Mike,

Your S4 team will make or break you.  Your company XOs will make your life easier or harder, and your fellow staff OICs/NCOICs will either be your best friends or worst enemies.  Employ your Senior NCOs(be patient with them, they know everything that you need to know, but won’t share it with you if you don’t treat them with respect), implore them to teach you, and utilize your maintenance techs, your forward support company, and forward maintenance company (filled with SME warrants), and collect your resource/contact info carefully.  Take careful notes of the BN commander’s objectives(bounce everything off of the BN  XO), do your best to become a seamless member of the team, and treat the company commander’s with respect even though you are both the same rank.  They have all the responsibility and no extra pay.  BN S4 can be one of your most rewarding jobs.  It is a great opportunity, attack it like it will be the best job you ever had, and perhaps your last, and you will learn more in that job about “how” your unit runs than perhaps any other.  If your ever not sure, don’t keep it in, it is okay if you don’t know something… just be willing to do the work, ask SMEs for assistance, and know your limits.  Expect to make some mistakes, if you don’t, your either not trying your best or not honest.