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Our articles are written by leaders from all walks of life on topics applicable to the development and success of junior officers in the Army.

Winning at JMRC for Junior Officers – From “The OPFOR”

Maxwell Coleman, Jonathan Larios, Jonathan Wurzelbacher

The focus of this paper is to help company level junior officers and to provide insight to the rotational units on the minds of 1-4 IN – Callsign “Warrior”.

Have you been asked to provide a character statement? Here’s what you should consider.

Stephen Magennis and Nicholas Swartz

Between BOLC templates, Army Publications, senior NCOs, and peers, Junior Officers have plenty of resources aiding in development during their budding careers, but one situation …

Make Room for the Antenna: Three Principles of Performance that Breed Success for Junior Officers

Geoff Logan

Three Principles of Performance that Breed Success for Junior Officers: Figure Stuff Out (FSO): see the problem, understand the problem, and identify a solution; Make …

UMO Lessons Learned: Moving my Unit 8,240 Miles

Hannah Potter

Preparation is key to unit movement operations because units have a strict timeline that they must meet to deploy....

Continuation Pay – Planning For The AY25 Change

Erin Williams

Did you know – if you are in the Blended Retirement System (BRS), you’re eligible for a mid-career bonus that might be worth 2.5x to 13x your monthly base pay?!

Planning your KD Complete Broadening Assignment – From Diving in the Persian Gulf to Spearheading the Army’s Transition to Cloud...

Nicholas Swartz

During my time in Kuwait, scrolling through assignments on AIM 2.0 became my daily battle rhythm; I was five months out from returning to Fort Eustis....

Enhancing the Company HQ Section Using Agile Principles

Cam Houk

From the initial hectic two-week preparation to our return to home station, our HQ Section found itself stretched thin.......

Living the Agile Values

Annie E. Beckman

Agile is a comprehensive project management approach that focuses on short, iterative, and incremental steps that encourage cross-functional collaboration, continuous assessment, adaptability, and team empowerment.....

Stop Saying Convoy

Michael Carvelli

We need to eliminate a word from our vocabulary: convoy. It’s not helpful......

The Things We Forget as Company Commanders

Jay Pasquarette

The reality is that, like most things in the Army, company command is over before you know it. I will not remember any of the training meeting slides I updated, …

Staff isn’t Purgatory: Three Rules

Ryan Stone

As you come out of a leadership position either as a CDR or platoon leader, inevitably a staff position is in your future......

The First Four Years: Career Considerations for Junior Officers in the AIM environment.

Tyran Askew

Institutional, Operational, and Self-Development," are the three domains of leader development. Institutional development is the foundation of officer development; it starts at the commissioning source...........

Objective Empathy: The Key to Helping Those in Personal Crisis

John Goetz

Your reaction to situations like this will impact not only how the immediate situation resolves, but also the mental and family outcomes for the individual in crisis.......

The Often-Overlooked Role of the Headquarters Battery Executive Officer

Sydney Alekseyev

You might feel a bit unenthusiastic or lost about whatever comes next. For some, it will be staff time. For others, executive officer in a line Battery or Company. For …

Officers Must Be Lifelong Learners: Set the Foundation Early!

Robert Farrell and Yasmine Kalkstein

It is tempting for a junior officer to view their commissioning day as a graduation or an end point. The learning is over. On the contrary, however, commissioning day is …

The Importance of Managing Your Mental Energy as a Leader

Mark Erwin

Effective leadership begins with managing one’s mental energy and intentionally using their time and attention to enable good judgement and decision making......

Between Two Ferns

Alicia Dotson and James Watson

“Welcome to the leaf eaters!” That was how my tactical officer greeted me the day he found out I branched Ordnance and was destined to be one of those fine …

How To Run an Effective Meeting: A Guide for Junior Officers

Mark Erwin

Whether we like them or not, meetings are an essential part of our profession. Officers are responsible for planning and resourcing events, which inevitably involves …

500 Days and Counting – What Junior Officers can learn from the Ukraine-Russia Conflict

Nick Rich

As of July 24th, the conflict in Ukraine has roiled without stopping. Important lessons that junior officers stand to gain insight from continue to emerge.......

