One of the things that I want to do better is keeping in touch with past coworkers and commanders. It’s so easy to lose contact due to the optempo of our daily lives. The ones that I have kept in contact with have been great for getting candid advice, a longer perspective, and even networking for future assignments. It’s also nice to just catch…[Read more]

Hello everyone,

I think that work-life balance is one of the top challenges for all Americans in the workplace, but especially within the military. The trends don’t lie: Americans tend to work much more than Europeans, but less than East Asian workers. But are we more productive on an hourly basis? Probably not. The expectations from most bo…[Read more]

I think that it not only helps to solve the problems you have by informing higher of the friction point, but it also helps to provide higher a solution by routinely sharing those resources (e.g. a range) with sister units. Make the sharing a part of your CONOPs so that you have a bump plan in place that cause less heartache with your sub…[Read more]

As a PL I generally took a more structured approach that focused on doctrine and what ever the training event coming up was. I used the 8 Step Training model basically. As a company commander I still used the 8 Step Training Model, but also took the time to have a conversation with each PL during the training events. Listening to what your s…[Read more]

I think that giving out “Message to Garcia” is good if the focus is initiative and handling implied tasks. However, in practice, most leaders send the “don’t bother me” message to their subordinate leaders rather than any message about taking initiative. This is simply lazy leadership. You should want them to come to you for more guidance when the…[Read more]

The other posters I think nailed it on the head already. I want to add that you should run whatever SOP you develop by the CSM and BN Chaplain prior to briefing your boss. Also, reach out to your local Casualty Assistance Office. They are the experts who hopefully will help you craft an SOP that keeps the primary next of kin in mind, though fell…[Read more]

I think that the first post is a good starting point. In terms of systems that you can develop to maintain accountability of your property I always made sure that during monthly/quarterly counseling that my PLs brought their squad leader’s signed sub-hand receipts (sub-HRs) to counseling. You must inspect what you expect. There is no trust when i…[Read more]

Different units and branches require different things. In the Infantry you’ll want to show up physically fit with a Ranger tab, able to execute the things you learned in the school house, and as others have mentioned: a positive attitude. What that means to me is that you are eager to lead, ready to learn from others, and can execute all of the s…[Read more]