Bradford Schaufert PL Interview

Many thanks to Bradford Schaufert for submitting this month’s PL interview. Do you know a PL who should tell their story? Send them to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Experienced-PL.  PL interviews will only be posted here in the JO Forum, not on social media or any public space.

Name: Bradford R Scott Schaufert
Branch: Field Artillery
Platoon Led: 1/B/2-377 PFAR, 4 IBCT(A), 25ID, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
Major experiences as PL: NTC Rotation, arctic exercises, artillery firing tables, Soldier incidences

What is one thing that worked for you as a platoon leader?

As an Field Artillery Platoon Leader, the one thing I recommend for future Platoon Leaders is to emphasis observation during the first three or four months in the position. This does not mean allowing yourself to be pushed aside or take a backseat position in the unit. But observe the culture, practices, and individuals of the platoon before you start making decisions that might severely rupture the platoon’s MO.

When I first became a Platoon Leader, I was already experienced in the battalion and knew what I needed our of the NCO’s and Soldiers. But I make it a point to not make any decisions without first taking counsel with my Platoon Sergeant. His experience and
expertise not only helped me to make the right decisions, but it solidified our relationship and gave me the credibility to later make decisions on my own that I knew the Platoon Sergeant would approve. In no way am I advertising that the Platoon Sergeant is the final authority of the platoon. The final authority, with the Commander’s approval, is always the Platoon Leader. But realistically, if the Platoon Leader and the Platoon Sergeant are not on the same page in making decisions for THEIR platoon, failure is inevitable. So, again, observe your unit and its people before coming into the position and assuming you have instant credibility. Understand your job, understand your people, and understand yourself.

What is one “hard lesson” you’ve learned that you’re willing to pass on to help other PLs? What’s the story behind the lesson?

You will always hear, for your entire time in the Army, of the “lieutenant with a compass” story. Well, I was THAT lieutenant, and here is my “hard lesson” story.

Things were going very well for me so far as a Platoon Leader. I loved my Soldiers, my NCO’s, and my position in the battery. I did so well that when our Table VI Artillery Firing Tables came up, the Battery Commander entrusted me with all the guns of the battery to form one big platoon for me to lead. I was overjoyed with the responsibility and the chance to prove my Soldiers in front of the new Battalion Commander.

It was an early, arctic morning in southern Alaska when my “hard lesson” came during the Table VI certification. My platoon was in a
convoy heading to a new firing point and the third and final day of the exercise. I knew, the Soldiers knew, and the entire Battalion knew that a “hasty fire mission” was going to come down on the radio to test our ability to stop the convoy, quickly set up the guns, fire, and get out of the area as fast as possible. The platoon had rehearsed this maneuver again, and again, and again in the previous weeks. We were ready.

When the call came down, the platoon functioned like a well-oiled machine in finding an area to pull over in and dismounting from the
trucks. Now, the proper action of the Platoon Leader at this part in a hasty fire mission is to get out in front of the platoon and use the compass to point the platoon in the general direction to fire. I, however, got out in front of the platoon (as well as the entire battalion watching), and immediately froze. I distrusted my initial training, my compass, and myself and decided to point the platoon in the direction that I thought made sense based off the map. This confused the Section Chiefs and their crews, as well as my Platoon Sergeant who was working on the aiming circle to confirm the azimuths of the guns. In about two minutes, because of my failure to trust my training and equipment, four howitzers were facing in four different directions, and I was left in a very alone position right in front of the entire battalion. I can tell you that I have never felt so small in my military career.

Luckily for me, the new Battalion Commander was a commander who knew when to forgive and when not to. He gave us another chance and the platoon performed perfectly. But my “hard lesson” was that I decided not to trust my training and my equipment in the heat of the moment. If that happened in actual combat, it could have cost Soldiers their lives. But that’s why we train our people to standard and trust that training in a fight. Understand your job, understand your people, and understand yourself.

What has been your toughest leadership challenge, and how did you address it?

My toughest leadership challenge has been to keep myself composed as a leader when Soldiers and NCO’s disagree with the Commander. If the people on your team trust you, they will share information with you openly. This is not a bad thing because it prevents “Yes Men” from getting into your decision making. But it also means that if they disagree with decisions (and they will), they will let you know.

As the direct link between the Soldiers and the Commander, it is not our job to agree with our Soldiers or to downplay a decision from the Commander. The authority of any unit is the Commander, and his/her orders must be executed, so long as they are moral and
lawful. When my Commander made decisions that Soldiers and NCO’s disagreed with, and it did not happen just once, it was my job to
be the leader and carry them out in the best way possible. This was a challenge because I sometimes felt that my Soldiers did not like me because they saw it as my decision. But that never matters. Leadership and friendship are different things and belong in different places. My job is to lead, and once I figured that out, the “tough” part immediately ended. A platoon leader needs to be a realist and understand that Soldiers are people, and people have their own opinions. But a platoon leader also needs to see the bigger picture and put unnecessary opinions and emotions aside to complete the mission. Understand your job, understand your people, and understand yourself.

What unit training have you done that you are most proud of?

The best training I have done was being the platoon leader who coordinated and lead the Battery through a series of air assault artillery raids in a mountainous environment. What made it so great was the fact that my Commander gave me enough space to prove myself and that I saw first hand that the Troop Leading Procedures work. Once we received the mission, things started moving fast. It was an incredibly enlightening experience to know what the role of a platoon leader needed to be in guiding the NCOs on how to prepare, and keeping operations under control as we approached our GO date.

In the end, the raids were awesome to conduct. But it was the planning and preparing that made the execution so worthwhile. Understand your job, understand your people, and understand yourself.

Can you tell us about your relationship with your NCOs? What are some things about working with NCOs that you’ve learned through experience?

Every relationship is different, and that includes the relationships I have with different NCOs. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that different styles of leadership produce different results. But good leadership comes in many different forms.

One specific NCO comes to mind when I look back at my time as a Platoon Leader. For the first five months in position, I saw him as a “bad leader” because he had a different style of leading. It wasn’t until our first round of Artillery Firing Tables that I was able to evaluate his section’s quality, loyalty, work ethic, and overall outstanding performance. This was an invaluable lesson for me. Never assume your NCOs are trying to fail their Soldiers. Until you observe them doing something absolutely unallowable (and you’ll know it right as you see it), give them the space they need to lead. All they need from you is the Commander’s intent and a little guidance. Understand your job, understand your people, and understand yourself.

What is one thing about the life of a junior officer that has surprised you?

The main thing that has surprised me is the personal bonds I (to include my wife) have shared with fellow junior officers. The Army has been a wonderful place for us to start our family and make friends through a variety of experiences. I always find it interesting that the toughest and most challenging experiences always produce the most favorable personal bonds.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the next generation of LTs?

Understand your job, understand your people, and understand yourself.