Developing Trust in an Age of Distrust

Mitch Butterworth

The irony here is that trust is often criticized by managers as ‘soft’ and seemingly intractable concept, yet it may be a necessary condition for …

The Actual Importance of Physical Fitness for Junior Officers

Kevin Shinnick

“Show up fit.” For many, it’s the first leadership gem Junior Officers are exposed to when they begin their journey to commissioning......

The Power of the Palchinsky Principles: How Failure Can Lead to Success

Jakob Hutter

The Palchinsky Principles is a decision-making framework developed by an early 20th-century Russian engineer Peter Palchinsky, and while these principles were initially developed for engineers …

Make the Training Cycle Work For You

Michael Watkins, Bradley Moffitt, Joshua Jones

Sadly, Helmuth von Moltke was correct in that “no battle plan survives contact with the enemy”.

Selfless Service is an Army Value: Managing Expectations in the AIM Marketplace

Erin Williams

It’s that time of year again! The AIM Marketplace is complete, the algorithm has run its course, and Requests for Orders (RFOs) are rolling into mailboxes!

Managing Transitions – You and Your (New) 1SG

Mike Moffeit

"Don’t let too much time pass once your new 1SG is in the seat to make the time to give them an initial counseling. "

The Army Must Adapt to the “iGen” – Our Future Depends On It

MG Curtis Buzzard

In the end, the readiness of our force, and ultimately mission success, is dependent on understanding those we lead and adapting our leadership approach accordingly. The iGen is an incredibly …

Dollars & Cents: Making Sense of the NDAA and Appropriations Bill for Servicemembers

Kimberly Mallard-Brown

“Hey, if you want new desks or monitors, let the S4 know now!”

The Scarcest Resource In The World

The Honorable Robert A. McDonald

Leadership is not easy, but it is crucial. So the next time you are facing challenges and feel like being a leader is difficult, know that it is supposed to …

Tools to Adjust Behavior: Counseling to the UCMJ

John E. Plaziak

A common theme for new company commanders is uncertainty surrounding the tools at their disposal to correct behaviors in their formations. The use of UCMJ is ultimately a tool to …

5 Tips for Your First 90 Days

Jordon Swain & Chad Plenge

You've just taken over a new role role, whether as a new LT or a seasoned CPT. What are you going to do? Here are 5 tips for your first …

Why Relationships Matter for Effective Negotiation

Travis Cyphers

The greatest predictor of success in these situations is not how right you are or what justification you can provide to compel the other side to act -- the greatest …

16 Ways Effective Leaders Build Cohesive Teams in the Army

Jordon Swain and Leonard Wong

On 13 October, Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy announced that "people" are the Army's top priority and that the force is working "to give junior leaders more time …

What I learned from a Porta-Potty Wall

Doug Crandall

I shared seven words that wholly changed my perspective on leading others: “LT Crandle is a punk-ass bitch!”

How to Become a Humble Leader

Jordon Swain

If your desire is to become a humble leader, you're already on the right track. Having the goal to improve your humility means you're motivated to develop. Here are 7 …

Simple Things, Executed Well

Anonymous & James Watson

Some knowledge from the past... revisited

Record Military Pay Raises for 2023 and What They Mean- Tips to Help Junior Officers and their Troops

Mark Erwin and James Watson

Both chambers of Congress have proposed a 4.7% pay increase for troops next year. Combined with potential increases in BAH rates as well, this could put up to an additional …

4 Storytelling Tips for Army Leaders

Jordon Swain & Jeremy Boeh

"This one time at Advanced Camp…" or how about, "So there I was…" Sound familiar? If you are anything like us, you enjoy hearing the occasional tale from those you …

Leading with More than the Rank on your Chest

Grace Brooks

In the words of one NCOs I worked with, “officers will always be shown respect simply because of the rank........"

Company Command: Leading Change in the First 90 days

Jordan Terry

While a gradual approach may be prudent in many situations, some situations (like the one I experienced), require a new commander to act immediately and boldly to make necessary change …

The Secret to Success in Professional Military Education

Ken Segelhorst

It was a conversation I had several times as an assistant professor at the United States Military Academy (USMA). First-class cadets, mere months or even weeks from graduating, would approach …

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