since you’re the ranking TSgt.” Committed to the organization and a purpose beyond yourself helps you strive to excel. In the scenario “You even purchased a couple of squadron morale-colored t-shirts to wear on morale day.” Competent helps you reach higher levels of performance by focusing your efforts for maximum effects. In the scenario “You really want to become the ‘go to’ person for the junior Airmen related to your job specialty.” Integrity is the willingness to tell the truth to your leaders. In the scenario “you told the boss about a problem with a procedure in the work center and it caused the unit to be non-mission capable for almost two weeks…leadership wasn’t happy about that.” Initiative is being motivated and determined; persevering; and a risk taker to do more than just meet the standards. In the scenario “you’re going to do everything you can to ensure proactive problem solving will occur versus reactive crisis management.” By incorporating these 5 Essential Qualities into your followership practices as described in the scenario, you most likely will enhance your NCO effectiveness.

According to the Ethical Leadership chapter, Drive for Success becomes evident when decisions are based on a “win at all cost” attitude rather than on military rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. MSgt Wilburn violated the Air Force Core Value of Integrity when he took credit for actions he did not complete in order to make it appear he is more productive than his peers

According to the developing negotiation skills section, you must assess who we are dealing with, know what is at stake, and know the criticality of the current situation before entering into a negotiation, or while the negotiation is occurring. In the scenario TSgt Gomez’ thoughts illustrate him considering the who, stakes, and situation before a negotiation. “(Who) TSgt Ramos and I have worked together for years and trust each other. Because we will continue working together, I should use a higher people orientation than task when applying the negotiation styles. (Stakes) I believe my Airman will do a better job and needs the experience of talking to top leadership; however, Ramos’ briefer would suffice. (Situation) The visit weeks away, so we have time to collaborate and ensure we pick the best briefer.”

According to the Leader Influence chapter, supervisory rewards are given by supervisors to those who go beyond the standard and can include praise and recognition. In this scenario “You call everyone together to tell them thanks for all the hard work they did this past year. You go over all of the exceptional accomplishments they did as a team. And you also thank them for being exceptional followers and it was because of them and their dedication that all missions were accomplished.” According to the Leader Influence chapter, if used effectively, supervisory rewards generally help increase subordinate effectiveness; however, not used or used ineffectively will most likely decrease subordinate effectiveness. In this scenario you used supervisory rewards appropriately; however, not effectively. You used praise and thanks but it seems like your people were looking for recognition by awards or time off for “going beyond the standard, exceptional accomplishments as a team, and being exceptional followers to get missions accomplished” as identified in the scenario, “As everyone leaves you overhear some of them say, ‘I wonder if we were submitted for any awards? We busted our tails last year and didn’t get any extra time off!’”

According to the Emergent Leadership Issues chapter, discrimination is lawful if it doesn’t deny people a right, but merely recognizes differences among people. Reducing the number of applicants to only those qualified for the position enhances mission effectiveness by ensuring the new personnel are able to fill the position.

According to the Emergent Leadership Issues chapter, the Wingman concept, Airmen taking care of Airmen, works best when there’s open communication. You’ll get a clearer picture when your Airmen are comfortable enough to come to you and talk about their issues. SrA Wilson tried to go to TSgt Simon with her issues, but TSgt Simon didn’t allow open communication, and didn’t give her Wingmen confidence that she’d appreciate, understand, and assist when help was sought. Since SrA Wilson was too distracted to concentrate on her tasks, the mission would suffer. TSgt Simon’s failure to understand open communication would have a negative impact on mission effectiveness.

TSgt Lopez is effectively using the steps of directive change in this scenario. According to Change Management lesson, Directive Change Cycle is a change imposed upon the group or organization. As the group is forced to comply, individual behavior is affected through compliance within the group. The application of Lopez’s position power is being used to change group behavior, then individual behavior, which causes an increase in knowledge, and ultimately a change in attitude.

