I commanded 22 months. We were very busy, on the threshold of overwhelming. I finished #1 FST cdr, though I took over one of the bottom 2 troops in regiment. Along the way we transformed from making excuses, always complaining to an excellent team, family addicted to winning, being the best.

The Command Climate Survey is worthless in my opinion.…[Read more]

It depends on unit op tempo. If the unit is very busy then you have to consider blocking /protecting time on calendar. If it isn’t unreasonably busy (this excludes 10 divisions worth of units and then some), then leaders must find time outside of work hours (either lunch or O-call or off-site).

George,

I think an important piece to this is peer feedback.  Despite your best efforts you may not always get good feedback from your troops.  Or as I’ve frequently seen, troops with just one or two assignments may not know anything different than their current assignment or the dreaded in my last unit….

A trusted peer can be a great m…[Read more]

 
In talking about social media, I think it’s important to note which perspective we are speaking from.
For me, social media is a double edged sword. I run the Clinical Support Division at Evans and we are currently in tough times as we turned off enrollment for our retirees and folks retiring off Active Duty. We have to make room for an incoming…[Read more]

Heather,

I love your comment that in an engaged team things just happen. What has to be present for things to just happen? Have you ever been in an organization where you felt comfortable to make things happen? Have you been in an organization where you didn’t feel comfortable to make things happen? What made the difference?

Finally, how do…[Read more]

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]

I always advised juniors that if they are right, to first, make double-sure they are in fact right, and then it does not matter if the said “toxic” leader outranks them, because nothing outranks doing the right thing.

You prevent bottom-up toxicity as well by being transparent, engaged, present and setting the tone for the climate, as an officer…[Read more]

I’d engage the HHC CDR, show the counselings and the plan of action and how that plan of action isn’t working – ensure that counselings have been closed out, as well as any letters of concern. Naturally the HHC 1SG will also be interested in what this person is doing and if there’s any way to improve them/give them a chance to improve.

All your…[Read more]

I’d tell the Soldiers that they are getting paid for the NG, it isn’t pro bono.

I would make “Planning” my #1 priority and my Planners ground-zero for success. Recently I took in training management briefs from NG and was able to provide them with some ideas and feedback to help support their training objectives by planning a realistic,…[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]

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]

Can you give some more clarity on what this person is not meeting the standard on? What did you have to counsel this person on? I’d recommend some tactical patience as you both figure your relationship out. But, if this is a concern for you, you need to go to the OPS SGM. Talk to him/her, get their feedback. Take that advice and try for a while.…[Read more]

3 comments and a question.

1. Additional duties, in my opinion, take away from your time doing your job, what you are there to do in the organization. Its not that I don’t think we should have them, but I do not think there is any service member that enjoys having do something else besides their main MOS. This is especially true when you put the…[Read more]

Ray, I just want to take a moment to thank you for this forum and the opportunity to grow and develop the future of our Army!  Thanks!

I’m in the middle of my second M-day company command.  The key to success is engagement and thinking ahead.  You need to start with what you need to accomplish at annual training upfront and then backward plan your MUTAs.  I always have a sacrifice training event set aside to cut in the event of last minute taskers from higher.  Typically your XO…[Read more]