pulse - volume 23 - september 2018 - bae systems inc. · suppliers to its in-house lean six sigma...

STEMthe root of the talent pipeline

MakingWAVES hybrid technology sets sail and undersea warfare evolves

VOLUME 23 SEPTEMBER 2018

2 • Electronic Systems Pulse

The Beacon

Explore available digital formats: intranet.ent.baesystems.com/

DisclaimerThe publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for any errors or omissions. Electronic Systems Pulse is produced by BAE Systems corporate and business unit internal communications teams. Editor, Shelby Cohen, lead, Sector publications and media. Please send any comments and feedback to [email protected] or leave a message on (607) 770 3783. Email: [email protected] Articles or opinions expressed in this publication may not reflect company policy. All rights reserved. On no account may any part of this publication be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder, application for which should be made to [email protected]. Designed and produced by BAE Systems Electronic Systems Creative Services http//www.baesystems.com/es© BAE Systems 2018.

Inside this Edition:Electronic Systems Pulse highlights the innovation of BAE Systems Electronic Systems sector’s employees across the globe, and focuses on the sector’s STEM outreach initiatives.

On the cover: At BAE Systems, we’re inspired by our employees who go above and beyond to make STEM a priority in the communities where we live and work.

You can follow BAE Systems’ program milestones and other events in real-time by following or liking the company’s social media sites below:

www.facebook.com/baesystemsincwww.twitter.com/baesystemsincwww.youtube.com/baeupcomingwww.flickr.com/baesystemsincwww.linkedin.com/company/bae-systems@baesystemsinc

Follow BAE Systems on social media

For more information on Electronic Systems, contact Paul Roberts, Manager, External Engagement. E-mail: [email protected]

As our company continuously improves, our intention is that this newsletter will as well. If you have a story idea or suggestion for the newsletter, please contact an ES Communications representative or Pulse’s editor, Shelby Cohen, at [email protected].

© BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., BAE Systems Controls Inc., BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd. 2018 All rights Reserved

By Ray Brousseau, vice president & deputy general manager

Cover image by Vincent Ardizoni.

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is more than a curriculum – it’s an excitement and desire to learn and share your knowledge – a way of seeing the world that’s best served when introduced at an early age.

Growing up, I liked to build things and get my hands dirty. Some might say it’s the engineer in me, but I wanted to figure out how things worked and make them better.

My curiosity was met by opportunities to explore – opportunities that several influential people in my life embraced and encouraged. It was just the push I needed to reinforce that STEM was my calling.

I’ve found that to be successful, you need a supportive environment to learn, grow, and make mistakes. STEM, and the people who share their passion for it with others, offer this and so much more.

At BAE Systems, we’re inspired by our employees who go above and beyond to make STEM a priority in the communities where we live and work. Each year, our people donate countless hours of their time to volunteer for various STEM organizations and outreach

efforts, and mentor the next generation. This enthusiasm is further fueled by our many development programs that stress the importance of volunteerism.

As a company, we’re invested in STEM partnerships that help us build our talent pipeline and chip away at the growing need for skilled workers across the country. Our longstanding relationship with FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) has spanned over two decades, and 30 percent of our engineering college hires are FIRST alum. As we look to fill thousands of jobs, we need people with this kind of STEM experience who have the knowledge and skills to solve tough problems facing our industry.

Our company is at the forefront of innovation because our people care about STEM and recognize the importance of passing the torch. Our engineers and scientists are working on cutting-edge technology and pushing the envelope every day – and they’re having fun. That fun begins with early exposure to STEM and it stays with you for life when nurtured.

It STEMs from withinHow BAE Systems leverages STEM to prepare for the future

Electronic Systems Pulse

Ray Brousseau, vice president & deputy general manager, speaks to students at a 2018 FIRST Robotics Competition in New Hampshire

www.baesystems.com/pulse

Table of Contents • 3

Contents

Page 4

Winning is contagious

Page 6

Made to stickPage 15

Embracing Ambiuity

Page 16

Take your Pulse

Page 12

Innovating for undersea warfare

Page 5

Making Waves with Hybrid Electric Technology

Page 8

STEM Initiatives help students branch into future careers

Page 14

Raising the bar behind bars

take your Pulse

Winning is contagiousBy Jason Simpson, Communications, Nashua, New Hampshire

The promise of Electronic Systems’ Partner 2 Win initiative has given the program life beyond the sector. BAE Systems, Inc. has extended P2W across the enterprise, and ES has brought its suppliers into internal mistake-proofing training so that best practices disseminate into its supply base.

