By Tricia A. Van Den Top, Lt Col, USAF

LOA’s vision is to be a world-class professional organization that promotes and develops leaders that are poised to shape the logistics environment. Professional development not only progresses a career, it keeps logisticians across the Air Force aware of the trends and directions in processes and technology and more prepared to shape our profession.

As engaged professionals, our development occurs every day without thinking about it. LOA Chapters as well as other logistics, contracting, supply chain and acquisitions professional organizations provide education through speakers, seminars and conferences. However, being conscious of the development undertaken provides a means to keep record of your efforts as well as develop in a systematic way. Taking ownership of your career and pursuing continuing development is essential for maintaining high levels of professional competence by continually improving your knowledge and skills. By focusing your professional development you will:

  • Keep pace with current standards of others in the same field.
  • Stay interested and interesting. Experience is a great instructor, but we tend to do what we have always done. Focused development opens you to new possibilities, new knowledge and new skill areas.
  • Become increasingly effective in your workplace and better able to recognize opportunities for improvement
  • Make meaningful contributions to the AF team and assist with advancement
  • Be better prepared to take on new challenges where you can lead, manage, influence, coach and mentor others
  • Help advance the body of knowledge and technology within your profession

LOA is more than just an organization that exists around the annual conference. LOA is you ~ the active participant striving to continually develop professionally and in-turn strengthening our organization and growing better logisticians ready and able to shape the future of the profession.

Resources:

  • LOA University: 9 Professional Development Modules via mobileLOA app
  • LOA Industry Series: Partnering with industry directly aligns with LOA’s purpose to enhance the military logistics profession while creating a bridge for industry to help improve core competencies of a future workforce they will be able to recruit from.
  • LOA Careers: Focused on Logistics, Supply Chain, Transportation, Operations, Maintenance industry companies and professionals, LOA offers an easy- to-use and targeted resource for online employment connections, resume writing, interview preparation etc.
  • The Exceptional Release: LOA’s Professional Journal.