According to the CI chapter, the OODA loop is, a process where problem solvers review the current situation intensely and form theories about the problem (e.g., Observe), gather data and information to substantiate those theories (e.g., Orient), develop solutions to address the problem (e.g., Decide), and then implement and evaluate their solutions (e.g., Act). In this scenario, TSgt Gerry displays the OODA loop steps through, “personally observing and analyzing the process, collecting data for further examination, devising a strategy to address the process issue, and implementing and evaluating the corrective action to the problem.” These steps directly correlate to the steps of the OODA loop thereby enhancing mission effectiveness.

According to the Leader Influence chapter, the Authoritarian Leader style is an “expect people to do what they’re told without question” style. This kind of leader style is very task oriented with little to no allowance for cooperation or collaboration and should be used for emergency or very critical or time sensitive tasks. In the scenario there’s no indication of critical completion but you “gave her the directions, the plan, and how to accomplish each step; she did it her own way which isn’t what you expected; I want you to follow my instructions” anyway. In the scenario SrA Oak doesn’t seem too motivated and her effectiveness will probably decrease because of expectations to do what she’s told even though “she’s a very experienced team leader and a ‘go getter’ who volunteered to lead the special project.” In the scenario “as she departs she wonders why she volunteered to lead this special project in the first place.” According to the Leader Influence chapter, adapting your leadership behavior to fit the needs of the situation or circumstances can help you better influence people toward the objectives. In addition, adapting your leadership style for each subordinate will show you understand and care about each as an individual. Overuse of one style in most or all situations will most likely degrade your ability and effectiveness to influence others and cause others to be less effective. In the scenario “She remembers that your style was used on the new Airmen that have been assigned over the past 6 months” which demonstrates your inability to adapt your style. The Impoverished Leader style would probably have been more appropriate for SrA Oak.

According to the Manpower Stewardship section, Manpower is allocated through the unit manpower document and tracked through the Unit Management Personnel Roster. In the scenario, TSgt Lopez is discussing ineffective manpower allocation and tracking when he says, “The last NCOIC didn’t keep track of where the people in our work center should be assigned. I compared the document that distributes personnel positions to us (UMD) and the document the last NCOIC should’ve been using to assign people to those positions (UPMR). They didn’t match-up at all, one section should include three SSgts but only had one, and another should’ve had one SSgt but had two!”

TSgt Nicholson is responsible for implementing changes initiated by the change sponsor. In the scenario, she discusses her plan to implement the directed changes within the section and monitor the effects. According to the change management chapter, Change Agents are “those responsible for implementation of change in an organization”.

According to the change management chapter, this illustrates the unfreezing phase. TSgt Adams creates a felt need for change by identifying deficiencies in the current process and deals with resistance by explaining the problems with the current process, proposed changes, and the timeline for implementation.

According to the CI chapter, Rapid Improvement Events (RIEs) usually have four components. Those components are listed as, strong leadership buy-in (gets the approval of leadership), knowledgeable and open-minded participants (knowledgeable about the current process and willing to make changes), a tightly focused event scope (streamline the work center filling process), and an implementation plan and metrics to track results (resulting data from the change shows lower wait times and fewer errors). In this scenario, TSgt Stewart uses all of these components to carry out a successful RIE.

According to the Resource Stewardship chapter, manpower is allocated through the unit manpower document and tracked through the Unit Management Personnel Roster. In the scenario, TSgt Hardesty is identifying allocating and tracking manpower. Hardesty says, “This is the process I was telling you about. Our section has positions assigned by a document we don’t control at our level (UMD). It’s up to us to take the personnel we have and plug their names into a second document (UPMR). This give us the freedom to structure the section as we want.“

According to the Leader Influence chapter, advice is a recommendation offered as a suggested guide to future action or conduct. It’s about providing information or risk analysis inputs to the leader on a decision that a leader is still contemplating. It’s providing information about what someone should consider doing. In this scenario you’re talking to your boss about a future decision as indicated by “some of the potential problems you discovered that could occur if the unit purchases the laptops that were suggested with the end of year fallout money it’s expecting to get. You gave her your thoughts about the requirements and recommendations for better laptops in a Memorandum For Record (MFR) so that she could consider briefing the unit’s decision team on your findings before the final decision and purchases are made.” According to the Leader Influence chapter, to be in line with the Institutional Competencies, effective followers are to provide advice to leaders. In the scenario, that’s what you do when you talk to your boss and provide her the MFR.