Partner 2 Win’s objective is to extend the principles of the sector’s Achieving Operational Excellence campaign to the sector’s supply chain (Pulse, Vol. 19, p13). ES accomplishes this through a number of activities, including providing suppliers with monthly quality and delivery data and benchmarking information; making strategic sourcing decisions to grow its supply chain with high-performing companies; recognizing the leaders within its supply base; sharing feedback and industry best practices with its suppliers; and obtaining feedback on how to improve BAE Systems’ processes.

While ES is almost two years into its campaign, BAE Systems, Inc. rolled the initiative out to all of its sectors starting late last year. BAE Systems’ sectors agreed that an enterprise-wide supplier performance program was a good idea, and the initiative accelerated into an Inc.-wide objective through the endorsement of BAE Systems’ new Chief Procurement Officer, Paul Smith, and Paul Kling, vice president of Procurement.

“BAE Systems wanted to have a single supplier performance program to inspire and support our suppliers to increase their quality and delivery outputs based on taking our collective prowess to the next level,” Kling said, noting a global supplier performance program will be rolled out by BAE Systems plc next year. “Given the rate of growth BAE Systems is experiencing, the only way we can perform at the level our customers expect from us is to ensure high-quality, on-time deliveries, and that necessitates enterprise-wide improvement throughout our supply chains.”

While individual sectors are at various levels of implementation, all provide suppliers with monthly performance scorecards related to quality and delivery and broken down to medalist categories. ES, however, has been more selective regarding what companies are part of the program, while others include more of their suppliers. ES includes only companies that do at least $100,000 worth of business with the sector annually. The vision for the Inc.-wide program is that all sectors have at least half of their suppliers in medal categories by 2020.

“We are pleased to see other sectors adopt Partner 2 Win,” said Tim Eubank, senior director of Supplier Partnerships for the Electronic Combat Solutions business area and ES’ P2W initiative leader. “We all have the same goal - to ‘partner’ with our suppliers to improve their performance for us and ultimately our customers. With the BAE Systems, Inc. working group, we are able to share best practices and lessons learned across the sectors as we each progress on our journey.”

ES’ Supplier Partnerships organization takes a hands-on approach to achieving operational excellence by either coming to supplier sites or inviting them into ES facilities to relay how to incorporate Zero Defects into their cultural mindset.

ES officials visited more than 100 supplier sites in 2017 – and more than 30 so far in 2018 – to bring the sector’s best practices for mistake-proofing manufacturing operations and building margins into engineering designs to support its supply base’s efforts in improving their delivery and quality scores. Further, ES also has invited select suppliers to its in-house Lean Six Sigma training. In the last two years, 27 individuals from 13 suppliers have been certified as L6S greenbelts or blackbelts via the program.


4 • In the Key Markets

with Hybrid Electric TechnologyBy Carol Gorenflo, Communications, Endicott, New York

In the Key Markets • 5

One of San Francisco’s oldest vessel operators is learning a new trick. Red & White Fleet, operating in the San Francisco Bay for more than 125 years, is a certified San Francisco Green Business with a commitment to sustainable tourism and a zero-emissions fleet. This September, the sight-seeing cruise company will be launching the largest, all-aluminum, passenger vessel powered by hybrid electric technology from BAE Systems.

Red and White Fleet President Tom Escher doesn’t expect the change to happen overnight, but he believes this is the start of something positive for all. He plans to share the knowledge he is gaining about clean vessels with his customers, competitors, and anyone else interested in a cleaner environment.

“Our company’s main objective is to create lasting, positive memories of San Francisco and the Bay in the most sustainable manner possible,” says Escher. “It’s important now

and for the future that we work to make the smallest energy footprint in the Bay.”

