@ae_rollinson

I’ve encountered two situations within the past twelve months where two Soldiers (one PFC and the other SSG) that wanted to ETS. The solution in both cases was communication. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations and forget to talk to people. I try to make it a point to learn what people are thinking to help them make the best possible decision for themselves and their family. So, I sat them down and asked them two questions:

1. Why do you want to get out?
I found out the PFC was having a rough time with some very toxic leadership. He was sending over half of his paycheck home every month to support his parents, when he couldn’t make ends meet he took on an additional job outside of duty hours. When it started to affect his job performance, his supervisor used his second job as leverage instead of trying to truly understand the root of the problem was. Once I spoke with him and found all this out, I went to the Company Commander and requested that he be transferred locally to a different duty section. Luckily, the command team was completely understanding and had him locally relocated and they were able to get one of his parents added under secondary dependency. It completely turned his job performance around now that he can solely focus on his job rather than having to worry about the financial situation back home. He has taken notice to the culture change and decided to re-enlist.
As for the SSG, I’ll have to ask him when I see him again. We talked on several different occasions and the impression I got was that he didn’t feel like he was doing anything that mattered.

2. What are your plans if you do get out?
In both situations, I listened to them and noticed they didn’t truly have a plan. That’s not to say they didn’t consider it: the PFC was going to go back to the factory job he had before joining the Army and the SSG wanted to complete his Master’s degree. I pitched the idea of why not stay in for the experience, since a lot of jobs in the private sector aren’t hiring without at least five years prior experience.

I don’t think the Army is for everyone and I’m not saying everyone should be convinced to stay in. I do think talent management is entirely possible even with a Soldier ETS’ing. It’s good to look ahead but it’s even more important to give attention to the job you’re currently in. That philosophy will serve them well in the private sector just as well.