MSgt Gould identifies the TIPO model when he says, “(trust in a person) First you need to consider how strong your relationship is with the other people or group involved in the negotiation, (trust in a process) and if the process will be fair. (Information) Next, think about if you consider what the others say as true, or could they be attempting to deceive you. What do you know that they don’t, and vice versa? Will you share your knowledge, and do you believe they will? (Power) Does anyone have the ability to influence the others actions or decisions? (Options) Finally, think about resolutions that could end the dispute.”

According to the Ethical Leadership chapter, NCOs must discern the facts from assumption, declare the truth and do what you have discerned and declared. TSgt Wright used this principle incorrectly. After consideration, TSgt Wright decided no further action was necessary. After consideration (discerning facts from assumption) and realizing a mistake occurred (declaring) she should have instructed (do) SrA Smart to contact Finance to rectify the situation

According to the Financial Stewardship section the EP ensures an equitable distribution of the President’s Budget for the next fiscal year consistent with accomplishing Air Force program objectives and is the main document for distributing anticipated funding (direct & reimbursable) in an equitable manner. A well-developed plan includes a prioritized list of known funded and unfunded requirements with justification for each requirement and a spend plan that projects when and how funds will be spent throughout the fiscal year. Although there is no official template when creating an EP, it should include mission critical requirements, justification, unfunded requirements, and spend plan sections. In the scenario, TSgt Brand is identifying the EP.

According to the TIPO section, the position powers are often used to pressure or force someone to do something. The position powers include: coercive, reward, connection, and legitimate. In the scenario, TSgt Foye uses all four position powers during the counseling session. , “I’m not sure why you continue to intentionally use the old process. (Coercive) Last week I was forced to give you an LOC, but you still haven’t adapted. (Reward) Your co-worker got to leave work early yesterday because of their participation. (Connection) The superintendent has promoted this change since it began. (Legitimate) If you want to stay an SSgt, I suggest you get on board. The sections morale has been suffering and customers are complaining about the inconsistency.”

According to the CNS section, the first three steps (pre-negotiations, or the planning phase) should be well developed before the first meeting. The three steps of positions, interests, and BATNA draw no conclusions, but help to organize thoughts. In the scenario, TSgt Richey plans for a reengage with the superintendent when she thinks, “(Positions) I want to remain on dayshift. I know my superintendent wants me to work the night shift. (Interests) Since I haven’t found professional childcare open at night, maybe I can take the weekend shift. The main reason I need to remain on dayshift so Logan can stay in daycare. I know my superintendent is only trying to make the schedule fair, and I have only ever worked weekday dayshift. (BATNA) I simply cannot move Logan hours away, he needs me. If we cannot work something out to remain on days, I’ll move my cousin here and she can watch Logan while I work.” Since Richey uses the three steps this will increase her effectiveness as an NCO through being prepared for the negotiation with the superintendent.

According to the Leader Influence chapter, follower traits are competence, integrity, loyalty, and initiative. Competence is knowing what your job is, knowing how to do the job or task, and meeting or exceeding standards. In the scenario you say, “I expect you to become thoroughly familiar with your job by getting to know every aspect. I also expect NCOs to perform above minimal acceptable standards.” According to the Leader Influence chapter, integrity is doing the right thing always when no one’s looking and when others are looking. In the scenario you say, “make smart choices both on and off duty because you’re always being watched.” According to the Leader Influence chapter, loyalty is being faithful, obedient, and respectful. Faithful means trusting in leadership to make sure you’re prepared for the unknown. In the scenario you say, “believing your superiors will help to ensure you’re mission ready is very important to me.” According to the Leader Influence chapter, obedient means fulfilling your duties and responsibilities to the best of your ability. In the scenario you say, “displaying selflessness when it comes to doing what’s asked of you is very important to me.” And according to the Leader Influence chapter, initiative is being proactive, doing your homework and thinking ahead. In the scenario you say, “being prepared when asked to attend meetings is very important to me.”