The first step in this journey is the construction of the Enhydra, which was built by the west coast shipyard All American Marine, using BAE Systems’ proven hybrid electric system.

Escher says, “We chose to work with BAE Systems because of its expertise in systems integration and hybrid and electric technologies. We selected All American Marine because of its proficiency in working with light-weight aluminum and its readiness to partner with BAE Systems.”

All American Marine was eager to work with BAE Systems because it sees more interest from customers searching for viable solutions to reduce emissions, fuel consumption, and operating costs.

Matt Mullett, chief executive officer, All American Marine said, “Even with fuel prices

hovering within the affordable range, vessel operators are looking for more efficient propulsion systems.”

Red and White Fleet is a leader in sustainable practices within the maritime industry. It repowered its fleet with EPA-tiered engines well ahead of compliance dates, and has been researching and using alternative fuels such as natural gas, bio-diesel, and now hybrid electric. Advancing further, the Enhydra hybrid electric vessel will implement a plug-in charge to achieve even more fuel and cost reductions by replacing onboard energy with renewable grid energy that is lower and more stably priced than diesel. Its next step in clean, marine technology is the first zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell ferry in the United States, using BAE Systems’ technology, which is currently powering more than 9,000 electric drive buses and nearly 20 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses.




Made to stick



They may not wield a brush and palette, but BAE Systems’ Electronic Systems (ES) engineers are busy painting the technology picture of tomorrow. That painting is quickly coming together by the brushstroke in the form of new inventions.

Even with more than 1,000 patents to its credit, ES is not leaning on its past to tell the story of the future. The business has increased its total number of invention disclosures in each of the last three years. Now it’s taking that a step further, putting paint to canvas and filing more than 300 invention disclosures – passing its 2017 total – at the year’s midway point.

“We’re pedaling harder this year,” said Edward Zablocki, technical director for the Survivability, Targeting and Sensing Solutions business area. “I know our engineers don’t look like artists, but they’re creating things and converting them into something that’s head and shoulders better than the competition.”

Invention disclosures can lead to patents, trade secrets, and commercial licensing opportunities, all which provide a competitive edge in a demanding market. Through this process, companies are able to protect the rights to its ideas and secure intellectual property.

For ES, the process is nothing new, as it has ranked inside the top 300 among companies for total U.S. patents for 10 straight years.

What is different is the pace at which it must file patents to stay competitive. These days, those that are the first to file the patent applications will get the patent right.

“We are facing some fierce competition and it’s only heating up,” said Scott Asmus, ES deputy chief counsel of intellectual property. “But we have innovative people at this company and they are coming up with good designs that are helping disrupt the market.”

While speed to file is becoming standard practice, ES is careful where it places the brush. Nearly one third of its disclosures are for electro-optical/infrared systems and precision-guided munitions. These are key growth markets for the business and many incorporate cyber and autonomy needs right from the start.

Investment in these areas helps ES sharpen its focus on what its customers need the most. Not only do they need products that perform at a peak level, they also need to be smaller, lighter, and cost less than the rest.

Although, even with the right investment, it all comes down to creativity. Like paint to a canvas, the trick is turning ideas into something that sticks. That’s when you know you have a masterpiece on your hands.

“You can just feel when something is right,” said Zablocki. “That’s when you know it’s going to be awesome.”

Innovation is more important than ever in Electronic Systems. As the last facet of our HEAT strategy – Tech Disruption – has been supported this year by the renaming of FAST Labs and a growing order book with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, we will devote space in each upcoming issue of Pulse to explore the technology stories spread out across the sector.

Tech Corner

By Anthony DeAngelis, Communications, Merrimack, New Hampshire

Edward Zablocki Technical Director Survivability, Targeting, and Sensing Solutions

“We have innovative people at this company and they are coming up with good designs.”

8 • On the Beat


help students branch into future careers

STEMInitiatives

By Liz Harrington, Community Investment, Burlington, Massachusetts and Carrie Connors, Community Investment, Endicott, New York

As far as we’re concerned, school is never out for summer. The technology industry is facing a deficit when it comes to the future talent pool in careers focusing on the science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM) disciplines.


