Leader Encourages SSP to “Never Settle”

25 June 2024

From Shelby Thompson

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD - “When you’re comfortable and you know your strengths and weaknesses, that’s when you can capitalize on your personal and professional lives,” said Mr. Michael Odle (SES), Director of the Department of Defense/Veterans Affairs Collaboration Office (DVCO).

Odle shared his leadership philosophies with Strategic Systems Programs (SSP), 6 June.

Odle, who is also a reservist in the Air Force, has held positions at four different agencies and credits his wide-ranging roles within public affairs with providing him with a leadership “toolbox.” His time at the Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and now at the Department of Defense whittled his leadership philosophy down to three strong tenants: “Never settle, be self-aware, and celebrate the little wins,” he said.

He emphasized that these tenants, along with the understanding that timing is everything, were just as useful when navigating his personal life.

“When we force things to happen, when we try to fit into a role, that’s when we are going to face challenges,” said Odle.

Growing up, Odle dreamt of becoming a pilot. Life, however, flew him in a different direction. After an engine mishap during pilot training caused him to conduct an emergency landing at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, Odle decided to consider alternate, land-based career paths that would allow him to serve his country. The minor media frenzy that occurred as a result of his emergency landing exposed Odle to the work and mission of DOD public affairs professionals, and he set off on a new career path.

“The best action sometimes is to allow things to happen in their own time,” said Odle, remarking on how being open minded to a career change enabled him to take advantage of new opportunities that he may not have considered before.

Over the subsequent twenty years, Odle continued to keep his eyes open for new experiences while also building his reputation as a leader and mentor. During his military career, Mr. Odle served as the Assistant Director, Military Compensation Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower & Reserve Affairs), Pentagon; Senior Press Officer for the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, Afghanistan; spearheaded the Multinational Public Affairs Office in Bangladesh during a United Nations peacekeeping support operation; and served as a Public Affairs Officer in Louisiana during critical phases of rescue and relief efforts during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Speaking to SSP, Odle emphasized that his DVCO team’s mission today is just as important as any he has supported before. DVCO’s key initiatives include veteran suicide prevention, federal healthcare record modernization, and military-to-civilian transitions.

“We are working to modernize the military-to-civilian transition process,” Odle said, specifically digging into the new transition framework that “aligns the myriad of disparate transition activities under one overarching umbrella, 365 days pre-separation through 365 days post-separation, providing service members a roadmap back to civilian life.”

Odle’s enthusiasm for positive change clearly had an impact those listening to him.

“I enjoyed his encouragement to find what you love and not to settle for what you think everyone else around you expects you to do,” said Maria Poletis, SSP Management Services Branch Head. “His leadership philosophy was very inspiring - he showed how we can make a difference a little bit at a time and eventually accomplish big things that have an impact.”

People are SSP’s biggest strategic asset. The ability for all qualified people to contribute to the sea based strategic deterrent mission openly and free from discrimination is a foundational part of the command’s values.

A credible, effective nuclear deterrent is essential to our national security and the security of U.S. allies. Deterrence remains a cornerstone of national security policy in the 21st century.

Strategic Systems Programs is the Navy command that provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support for the sea-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad. This includes training, systems, equipment, facilities and personnel responsible for ensuring the safety, security, and effectiveness of the nation’s Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) Trident II (D5LE) Strategic Weapon System.

Content was removed or edited to align with the President's executive Orders and DOD Priorities in accordance with ASD(PA) memo "Digital Content Refresh" dtd 26 Feb 2025

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Leader Encourages SSP to “Never Settle”

From Shelby Thompson