I would argue that meetings at both levels exist to ensure units stays proactive, identify potential friction points, validate systems, and drive decision making. At the same time, we all have information requirements to our higher headquarters and meeting with subordinate units help facilitate that flow of data. Effective meetings encompass all of the above.

At the company level, I believe the training meeting is the most important administrative function you will accomplish in a given week. I always wanted to have a dialogue with the senior leaders in the troop about training. Yes, we covered the typical data points, training calendar, etc. but what made those meetings worthwhile were the training events that materialized from the collaboration of leaders. To ensure we kept the training meeting to an appropriate time, I cut all the C&S-type requirements and we created an administrative meeting during the last duty day of the week. The 1SG & XO owned that meeting and I just participated and gave guidance as needed. It usually lasted about 30-40 minutes.

As an HHC commander of a Brigade Engineer Battalion, I found that it was much more effective running training meetings by line of effort (LOE) versus subordinate units. For example, each platoon in a company can discuss their T-7/T-6 to T weeks in detail, but that isn’t always useful for everyone in a headquarters company. Instead, we used training LOEs (mandatory training, individual training, collective training, etc.) I will dig up an example of a training schedule and upload incase there’s interest.

Finally, all units will adapt their meetings to what works for them. Before you do that, it helps to understand the Army system for conducting training meetings. While leaders should be familiar with Unit Training Management, Appendix E in The Leader’s Guide to Unit Training Management covers company training meetings. I have attached the guide if anyone is interested.

~Scott