On the Beat • 9

STEMInitiatives Electronic Systems (ES) has begun to focus community

investment initiatives on filling the future talent pipeline. ES supports strategic programs through grants, sponsorships, scholarships, and employee volunteer opportunities.

Answering the age-old question, “When will I ever use this?”

BAE Systems is investing in the future workforce by supporting organizations, schools, colleges, and universities that prepare students for STEM and manufacturing careers. This past summer, we partnered and created several STEM summer camps to encourage high school students to engage in STEM career paths. We focused on bringing relationships and relevance to the summer’s programs. Through the curriculum, students can envision a purpose and future in STEM by working alongside engineers currently in the industry.

At Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), some of the finest young minds in the country, entering their senior year in high school, gathered to participate in Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI), sponsored by BAE Systems. MIT partners with high schools across the country to recruit future engineers for a four-week STEM program consisting of participation in hands-on projects, online courses, and lectures. The Institute kicked off and ended with members of the BAE Systems team, including Jerry Wohletz, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems’ FAST Labs, sharing their career journeys with the students. 25 students who studied unmanned aerial systems technology received scholarships from BAE Systems to attend

10 • On the Beat


BWSI, and their experiences helped them develop critical skills that are in high demand in today’s commercial and defense companies.

Meanwhile in New Hampshire, we partnered with the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to strengthen the STEM pipeline by providing scholarships to 14 students, all entering the 11th or 12th grade from the Nashua and Manchester areas, to attend Tech Camp at UNH. In addition to the grant, seven of the company’s engineers were on hand to instruct and mentor the BAE Systems Summer STEM Scholars through successful completion of building and programming an autonomous remote-control car. The students learned problem-solving skills and how science and math are applied to real life engineering projects. They also learned important information about the college process and careers for those studying in STEM fields. In addition, the scholars toured the ES’ South Nashua facility.

At our Endicott, New York facility, 30 students, ages 12 to 15, were led by our employees through several engineering based projects and activities with the goal of piquing their interest in engineering. This year’s camp theme focused on the “Internet of Things.” Students presented their final projects, which ranged from a smart doorbell, which emails a photo of the ringer, to a system that waters a plant based on the number of website votes received.

At BAE Systems, we know that the passion for science and technology starts early, which is why we make programs available that are dedicated to providing

students who may not otherwise have the financial resources to be introduced to STEM subjects with the opportunity to gain hands-on experiences through intensive programs.

“Thank you for providing me and my fellow peers with an amazing learning experience that will stick with us for a lifetime,” said Austin Bourque, UNH Tech Leader student. “I very much appreciate the amount of time and effort everyone from BAE Systems put into making this a successful experience for us.”

Ensuring a diverse future

Diversity at all stages of the STEM pipeline is critical for increasing the number of people participating in innovative problem-solving. We need future leaders who will push the limits of what is possible so that we can continue to lead the pace of innovation in the security, aerospace, and defense markets. We particularly look for diversity in hiring, because employees from a variety of backgrounds inspire their teammates and colleagues, lending different perspectives to everyday challenges. We run programs and encourage organizations that support women in technology and first generation college students.

BAE Systems in Manassas, Virginia welcomed 35 high school juniors, who will be first generation college students, to come to the facility for a week-long, hands-on interaction with our employees. The students heard from guest speakers, watched a liquid nitrogen demonstration, completed a bridge building challenge, saw product area demonstrations, and took a robotics class. In order to learn more about their potential educational and career

paths, students participated in “career speed dating,” with our engineers and scientists.

Our Women in Technology (WIT) program hosts high school women for six weeks while they learn about emerging technologies through hands-on activities, and complete an internship upon graduation from the program. It is a collaborative partnership between BAE Systems and local high schools in Greenlawn, New York, Manassas, Virginia, and throughout New Hampshire. The program enables young women to work with their peers and explore a variety of technical careers in a team environment with support and guidance from our employees. The program offers mentorship, support, and learning opportunities for those interested in pursuing STEM careers. It provides practical experience, guidance to build strong decision-making skills, and exploration of nontraditional roles for women in technical careers.

