Strengthening Leadership at Naval Systems Management Activity

Positive Intelligence® provides a mental fitness program for NSMA’s leadership team

Naval Systems Management Activity and Positive Intelligence

Employees at Naval Systems Management Activity (NSMA) face challenges typical of high-pressure work environments, including frequent change, constant demands, and high stress levels.

NSMA is a U.S. federal government acquisition organization that provides integrated acquisition support to the Navy and Marine Corps. The organization is comprised of civilian employees who work to support the Department of Defense acquisition process in various capacities, including financial management, security, contracts, and engineering​.

To address its work environment challenges, NSMA implemented the PQ® Program among its 10-person leadership team, resulting in improved stress management, resilience, leadership development, teamwork, and change management.

“I would say that we work in a pretty stressful environment. We work in a space that has competing priorities. There’s a lot of pressure on our employees,” says Pam Shoemaker. “We needed to find a tool to provide them with ways to take the stress off.”

Earned Trust

PQ Program Impact on NSMA’s Leadership Team

100

%

improved their emotional intelligence

90

%

are better at coaching and inspiring others

100

%

handle personal relationship conflicts better

100

%

manage stress better

90

%

feel more engaged at work

100

%

use mental and emotional energy more effectively

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    Overall, my experience with Positive Intelligence has been nothing short of transformative. It has provided me with a powerful set of tools and perspectives that have positively impacted my work-life balance, relationships, and personal growth. I wholeheartedly recommend embracing Positive Intelligence to anyone seeking to enhance their wellbeing, navigate challenges with grace, and unlock their full potential.
    Sarah Dardick
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    This training is life-changing. Just practicing during the seven weeks has done so much in improving my outlook at work and home. It has helped my personal relationships and helps me deal with stressful situations at work with a more positive mindset.
    Kathleen Tindal
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    An organization is made of individuals, and you are a key part of it. This program helps you grow, and if you don’t grow, the organization doesn’t grow. The PQ Program is not only beneficial to the organization, it’s beneficial to you.
    Raj Raman

Key Outcomes & Impacts

The PQ Program at NSMA provided participants with daily practices and exercises designed to build mental fitness. The team met weekly to discuss progress and share insights. Throughout the program, participants engaged with the PQ app, which provided guided exercises and reflections to reinforce new concepts.

While NSMA leaders participate in many structured leadership development programs, they highlight the value and importance of the PQ Program’s varied work and life applications.

“How the PQ Program is different is that it’s more of a continual process. So, I find myself using the techniques and the strategies to get through critical conversations. It’s like a daily practice whereas in other training, there’s nothing there for you to take with you to practice,” says Kathleen Tindal.

Mutual Accountability
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    I attended the Federal Executive Institute, a four-week course there that focused on a lot of supervisory and management classes. I think the PQ Program is a great follow-on class to that because of its emphasis on on self-awareness and being able to change your mindset quickly.
    Pam Shoemaker
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    I would say this program helps not just the individual from a leadership work perspective, but also from a personal and stress perspective. Having a tool that really helps you as a whole person makes you a better leader and a better co-worker and teammate; it also helps you have more patience and understanding and the ability to support your team. It’s been incredibly beneficial for me.
    Elisabeth Biondi

Explore the PQ Program

The PQ Program helps individuals and teams build mental fitness to achieve peak performance and wellbeing.

Schedule a discovery call with our team to create a mental fitness plan for your organization.

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Stress Management & Resilience

 

The PQ Program significantly enhanced resilience and stress management among the NSMA leaders. The leadership team members say their ability to handle unexpected challenges and stay composed under pressure has improved, and they’re also managing stress better in their personal lives.

“You know, everyone deals with stress differently and all the challenges and all the different personalities we have to work with. I think the goal is to better align us together as a leadership group so that when we go off to our functional areas we could try to instill a calmness amongst the staff so that they can better cope with it themselves,” says Tindal.

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    There’s so much emphasis on your interpersonal wellbeing and using those tools not just in the work environment, but also in your personal life. I think that was really unique and very helpful for me personally on many fronts. It is great to have that holistic approach to being the best version of yourself on the home front and the work front.
    Elisabeth Biondi
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    The PQ Program greatly impacted my life. Just a couple of weeks ago I had some negative news provided to me, and I was able to find the positive outlook in that news, and it didn’t affect my wellbeing. It didn’t affect my sleep. It didn’t affect my relationship with other people.
    Pam Shoemaker

Leadership Development

The PQ Program bolstered individual resilience and honed the team’s leadership skills. Leaders learned to communicate more effectively, fostering greater understanding, patience, and empathy within their teams. Participants highlight how the program equipped them with tools to support their teams more effectively and promote a more positive work environment.

