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How are things progressing for you? It can be a lot, but have you noticed anything yet that has spurred additional questions?

Shep

Sir, your response is definitely not behind and your advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you for adding your two cents.

-Joe

Sir, thank you for your advice. It has definitely been more than enough to keep me busy thus far!

-Joe

Thanks for pointing me to those tools! They’ve definitely been a great starting point for me.

-Joe

What type of award and what the circumstances regarding that award? For example, an ARCOM for an E-7 for PCS would be an example. There are many different awards and requirements for each.

The more information I have the more I can help you with what you need.

~ Joe

Tiara,

Sorry this took so long.

Ray is correct.  Subscribing to a topic is the way to go if you want to receive notifications for ALL additional comments and replies.

Also, there is no way to “like” a discussion just yet, however, I’m working on that.

Tom

I’ve had the privilege of working in great maneuver units as well as sustainment focused units. Unless you’ve been “inside” those ranks it’s hard to see the difference in cultures and personalities. If you’re a leader, you can lead in any organization but you better understand the people you’re leading. Strong leaders, no matter the profession,…[Read more]

My soldiers were working ACP on July 4th so I organized a BBQ where some of the spouses and soldiers not on duty came by and cooked up a huge meal. They were pretty shocked when we rolled up.

During command maintenance I bring a cooler full of Gatorades every week (I’m at Fort Bliss, so yeah…) which is just a small gesture of showing them I…[Read more]

Coins are awesome.

This is cool too though 🙂

Giving people something to invest in and be proud of is also valuable to camaraderie and mission success.

Jkramer0309- I would not underestimate your platoon meal celebrations or see them as a small gesture. That is HUGE for people. Bringing in lunch speaks volumes because you’re showing your Soldiers that you care about them. And food speaks to everyone’s hearts. You wouldn’t believe how many people stop me in the hospital and ask where I’m going…[Read more]

While I think all the above is very nice and true, I think an assessment of if you are ready for the next war can be answered in one question.

Are you improving yourself, developing and learning? Its very easy to get lazy and just do your day to day job and be happy with that. It is nice and convenient and work can bog you down absolutely, we ha…[Read more]

Sully,

I had to command an HHC as a 1LT for three months when I was an XO (my commander got fired), so I completely understand your worry about people out-ranking you. Do not worry about your rank, you are the commander. If you find staff officers and NCOs that are not being cooperative, let your BN XO know. She/he is your best friend in making…[Read more]

Thanks for the response and the advice. It’s only been a few days but it’s already making sense. So what was your relationship like with the staff and how did you effectively balance running the company when most of them out rank you or work for someone who out ranks you? We’ve got a bunch of taskings and requirements that are building up and it…[Read more]

My platoon of mechanics has been more than abused by higher to get pacing vehicles/equipment FMC, meet service schedule deadlines, etc. One small thing that my platoon sergeant and I did, with help from squad leaders, was to have regularly have platoon BBQs or pizza in the motorpool. It saves the Soldiers having to spend their own money, they have…[Read more]

Me? Because I was once an Aide, I hate coins. I mean like, vehemently, HATE coins. However I understand their value as far as morale. Sometimes there just isn’t time or justification to write up an award or positive counseling. So what I did was come up with my own “ata-boy” type device, a velcro backed patch. Like a coin, it can be given right…[Read more]

Me? Because I was once an Aide, I hate coins. I mean like, vehemently, HATE coins. However I understand their value as far as morale. Sometimes there just isn’t time or justification to write up an award or positive counseling. So what I did was come up with my own “ata-boy” type device, a velcro backed patch. Like a coin, it can be given right…[Read more]

Nate,

To be honest, I try to prepare with everything we do. An important mentor of mine once said “everything is training,” so I look at it just like that. I stress every opportunity to learn to grow and to correlate what we (my unit) are doing to our war time mission. We are currently preparing to move out to Fort Lewis to train and assist…[Read more]

Nate,

To be honest, I try to prepare with everything we do. An important mentor of mine once said “everything is training,” so I look at it just like that. I stress every opportunity to learn to grow and to correlate what we (my unit) are doing to our war time mission. We are currently preparing to move out to Fort Lewis to train and assist…[Read more]

Nate,

To be honest, I try to prepare with everything we do. An important mentor of mine once said “everything is training,” so I look at it just like that. I stress every opportunity to learn to grow and to correlate what we (my unit) are doing to our war time mission. We are currently preparing to move out to Fort Lewis to train and assist…[Read more]

I took an HHC (my first command?!) to Afghanistan in 2013. Part of our task while we were there was to close FOB Sharana, so there were a few additional layers to work through.

