Heather’s responses:

Engagement:
1. Think about your last OPORD. What systems of control do we
commonly use in mission planning? Is there a minimum needed to execute the mission?
I’d argue that the majority of paragraph 3 — Execution — is
mostly a control mechanism by dictating the “who”, “what”, and “when” for
nearly all tasks. For example,…[Read more]

Thanks, I agree there is a need for solid planning in the NG and sometimes it is lacking…

Its true soldiers get paid for working in NG status, it isn’t pro-bono but it isn’t always enough to keep food on the table.  I have many soldiers who lose money when they are on active duty.  They’re proud of their service and are able to balance the t…[Read more]

Brock, great feedback.  I think though that is a component of the Guard 4.0 that gets overlooked we have State and Federal responsibilities.   While an ASMC like mine is going to do pretty much the same mission regardless most other units that will not.

I think you make a great point about quality training driving retention.  However, as an M-d…[Read more]

Thank you Cale! You brought really good points.

I am definitely looking at the past experience this individual has had and if that has impacted the current lack of knowledge. I am also looking at how I can assist in order for this individual to succeed individually as well as a team. I also looking at daily performance to ensure there is a…[Read more]

One of the most illuminating experiences I had about “stepping away” was an OPD in which we had the senior MI leader on post, discuss work-life balance.  I definitely invite other officers, when tasked to do execute an OPD, to invite a senior leader to come discuss “work-life balance.”

That being said, I have found that leaving work at work, fi…[Read more]

Firing an NCOIC is not a small task nor is it easy.  Before you go down this road consider the following:

1) Is the lack of performance because of a lack or motivation or ability?  Do they have the tools and not want to do the job or do they lack the tools?  Collectively we want to “motivate” people to do the job but usually fail to assess if we…[Read more]

I kept the details to a minimum on my post, nonetheless I was quite thorough on my counseling for expectation on NCOIC duties and responsibilities. It seems like this SM is motivated however over the past couple of weeks there has been tasks that have come down and have been turned in late or not done at all. We get 1SG coming in asking for…[Read more]

As a new BN s1, it has been hard living work “on time”. I’ve had days where my husband has called and said “why you still there”…I’ve had other days that I’ve forgotten to eat lunch…

I do try not to bring work home (literally) however, my mind does not stop…I think of what I did not finish for the day, what I still have to do the next day,…[Read more]

Rose – what a great post! I wholeheartedly agree with your comments about disciplined initiative and being a jack of all trades. As an MI LT, one is expected to provide timely intelligence and demonstrate competence in their primary duties. However, junior officers also get “selected” to execute other responsibilities. I was lucky enough to plan…[Read more]

Hi George!

I can only give a small input on regards to this from my experience (although not in command)…while working at the BDE, I made it a point to get into my DCOs (SR) calendar for my initial, after receiving a “verbal counseling, the DCO PCSed  within 3 months. When I tried getting a new SR counseling with the new DCO, my boss said not…[Read more]

I’ll provide a slightly different perspective. As a cadet, I served in reserve units for three years prior to commissioning and entering active duty. While I can’t speak specifically on the transition like brock.j.young did, I can say some things are different.  Unfortunately, there is somewhat of a perception of reserve units. However, like most…[Read more]

Overall, I agree that we should get together and discuss concerns among peers while having ‘drinking’ as an option. I agree that we can come up with a better name and have actually been to a couple of The Strategy Bridge events named “Cigars, Scotch and Strategy.”  While I attended these events, I did not partake in the cigars and scotch and…[Read more]

I recommend two books on this topic:

Douglas Stone – Difficult Conversations

William Ury – Getting Past “No”

The first book speaks generally about how and why to give candid feedback. The second book is the second of Ury’s more famous book “Getting to ‘Yes'” but I think the more valuable of the two for how to set up and have particularly…[Read more]

I think these days we can come up with a better name than “Drink and Think.” That would go a long way to eliminate some of the concerns about whether we’re getting together socially or professionally and why there does or does not need to be alcohol involved.

Maybe we could  just call it, “peer to peer informal discussion and…[Read more]

Good topic. Tasking FRAGOs.

I have seen organizations that issue Weekly (WTF/O) and Daily (DTF/O) tasking FRAGOs or Orders. As with most things, the decisive point of success was implementation not the mere existence of the document. So, what are some of the keys tips for successful implementation?

In no particular order [ha! see what I did…[Read more]