“My primary goal was to find a set of tools that I could use and that I could share with coworkers to help find the good in life’s circumstances when life gets hard and gets stressful,” says Shoemaker. “What are ways that I can internally reprocess that and find a positive outlook? Part of that is building relationships with coworkers, holding each other accountable, and being able to rely on each other to pick each other up when we’re having a tough day or when something doesn’t go as planned.”

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    I was trying to look at how I could help myself be more effective in my role, my leadership role in the organization, and also how I can help my employees be more effective in their personal and their professional lives. This course really looks at the whole person. So it’s not just how to be a good supervisor or a team member.
    Elisabeth Biondi
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    The PQ Program influenced my leadership by having more understanding for all of my employees. During the course, we learned about the different Saboteurs that impact us as well as the Judge. understanding that everybody is dealing with those in some way, and we learned to have more compassion for our employees. I’ve been able to share some of the techniques that we’ve learned to help them start using some of these techniques as well.
    Pam Shoemaker

Teamwork & Collaboration

 

The PQ Program allowed NSMA’s leadership team members to understand and manage their Saboteurs — the negative thought patterns that often hinder teamwork and collaboration.

Through structured exercises and team discussions, the participants developed greater empathy for themselves and others, and they strengthened the positive regions of their minds that promote exploration, innovation, and calm, clear-headed action. This shared personal and professional growth journey reinforced bonds among team members, creating a more cohesive and supportive work environment.

“We all are really focused on our mission, and that really unites us. We’re really excited about what we do every day. But this really added another layer to the team,” says Biondi.

teamwork
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    This program impacted my team because it built close bonds and made us hold each other accountable. So, every day, we had to do our daily PQ Reps, and we got together once a week to check in. At the end of the course, we now have some great relationships across the leadership team because we know each other so well and we’ve been through this journey together.
    Pam Shoemaker
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    I think one of the most useful tools that we learn during the class in order to improve our collaboration is the ‘Yes … and’ technique. When your first response is, ‘yes … and,’ it validates the person’s comment and builds that relationship with that person. It’s an easy tool that everybody can use when they’re having conversations and keeping the conversation friendly and positive. Even if you don’t agree with all of it, maybe there is a part that you agree with.
    Pam Shoemaker

Change Management

Change management, a critical aspect of organizational resilience, has improved at NSMA through the PQ Program. With the organization’s frequent shifts in priorities, it’s essential for leaders to foster a mindset that embraces change rather than resists it. The program enabled leaders to guide their teams through transitions more smoothly by improving communication strategies and fostering empathy. This approach reduced resistance to change and ensured that all members were aligned and prepared for new challenges, resulting in a more agile and responsive organization.

Raj Raman shares, “This course has helped me emphasize the positive opportunities that come with change rather than dwelling on potential negatives.”

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    One thing with change management that I’ve taken away is to think about the impact that I want to have on the command and using the technique of thinking about your older, wiser self. What impact do you want to have when you’re gone? And how do you want to be remembered?
    Pam Shoemaker
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    It’s very important to communicate with the team and understand that people are often resistant to change. Our organization right now is actually going through several different changes, and it’s taking many people a long time to come to terms with that. The PQ Program has helped me to emphasize the positive and the opportunities that are coming out of this change.
    Elisabeth Biondi

PQ Program Components for Organizations

 

Positive Intelligence delivers a mental fitness program to help individuals and organizations achieve their full potential for performance and happiness.

The PQ Program is simple to promote, implement, and scale with the help of the dedicated PQ Client Success Team.

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    PQ Program

    • Introduces participants to the key concepts of Positive Intelligence
    • Focuses on developing mental resilience, self-awareness, and emotional wellbeing
    • Equips participants with practical tools to manage stress and enhance performance

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    PQ-Powered Teams

    • Builds on the PQ Program to enhance team dynamics
    • Provides a common language and framework for effective communication
    • Encourages collaboration, trust-building, and mutual accountability within teams

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    Grow

    • Deepens the application of PQ Program principles
    • Offers advanced tools and strategies for continued personal and professional growth
    • Reinforces the program’s impact on individual wellbeing and organizational culture

A Culture of Resilient Leadership

The PQ Program continues to drive positive change and growth at NSMA, setting a benchmark for resilient leadership in challenging environments. Through its commitment to personal and professional development, NSMA’s leadership team is overcoming challenges and emerging as a more resilient, effective, and forward-thinking group of leaders.

  • The PQ Program has given me tools that I can take with me for the rest of my life, as well as share with my team and my family so that all of us can continue to improve. I would highly recommend this program to other organizations and people.
    Pam Shoemaker

Let’s Discuss Your Goals

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