Regardless, for pre-deployment preparation I would offer a few general pieces of advice:

1) Make contact with the HHC commander you are replacing. This cannot happen…[Read more]

Vanezzza:

Hope the attached information slides help. The information can easily be converted based on a given units planning requirements, but it contains the base pre-mission training for CENTCOM deployments.

When you use the search function (ie I used it to look for code words to make sure I wasn’t duplicating a topic discussion), it pulls up topics and says they don’t have any “likes” or “comments”. I thought none of those topics by JOs had been answered by anyway. Turns out, they DO have replies- those numbers just aren’t showing under the search…[Read more]

When you use the search function (ie I used it to look for code words to make sure I wasn’t duplicating a topic discussion), it pulls up topics and says they don’t have any “likes” or “comments”. I thought none of those topics by JOs had been answered by anyway. Turns out, they DO have replies- those numbers just aren’t showing under the search…[Read more]

Haha. This is helpful because I just created a topic for discussion. Thank you for that, Ray! *Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe*

Working in combat arms units in the 82nd ABN DIV and SOF, the best leaders are the most emotionally intelligent. A person who yells or screams at their subordinates is not leading, they are just talking way louder than they need. The best Green Berets or Infantry leaders I have worked with never raised their voice. I do believe there is no such t…[Read more]

Joe,

I know I am little behind in replying but I just noticed this post and thought I would help. The XO is essentially responsible for the equipment and resourcing. The XO ensures that the commander is always prepared and never blindsided. While the Commander gives guidance, the XO turns the commander’s guidance into action.

Very simply s…[Read more]

Tom the Tech God is out on leave right now, so you’re going to get my inexpert perspective on this. There are two ways to make sure that you get notifications of follow-up comments:

When you make an initial post or reply to someone else’s post, you can check the box that says “Notify me of follow-up replies via email”. If you’re replying to…[Read more]

This isn’t really a bug but a question- do we get emails when someone replies to our thread/comments? I haven’t seen an email but maybe they’re not commenting directly at my comment and that’s why? Also, is there a way to “like” posts?

I do not believe there are different branch-dependent leadership styles, however I do believe that one must attend to the different needs of their respective branch. If one has sound judgment, communicates well, combined with a will to get results, that leadership will succeed in the Army. The difference comes when we look at the type of unit the…[Read more]

Can’t top Shep’s list but will provide little context and some early experiences as a brand new PL.

– DTS you will use a lot, so be familiar.

– UMO is branch immaterial, something LTs are asked to do (pack-out). Operational Contract Support, fight to get this course, it provides an ASI, and essential to your time as S4 (a good staff position,…[Read more]

I totally agree with you both. Military justice is based on the “total Soldier” concept. A Soldier who is habitually messing up, has demonstrated a lack of care or concern for the unit, and is overall a drain on the organization will probably be dealt with a little more harshly than a good Soldier who just messed up. I learned this (the hard way)…[Read more]

Warriors – good question.
PLEASE! Send a letter of introduction. It makes a difference!

All your mental anxieties about it are over-blown.
As long as the formatting is clean (NOT perfect), the letter will be appreciated.

Attached find a few templates. Rules for an effective letter of introduction:
– message: “I am a humble servant of YOUR…[Read more]

At IBOLC we provide an “expectations management” portion of our Academics In-brief to new students. I think Shepard’s list above is actually relatively exhaustive. I don’t have anything to add to his list.
So, I’ll focus on some of the “big-picture” lessons from the IBOLC in-brief that will help any BOLC student focus during and reflect after…[Read more]

In my state, this function typically tends to happen at the BN level and below. Advisory Councils are typically the BN Commander and BN Staff Members, and situationally dependent for the most part are likely full-timers in some capacity (AGR or Technicians). This does vary by BDE and BN but speaking with many of my OCS peers who are sprinkled…[Read more]

@asiegel12, I’ll second @brock.j.young on this one. As I approached BOLC graduation I had the same question in mind, and decided just to type a nice MFR type letter to my Battalion Commander (Senior Rater) thru my Company Commander as an introduction, using the AR 25-50 writing bible as my guide. Their response was, in short, that they certainly…[Read more]

You can make it more specific – “If you fail to do -this- then you are not released to go home until (such tasks specify them) are complete.

FT Benning – IBOLC

Housing – Abrams Hall which is operated by IHG. There are study rooms, daily breakfast and computer laps/printers available. The facility is roughly 2 years old and very well maintained. Tip: Sign up for IHG’s loyalty program in advanced so that you can accumulate status and points for your 6 month+ stay. At the end you will be…[Read more]

Unity of effort is definitely the key, but this is always more challenging to achieve than unity of command. So yes, consolidation of information collection planning and assets needs to occur, but I think we need to be weary of the “Romance of Leadership” if we consolidate all of this, because one person (the commander) does not always have the…[Read more]

Brock, I tackle each of these based on who is offering the opinion.  Sometimes it’s a flat “you’re wrong, and here’s why”, sometimes a “thank you” where I just move on smartly, and at others I work to change the system (most often when it is someone in my rating chain offering the opinion).

