On November 30, 2023, we honored 171 transportation professionals who completed eight of our training programs. Among the 171 professionals, six of the graduates completed the Transportation Leadership Program (TLP).
Congratulations to the 2023 TLP Graduates:
Nicholas Ciarlo, Town of Greenwich
Jim Grossmann, Town of Marlborough
Regina Hackett, CT T2 Center
Thomas Modzelewski, Town of Ellington
Marco Mucciacciaro, Town of South Windsor
George Santos, CT Dept. of Transportation
To read more about the graduation ceremony, click here.
VIDEO OF THE MONTH:
Nothing Of Significance Is Ever Accomplished Alone with Col. Nicole Malachowski
What’s it like to be part of an elite, high-performing team? Colonel Nicole Malachowski reached new heights when she became the FIRST female Thunderbird pilot, but she quickly realized her role was just one piece of the puzzle in the Thunderbirds’ complex team. Excellence wasn’t an option; it was a necessity for the entire team to succeed. Her journey taught her a crucial lesson: “Nothing of significance is ever accomplished alone.”
ARTICLE OF THE MONTH:
Committing to Leadership
by W. Gary Losier, PEng APWA President
After 36 years in the public works industry, I have seen a lot of changes within this field, and one of the few things I can say has always remained consistent is the level of commitment from our public works folks. These are committed individuals who are always there when we need them and whose efforts lead to significant and meaningful improvements in the quality of life for our communities and also in the public works profession.
Why are they so committed, and what drives them to constantly seek improvement in themselves and their communities? In my experience, I believe they have a genuine desire to help others and be useful. They want to keep their communities safe and see them thrive. After all, it takes a certain kind of person to clear a fallen tree in the middle of the night or brave a blizzard to finish a job they know needs to be done so their community can wake up the next morning and go about their everyday lives. Our public workers are a valuable asset that must be nurtured and supported so they can continue their work, maintain their energy and passion for this profession, and further pursue the high level of dedication to our communities that rely on them daily.
"Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything" by BJ Fogg, PhD
Book Reviewed by TLP Cohort #8 Member
The concept of this book is that by making small incremental changes in our life that are easy to achieve, a person can change their behavior for larger things over time and it can also lead to changing other behaviors.
The author of this book BJ Fogg, PhD created the Fogg Behavior Model B=MAP. Behavior = Motivation+Ability+Prompt. This concept states that a person’s behavior is determined by the right combination of motivation, ability, and prompt. He explains in the book that by adjusting the three determinates in the behavior model a person can change, eliminate or add certain behaviors. The author also explains how making changes that are small and easy to achieve is a way to trick our brains into feeling good about doing a behavior which can lead to increasing that behavior. This book also talks about reverse engineering the behavior model to eliminate unwanted behavior.
I would recommend this book to other members of the TLP cohort. I have changed behaviors in my personal life using this model. At the time I didn’t realize that I was using the Fogg, Behavior Model, but I made small incremental changes that turned into larger, long-lasting changes. The book was interesting and easy to read. Using the concepts in this book can help people make changes in their life or help others make changes.
“Trust is the thread that keeps the fabric of teamwork from unraveling. Teams become stronger when leaders cultivate trust.”
~Col. Nicole Malachowski
Training Opportunities
We will continue to update the schedule with dates and locations, so check in with us regularly.