These are really great questions, and Michael has some excellent insight! In my opinion, there are so many right answers to your question.

I like to use a combination of methods to get to know my fellow staff members; chow times, MDMP sessions, knowledge management, and of course, generally reaching out to other staff sections in a collaborative effort. After all, you are a team. Far too frequently do leaders and staff officers get caught up in their bubbles and forget that working together is critical to any mission’s real success.

Including someone more junior or inexperienced, when not limited by classification or need-to-know restrictions, is important for leader development. Providing them a purpose and some direction is key to avoiding catastrophe. I have never had this turn out negatively.

Applying skills learned at the company level is how I survived on staff. Training management skills, OPORD development, execution, constraints, empathy, and leader skills are on the short list of ALOT of things that I took with me and use daily as a staff officer.

I hope that my answers here are not too short, and provide you with a small amount of insight. Feel free to reach out at any time!