Preparing students for success

BAE Systems has a legacy of providing scholarships to high school and college students in the areas in which we live and work who are pursuing STEM-related majors. It’s not enough to just introduce students to STEM, we must ensure they feel supported as they progress in the field.

In 2018, BAE Systems sites across the sector gave dozens of scholarships to high school seniors and college students pursuing careers in STEM fields. In addition to the financial support, we strive to have an employee present the scholarships to the student in person, fostering a

connection with BAE Systems. It is our hope that these scholarships

are just the beginning of


On the Beat • 11

Do you have an idea about how we can get more involved in school outreach in the areas where our employees live and work?Contact [email protected]

a long relationship with the company, leading to possible internships and rewarding careers.

“We are committed to engaging young people’s interest in STEM education because we’re always thinking about the next generation of engineers and scientists,” said Sue Peckham, director of Hardware Engineering at BAE Systems. “It’s important to encourage and enable students with a pathway to the technical science disciplines, because our talent pipeline is dependent upon

Community Investment programs will continue to focus on activities that help supply the talent pipeline in different markets where BAE Systems operates and is looking to grow. We are proud to play a part in inspiring the next generation of dreamers, planners, and doers. Their aspirations for the future will one day contribute to BAE System’s innovation in aerospace, defence, and security.

an abundance of students engaged in studying technology and engineering.”

2019 Outlook

The company’s attention to human capital has yielded results already, with a mid-year report showing that we have achieved more than 90 percent of our 2018 goal for external hires as of June 30, filling more than 1,600 requisitions so far this year.



As the U.S. Navy Submarine Force conducts operations in the dark depths of the oceans, they need to find a way to communicate, navigate, detect objects of interest, and generally maintain situational awareness. Radio waves do not penetrate the ocean surface and light does not travel far in the ocean. So, without access to light and radio, submariners rely on acoustics. However, the underwater environment introduces a set of challenges that degrade acoustic signals – including a multitude of manmade and natural sounds, and complicated environmental conditions introduced by temperature, salinity, and surface motion that affect sound wave stability and the reliability of travel paths. For more than 40 years, Electronic Systems has applied its expertise in ocean systems to the challenge of designing and building technologies that project and receive acoustic signals clearly.

In the late 1990s, ES’ research and development business helped the U.S. Navy gain significant advantage in antisubmarine warfare by creating the most-powerful transducer array in the world, which the T-AGOS Ocean Surveillance Ships tows to detect enemy submarines.

“The system is critical to national defense. It provides the Navy with the capability of detecting quiet submarines at long ranges” said Mike Houle, director of Maritime Sensors of ES’ C4ISR Systems business. “The need for active sonar capabilities is increasing as our near-peer competitors continue to get quieter in the undersea domain.” However these powerful transducer arrays are large and heavy.

As the Navy begins to embrace unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) for existing and future missions, ES’ FAST Labs research and development business is tackling the challenge of maximizing signal power in smaller devices.

“Our transducers have significantly higher power density than other transducers on the market. That is, they take up less space on a small vehicle, and put out more powerful signals,” said Geoff Edelson, technical director of the Maritime Systems & Technology R&D directorate. “Depending on our customers’ mission needs, we create the right balance of size and power.”

InnovatingBy Barbara Driscoll, Communications, Merrimack, New Hampshire

To meet the Navy’s growing need for undetected undersea communications, the R&D team is also creating enabling technology that permits reliable communication while minimizing the probability of being detected by adversaries. This requires exceptionally effective waveforms and associated signal processing that are able to process signals that are, themselves, well below the ambient noise.

“Above the surface of the ocean, or on land, there are fewer things in the environment that complicate or redirect a signal’s propagation. However, in the ocean soundwaves interact with the ocean surface and bottom, and with the ocean volume that send the waves along different pathways that change over time. For example, they reflect off of hard ocean floors, are scattered by sandy bottoms, and are absorbed by muddy sediments,” Edelson said.

“The processing is complex in that you have to plan for and track both the direction and the timing of individual signal arrivals at the receiver. These signal features create very interesting, difficult problems to solve.”


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THE TECHNOLOGY Transducers and arrays

A sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) transducer is an electromechanical device that puts sound in the water much like a speaker puts sound in the air – pushing the water to create sound pressure waves that propagate through the ocean. The receiving transducer senses the wave and converts it to the appropriate electronic signal.

