March 2021

Leaders!

You can view this update on-line if you prefer here.   

February was a busy month.  Activity across our social media platforms was high – with some outside content generating a lot of interest (e.g., How not to suck as a Company XO).  I encourage you to check out our presence on Linked, Facebook, and Twitter to view this content.

Highlights from the past month

Of course, we generate our own content, too!  New articles since last month follow:

• 5 Strategies to Boost Junior Officer Confidence
• Why Negotiation Skills Matter for Junior Officers
• Storytelling & problem-solving: Necessary links for junior officers
• How Not to Suck at Gathering Feedback as an Army Leader
• On Combatting Extremism in Our Army

We also posted a new item in our Toolkits section on helping junior officers prepare for interviews.  The product includes input from multiple sources on both sides of the interview process.  We hope you find it useful.

Coming up

Some things we have in the works that you’ll see in the weeks ahead:

• Cross-X mentoring
• Leadership lessons from COVID-19 command
• The best initial counseling I ever had
• Needed changes in PME

Where could use your help

Some specific projects we could use your assistance on include:

• Articles giving tips for “the first 90 days as a PL” and “The first 90 days as a X0” and perhaps even “The first 90 days as a staff officer”
• Items for a “Company XO toolkit” (e.g., top-notch initial counseling examples for supply NCO, Admin NCO, Motor SGT, and any tips / tools that a new XO might find useful).
• Any pieces with advice for junior officers prepping for rotations to the NTC or JRTC.

If you’re interested in any of the topics above, please email us at CJO@westpoint.edu

As always, we value your input and feedback.  Please reach out to us if you have thoughts on any of the following:

• What topics should we feature in our future articles?
• What products could be useful?
• Do you have any LPDs or “toolkit” items you’d be willing to share?
• Do you have any personal leadership experiences you’d be willing to share that we can develop additional leader challenges or case studies? If you’ve experienced a situation where you faced a difficult leadership decision, we’d love to hear it – and see if we can create a valuable learning tool for others.
• Are you interested in supporting CJO more?  Are you interested in an assignment at West Point?  If so, consider applying to be our Operations Officer.

In closing

If you want to see what the most popular content has been over the past 30 days, check out the SITREP on-line.

Until next month – lead well my friends