I had a battalion commander recommend that I maneuver…[Read more]

Now to what brought this on. Having recently taken company command I put together my first couple of policy letters, one of which dealt with military discipline. Being Army National Guard, we’re limited with the time and options. So one of my “options” was to limit the go home “privilege” of those who needed additional corrective training/…[Read more]

Brock- YES. Hahaha.

I LOVE this question!

I did a great podcast for The Leader’s Huddle with Micah Klein yesterday and we talked about this very topic. I gave a lot of my perspective on the topic of emotional intelligence. Emotional Intelligence is the capability of individuals to recognize their own and other people’s emotions, discern between different feelings…[Read more]

Michael posted such a good list of resources for you! I want to make a suggestion though- learn as MUCH as you can at BOLC! You’re going to be “drinking from the firehose” for a while. Know that you aren’t going to know everything when you get to your first duty assignment. Keeping an open mind and working hard with the suggestions above, on top…[Read more]

This.

Best summary of training management and sustainment systems that are vital for officers to know. This should be pinned to the top.

To put it simply: I have been in the Army for ten years as both an NCO and officer, and spent time in the infantry, armor, and MI branches as well as work on staff; I have used the same leadership style to great effect (in my opinion) across the board. If you communicate clearly, have a plan, take care of soldiers, and execute well, you don’t…[Read more]

Joe,

XOs across the army have similar responsibilities.  The marginal differences come from your unit type, company HQ structure, and your commander’s needs and preferences.

That said, here’s my advice…

Get with other company XOs to help get yourself up to speed.  When she returns, maximize whatever time you get with the outgoing XO.
Is t…[Read more]

Joe,

A little bit ago, I uploaded a bunch of files to the Tools section of this site at this link: https://juniorofficer.army.mil/xo-documents-from-iii-corps-course/

Even if you don’t need all of them, you may do some digging and find useful files for certain situations that pop up.

Additionally, if you go to http://gcss.army.mil, you can…[Read more]

If you are still looking for guidance on this let me know and I can e mail you the one I sent to my CO before arriving out of BOLC.

Heather, I hear you. I treated every case on its own merits and never worried about cries for favoritism, anticipating they’re going to happen regardless. Ultimately, if you take the time to explain each element of proof, how you found guilt or not, beyond a reasonable doubt and how each punishment directly relates to the founded charges, your…[Read more]

Had many good and very few bad leaders. I’ll describe LTC Alex Deraney, EN (now retired). What I admired about him was his one of a kind emotional intelligence and unmatched knowledge of all things. In battle he was calming, reassuring. With his young inexperienced commanders (as I started out), he was encouraging, patient. In night court, he was…[Read more]

Had many good and very few bad leaders. I’ll describe LTC Alex Deraney, EN (now retired). What I admired about him was his one of a kind emotional intelligence and unmatched knowledge of all things. In battle he was calming, reassuring. With his young inexperienced commanders (as I started out), he was encouraging, patient. In night court, he was…[Read more]

Had many good and very few bad leaders. I’ll describe LTC Alex Deraney, EN (now retired). What I admired about him was his one of a kind emotional intelligence and unmatched knowledge of all things. In battle he was calming, reassuring. With his young inexperienced commanders (as I started out), he was encouraging, patient. In night court, he was…[Read more]

Had many good and very few bad leaders. I’ll describe LTC Alex Deraney, EN (now retired). What I admired about him was his one of a kind emotional intelligence and unmatched knowledge of all things. In battle he was calming, reassuring. With his young inexperienced commanders (as I started out), he was encouraging, patient. In night court, he was…[Read more]

Leadership stereotypes exist but I think there’s a difference between being effective in your job/branch versus effectively leading Soldiers. Obviously, leaders need to understand the nuances of their MOS but effective leadership transcends branches.

Great timing for this question as I am currently reading The Art of Command. This book focuses o…[Read more]

Leadership stereotypes exist but I think there’s a difference between being effective in your job/branch versus effectively leading Soldiers. Obviously, leaders need to understand the nuances of their MOS but effective leadership transcends branches.

Great timing for this question as I am currently reading The Art of Command. This book focuses o…[Read more]

I do not believe there are branch-dependent leadership styles. There is only the individual leader, and those that individual leads. People respond to different leadership styles, differently – and the Army revolves around people. A good leader will adapt their style to motivate those he or she leads to carry out whatever tasks or missions are…[Read more]