One on one--ASMC interviews the Honorable Michael Montelongo.

When you visit the Web site of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management and Comptroller), you see a picture of an executive dressed in full combat flying gear and sitting in a jet fighter, very obviously enjoying where he is and what he is doing. The caption under the photo reads, "Mike 'La Bamba Montelongo--the consummate Finance Warrior!"

When I met with him in person for this interview, we were in the somewhat more formal setting of his Pentagon office, but he still looked--and spoke--like a man who enjoys where he is and what he is doing. And what he is doing is quite clear and quite challenging.

Secretary Montelongo is leading the transformation of the financial managers in the Air Force from persons who are transaction-oriented to persons who are consultants or "strategic partners" providing decision support to commanders at all levels. This is stated in the Air Force Financial Management Transformation Vision Statement as follows: "... we will implement ... a vision for Financial Management that will make us the leadership's strategic partner for decision-making and make us the example others follow.... The comptroller is a key member of the senior staff and financial managers spend time analyzing options instead of working on complaints. This is what the world will be like for the comptroller of the future and it is not a fantasy ... in fact it is right around the corner."

Military Background: USA to USAF

Mr. Montelongo is a man with a purpose. He is sharp, fit, very articulate, and passionate in his commitment to the Air Force and to his country. I began the interview by asking about the nickname "La Bamba" in the Web site photo.

He said, "It's my Air Force call sign, but it began long before that. When I was in graduate school, I played in a rock band and we used to do Richie Valens' song "La Bamba." I'm Hispanic, so I got to sing the Spanish lyrics. Pretty soon the nickname stuck."

He then spoke of his youth in the lower East Side of New York City and how he applied to the United States Military Academy at West Point, not sure he really wanted to go: "I even turned my acceptance papers in two weeks late." However, he quickly added that the four years spent at the Academy were some of the most valuable and transformational in his life, "opening many new vistas" for him.

He went on to a 21-year career in the Army with a specialty in Air Defense. During that time, he earned an MBA at Harvard University and completed the Army's Command and General Staff College. He also spent time on Capitol Hill, serving in a congressional fellowship during the 104th Congress.

I asked him, with his extensive Army background, how he became the Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and Comptroller for the Air Force. He replied that this was a deliberate decision: "When we [potential nominees for office] were being considered, they [the Office of White House Personnel] preferred that we serve in a different Service. The idea was to cross-pollinate and bring a different perspective and an inquisitive mindset to the job."

Mr. Montelongo left no doubt in my mind as to his feelings. "While I'll always 'bleed Army green,' I love my Air Force and I wouldn't change a thing! This is the joint tour I never got to do in my former Army career."

When asked about his biggest challenge, he replied, "There are actually two equally demanding ones. First, the balancing of competing interests against scarce resources. The demand for our services is up and, even though Congress has given us more resources, we'll never have enough to meet all our requirements.

"This challenge is exacerbated by a second factor; that is, as we daily try to balance, to fight, and to operate, we are also transforming the Air Force into what it will be five to fifteen years from now. That's tough because it's a bit like building an airplane while you are flying it. You can't think sequentially--you have to do many, many things at once. We don't have the luxury of time-outs. On a daily basis, one must constantly fight the tyranny of the urgent, which tends to crowd out the really important."

I asked the Secretary what book he would recommend for someone coming into the DoD financial management field. After some thought, he said that there are four books. "The first would be the The Bible because it contains great truths, precepts, fundamental values, and leadership lessons and provides anyone with an anchor that is unshakable.

"The second would be whatever manual describes your Service's organization, missions, and functions; and, finally, two books by John Kotter, a professor at Harvard Business School, titled respectively, How to Change an Organization and Heart of Change. The first Kotter book speaks to the mind and the second to the heart, but both address the universal organizational challenges we face in changing financial management and transforming the Air Force."

Top Personnel Priorities: Professional Delevopment and New Talent Searches

We next turned to the topic of professional development for Air Force civilian employees. Secretary Montelongo commented that the Department doesn't really do this in a very coherent fashion, but it needs to because people--and the skills they bring--make the difference in mission accomplishment.

That's why he takes a people-first approach to Air force's transformation plan. He stated that all leaders have an obligation to give their people every opportunity to excel and reach their full potential and "be all that they can be." Employees, however, must relentlessly and constantly prepare themselves for those opportunities by participating in formal training, on-the-job training, and self-development programs that can lead to professional certification.

He encourages people to join professional organizations and associations, such as the American Society of Military Comptrollers, that offer growth opportunities, as well as venues for learning, networking, and mentoring as ambassadors. He admonished, "Doing your job is just not enough anymore. You may be equipped for today, but you must also be ready for tomorrow."

The Secretary is an advocate of the whole-person approach to personal and career development. He says that leaders need to appreciate the multiple dimensions of their people and that there is a physical dimension that must be addressed, along with one's spiritual, intellectual, and emotional needs. He himself is a runner and believes that a combination of both off-duty and on-duty time should be devoted to physical fitness. In fact, he wishes he had more time to devote to it.

Mr. Montelongo is optimistic about the New Defense Civilian Personnel System and the opportunities it will offer to all employees, especially top performers. In particular, he likes the aspect that facilitates direct hiring of bright young people on college campuses.

He noted, "There's another war we're fighting. It's the 'War on Talent.' And the private sector has been winning so far. I believe public service is a noble calling and is an extraordinary opportunity for young people to invest their talents in a meaningful way that no private-sector company can match. We need to get our fair share of America's best talent at all levels. Because people look at careers differently now--no single career offers all the things today's young person wants to do.

"I'll take new recruits for however long they want to stay. Mobility and diverse experience are a plus. Indeed, I'd like to see a trend toward portfolio careers where top talent serves in government one year and in the private sector the next. In effect, no career would be complete without a stint in public service."

The interview ended all too quickly, as Secretary Montelongo had to move to the next meeting in his very crowded schedule. He left me with the impression of a man who is working to make a difference--and one who will succeed.

[Michael Montelongo is the] "Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He is also the principal adviser to the Secretary Off the Air Force, Chief of Staff and other senior Air Force officials for budgetary and fiscal matters. With a budget of more than $110 billion, he serves as the Air Force's Chief Financial Officer responsible for providing the financial management and analytical services necessary for the active and efficient use of Air Force resources. He was sworn in August 6, 2001, as the 18th Assistant Secretary and is the senior Hispanico official in the Air Force." (Extracted from the official United States Air Force biography)