To detect other objects in the water such as enemy submarines, the sonar transducer produces sound pressure waves that, when reflected off other vehicles, reveals their locations.

Arrays are groups of these transducers arranged in a pattern for collecting and processing soundwave signals.

With recent advances in signal processing, transducers, and UUVs, customers are now seeking more than just individual acoustic equipment components in the R&D space. They need systems to enable capabilities like acoustically-aided navigation and coordinated communications to or between multiple undersea vehicles.

Modern adversary submarine quieting technology challenges passive anti-submarine warfare sonar detection range and performance. BAE Systems researchers are designing breakthrough capabilities for extended range submarine detection and precision target tracking through collaborative operations using unmanned vehicles and active sonar techniques.

Also, given that RF signals of the Global Positioning System (GPS) do not penetrate water to any useful depth, effectively denying undersea GPS, the FAST Labs team is participating in the development of an undersea system that provides omnipresent, robust positioning from ocean basins. When successful, an undersea platform would be able to obtain continuous, accurate positioning without surfacing for a GPS fix by ranging to a small number of long-range acoustic sources.

“For these, and other customer system needs, there are also opportunities for technologies that BAE Systems has produced for ground and air operations, such as advanced sensors, cyber resilience, and autonomy, to be adapted to undersea applications,” Edelson said. “As mission needs grow and evolve, ES can draw on a diverse technology product portfolio to help craft integrated solutions.”



Zero Defects, Second ChancesElectronic Systems (ES) has embedded a Zero Defects mindset as part of the sector’s Partner 2 Win program in a place many would not associate with high-technology manufacturing: a minimum security prison.

As part of ES’ partnership with preferred supplier Midcon Cables Company, ES employees have visited South Carolina-based Evans Correctional Institution twice this year to train three dozen inmates in Lean Six Sigma procedures.

“The training gives the team at Evans the toolset to identify waste in the process and puts in place things like 7S discipline,” said Craig Perkins, ES Supplier Development engineer focusing on continuous improvement. “It will ultimately reduce the cycle time to build product.”

Midcon, based in Joplin, Missouri, has been an ES cable and harness provider for more than a decade. The company acquired the Evans location in 2012 to become more competitive in the build-to-print market. Inmates undergo a two-tier screening process – through the state and then by Midcon – to be accepted into the manufacturing program at Evans, known as Prison Industries. Prison Industries workers earn prevailing wages, and Midcon’s cost benefits are realized because the inmates are contract workers and do not receive company benefits. A portion of the inmates’ paychecks go toward victim restitution and to offset the cost of housing; the remainder goes to the workers’ families, a weekly allowance to the prison’s commissary, and into a savings account for when they are released.

Prison Industries personnel work on “simpler, less-complex” build-to-print solutions for Midcon, according to Chuck Wheeler, Midcon’s president. They also conduct preparatory activities for Midcon’s programs that are completed at the

company’s other locations. Prison Industries employs roughly 64 inmates out of the 1,400 serving time at Evans, all from various education and work backgrounds.

This year, Perkins and ES Technical Supplier Development Engineer Steve Bulsa have conducted two, three-day training sessions at Evans, teaching a total of 36 Prison Industries contractors the basics of Lean Six Sigma. The training included presentations, hands-on training, a team project based on a current Midcon program, and a team report-out based on their findings presented to Wheeler.

All improvements proposed by Prison Industries workers were accepted and have already been implemented, according to Wheeler. Several of the first cadre’s participants have been identified to train other members of the staff as a way to cascade the lessons learned throughout the facility.

Prison Industries is also applying the Lean principles learned in the training to cut waste and cycle time out of a new program with an urgent customer need.

“It’s a good program,” Wheeler said of the training. “It’s going to do good for Midcon, which ultimately will allow us to do better for BAE Systems. A lot of prime contractors out there talk about doing things – BAE Systems doesn’t just talk it, they walk it. They’re there to help all the time. When you ask for help, you get it, and this is a prime example of that.”