According to the change management chapter, Cognitive Flexibility is “the ability to use different thinking strategies and mental frameworks”. TSgt Knight identifies cognitive flexibility by saying “You should respond to change by identifying new trends and opportunities” and the “development of plan A and plans B and C just in case”.

According to the CI chapter, decision-making is the mental (cognitive) process that results in the selection of a course of action from among several alternative scenarios. In order to truly be effective in decision making, you should understand the two-system approach of decision-making (system 1 and system 2 thinking). In the scenario, TSgt Gallagher is identifying decision making.

According to the Diversity and the Organization section, social sensitivity is having a keen awareness and understanding of others’ emotions, feelings, personality, temperaments, strengths, cultural differences, values, and beliefs. In the scenario, TSgt Adams shows her understanding of social sensitivity by asking her shift leaders if they can tell her the general mood of the people in the flight.

According to the Resource Stewardship chapter, adjusting manpower requirements centers on the Authorization Change Request (ACR) which is a multi-purpose document used to propose adjustments to a UMD. ACRs are commonly used to request increases, decreases, or realignments of manpower requirements and/or to change attributes on the UMD. There is no evidence in the scenario that TSgt Thomas is requesting a manpower increase to support the additional aircraft. Without this request, the mission of the squadron will suffer.

According to the Ethical Leadership chapter, NCOs must properly order the Three Ps, principle (truth telling) first; purpose (mission accomplishment and duty) second; and people (Airmen) third. In the scenario, MSgt Brown knew what MSgt Clark is doing was wrong, however; instead taking action (principle) he decides to remain quiet because he (people) needs the extra money. Allowing her to continue will only reduce the amount of time she spends on official duties.

According to the change management chapter. The unfreezing phase is intended to motivate your subordinates and help get them ready for change. TSgt Christenson fails when he does not create a felt need for change. This is often the most neglected, yet essential element of any organizational change.

According to the Emergent Leadership Issues chapter, task demands are related to a person’s job. For example, the design of any given job could suit one person and his/ her personality and preferences better than another person’s. TSgt Swarray prefers to use his imagination and experiment with new ways of doing things rather than do the same task over and over by specific details

According to the Diversity chapter, Assistance is making sure workers have what they need to work to their fullest potential. TSgt Sandy’s actions that included picking her up from the airport and linking her up with someone that shares her Filipino background, are examples of the proactive use of the Assistance technique to ensure workers are mentally and physically present at work.

According to the Emergent Leadership Issues chapter, the unit climate/environment needs to be one of support and trust. The Air Force promotes help-seeking behavior, and there are some things you can do to help dispel the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment. Openness, positive examples, and communication should help remove the barrier that Airmen feel co-workers would look down on them for seeking care. By creating a barrier to SrA Mikel seeking help, calling it whining and implying SrA Mikel’s career would be ruined, TSgt Gonzalez hindered subordinate effectiveness. SrA Mikel became more sullen and his productivity dropped.

According to the Resource Stewardship chapter, an EP is an Air Force product used to balance available funding while delivering goods and services to customers. A well-developed plan includes a prioritized list of known unfunded requirements with justification for each unfunded requirement and a spend plan that projects when and how funds will be spent throughout the fiscal year. The scenario depicts Caskey’s understanding of importance of how a well-developed Financial Execution Plan can impact mission success. By training Griggs and developing a solid plan, the organization was prepared to execute the budget and postured for the unfunded request.