People matter. If we want to retain the best, we have to be interested, active, and engaging with our teams. Leadership shouldn’t sit behind a desk at a central location. I thrive working side by side with my team. Together, we create hands-on training for the future of the Air Force.
I want to ensure everyone has the skills they need. I look at what they need now and what they’ll need that will make them successful going forward.
Kim Bird leads Booz Allen’s military intelligence business for Air Force, Army, and Navy clients. She focuses on advanced analytics; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance-processing, exploitation, and dissemination (ISR-PED); training, and data science capabilities.
Kim’s areas of expertise include software development, system integration, process improvement, cyber analysis and planning, and advanced analytics. She earned the firm’s highest honor, a Booz Allen Excellence Award, for her leadership in the appraisal at Capability Maturity Model Integration Maturity Level 3 for its software development methodologies and quality management processes.
Before joining Booz Allen in 1996, Kim worked as a software developer and systems integrator, building back office and financial systems for the intelligence community.
She holds a B.S. in management from National Louis University.
How is mentoring a part of your leadership style? I grew up at Booz Allen when the company was smaller. As we’ve grown, the personal touch is harder. So, as people are promoted, we need to ensure we’re all well rounded and that everyone can land where they want to, on both feet.
What are the biggest changes in Booz Allen during your career? I think it’s healthy for us that we’re expanding our brand. Now we’re more open, even relaxed, and we have expanded the business and the amazing talent we’re attracting. It’s a new culture and dynamic.
What do you look for when hiring new team members? This is a high-energy job. I look for people who match that energy level and want to be a part of it. The firm has so much to offer, and we want people who can take advantage of everything we can offer.
What does it take to retain great talent at Booz Allen? Our teams are often spread out in the trenches with our clients. To retain and grow our talent, leadership has to be there too, with our teams making it happen, and teaching.
Where do you see Booz Allen in the next 100 years? We will evolve to be more technology centered as the world becomes more tech savvy. I also see us as a gadget builder. I think building things is in our future.
What was your first job? I worked part-time at the new Hardee’s in town. I was the biscuit lady. I went in at 5:00 am and baked trays of biscuits. At 7:30, I would leave, and go to school all day. Then I’d go back to Hardee’s and work a nightshift. I loved it. All my friends worked there as well, and we had the best time. It was more like a second home than a job. We were a little family.
What do you feel nostalgic for? The mischief we got into at Hardee’s. I miss that. We were constantly up to something.
What advice would you give to yourself as a young professional? I wish I knew back then that making a mistake wasn’t going to kill me; it was going to help me. I think it held me back. But I had to learn that I could take risks and face new challenges. I know that now.
What are the most pressing needs for your clients today? Managing their workforce, their training, and their evolving missions. The Air Force must retain talent and find incentives to keep great people. Training methods are evolving from schoolhouses to simulators, augmented reality, and immersive learning. They have to embrace how young people learn today.
How is Booz Allen addressing these needs? One of our teams is creating an immersive multimedia and gaming technique to modernize the current curriculum with virtual and augmented reality, and e-books and tablets. This changes how next-generation analysts approach information, including how and when they learn. It’s a huge evolution from traditional schoolhouse doctrine and curriculum adoption techniques.
How do you help your team stay motivated? I instill a little bit of fun into our day. Our world is constantly evolving and changing; sometimes it’s a rollercoaster. So, when good things happen, we take the time to thank people and celebrate successes together. We want teams to know they’re appreciated.
Booz Allen’s people-focused culture is a cornerstone of our history and how we’re able to create an amazing workplace. Learn more by exploring our current openings.