Further, Prison Industries workers can apply the skillsets they have learned in the facility and the Lean training offered by BAE Systems to their careers when they are released from prison, Wheeler said. In fact, Midcon has hired one employee full-time from the Evans branch, and is in the process of hiring two more who have recently been released.

By Jason Simpson, Communications, Nashua, New Hampshire

Midcon at Evansby the numbers

Evans Correctional Facility population

PI contractor college enrollment

Prison Industries (PI) workforce

Recidivism rate,

PIRecidivism rate,

Evans

Continuing education

enrollment ratio

(PI vs. general population)

1,400

64

20% 40%

6

4:1

Midcon, an Electronic Systems cable & harness preferred supplier, owns a manufacturing plant at Evans Correctional Institution in South Carolina called Prison Industries.


Virtual Mentoring Session • 15

What are the most important skills to be successful in Strategy & Planning?

Be curious and embrace ambiguity. Strategies vary in how likely they are to succeed or how difficult they are to execute, but generally there are multiple choices with no clear right or wrong answer. It’s about operating in possibilities of what might happen, which can be difficult for some. So it’s essential to be curious about the world around you while being comfortable with ambiguity. It’s about setting a “fuzzy destination.” It may not be perfect, or definitive, but as long as it’s directionally correct, the details can be smoothed out along the way.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?

There are two. The first is to be resilient. Don’t let setbacks, failures, or other people’s opinions of you prevent you from doing what you love. In any career, nothing is going to be perfect and there will be times that the outcome isn’t what you hoped it would be. There might even be outright failures. When this happens, it might simply mean you need to learn from what went wrong. Or, it might mean you need to reinvent yourself. But regardless, it’s essential to keep moving forward. If I could give people just one message it would be: Don’t let fear of failure keep you from pushing your own boundaries and discovering where your limits really are. You are far more talented than you realize.

The second, equally important lesson is that leadership is all about people. Because to lead means someone has to follow, and the minute that you forget that leadership is about people – and you forget about who you represent – you’ve stopped leading.

By Kelly Hussey, Communications, Hudson, New Hampshire

A virtual mentoring session with Leslie Jelalian

Embracing Ambiguity

Have you ever encountered a situation where employees were resistant to change? How did you handle it?

Over time, I’ve learned that it’s all about setting context for people – helping them to understand the reasons behind the decision. Why are we doing this? Why do we need to change? And then helping them see what it means to them. Because without context it can feel like you’re asking them to take on unnecessary risk. So helping people see how the change relates to them personally, to their team, and what the impact is for them, is critical. I’ve seen people accept very

difficult conditions or situations when they were given context and impact, without the extraneous details or ‘fluff.’ They just want to know the truth. I think as a leader it’s all about being authentic and transparent, and giving your employees context. And I think they also need to know that you as a leader care – that you know it may not easy and you’re there to support them through the change.

You mentioned you like to cook. What is your favorite food to make?

Choreg, an Armenian braided bread. It’s not easy to make and

each person’s version is different – even when following the same recipe. It’s all about knowing “the feel of the dough.” My goal has been to “make it like my mom,” since hers has always been the best. I’ve only recently come close after many tries. It takes almost an entire day to make, but when my mother says “Now that’s delicious,” I feel like I’ve won a medal.

Whether it’s baking or strategy, curiosity and resilience help move you forward.

What’s it like to be mentored by our leaders? It’s impossible for every one of us to sit down with members of the Electronic Systems Leadership Team, so we’re conducting virtual mentoring sessions with them to give employees a unique glimpse into the minds of our ESLT members and how their career paths have shaped them into the leaders they are today.

In this virtual mentoring session, we talk with Leslie Jelalian, vice president of Strategy & Planning for BAE Systems’ Electronic Systems sector, who recently celebrated her 30th anniversary with the company. Learn more about Leslie’s experiences and her perspectives on the qualities that make a good leader.

Leslie Jelalian Vice President

Strategy & Planning

“To lead means someone has to follow, and the minute that you forget that leadership is about people – and you forget about who you represent – you’ve stopped leading.”

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pulse - volume 23 - september 2018 - bae systems inc. · suppliers to its in-house lean six sigma...

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