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(U) Shadowing the SID Chief of Staff
FROM:
Unknown
Run Date: 03/26/2004
FROM:
Unknown
(U//FOUO) On March 9 2004, I spent the day shadowing Mr. Charles Berlin, SID Chief of Staff. It
was a busy day filled with meetings. The meeting topics varied greatly and I wondered how Mr.
Berlin could keep it all straight. Before the first meeting, Mr. Berlin sat down with me and gave
me a brief overview of the day and what the various meetings were going to be about. He
explained exactly what the Chief of Staff's duties are and how he helps the SIGINT Director.
(U//FOUO) The first meeting covered a very hot topic: compensation reform. It was quite
interesting to hear about upper management's views and concerns about compensation reform.
The meetings and briefings continued throughout the morning, including a regular meeting with
SID leadership and the SOO update at NSOC, just to name a few. Around noon, I received a
lunch break. Mr. Berlin, on the other hand, had to stay in his office during lunch and deal with
paperwork and other issues that came up during the morning. After lunch the pace picked up
again as I sat in on five more meetings.
(U//FOUO) Throughout the day, during the short breaks between meetings or the walk between
meeting locations, Mr. Berlin spent time explaining some of the elements of the previous
meeting that I may not have understood and providing some behind-the-scenes insight. From
the importance of impromptu meetings in the hallway when you are going for coffee to the
importance of understanding your own weaknesses and learning to overcome them to make you
a better leader, there was a teaching opportunity after every meeting and Mr. Berlin took full
advantage of those opportunities.
(U//FOUO) At the end of the day, Mr. Berlin took time to show me the new SID staff office
spaces, introduce me to a lot of people, and explain what all the different staff organizations do.
(U//FOUO) This day allowed me to see SID and NSA from a whole different perspective. I got to
see first hand some of the issues that SID leadership faces and how they address those issues. I
had a unique experience where I got a candid peak into a day in the life of the SID Chief of Staff.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108