george.l.gurrola

The first thing I want to say for the young officers reading this, be VERY careful with the anonymous comment boxes. I have seen those things destroy units, especially when you have commanders who act and react on every complaint, rumor and innuendo, even when the note is anonymous. The idea board has merit, but just be…[Read more]

Great post, Chad! There’s tons in here and I love the variety.  13 pages is for sure a lot of variety!! A few things that resonated with me, in no particular order:

– “Be curious”. I think that’s a great way to inspire questions without relying on the trope far too often leaned on of ‘I’m just a LT/SGT/etc, what do I know?’. Everyone can be…[Read more]

If you’re still having this issue, I can link you up with our S-1 OIC.  She just went through this and the NCOIC is in another Brigade now.

Thank you Jason!

Trust…is earned not given! Cliché but true!
Just a few days ago we had an incident where a 1SG was “showing off” in front of our CSM and being a bit disrespectful to my NCO.

While in the meeting, I pulled the NCO and said, “let them speak, you are doing great, have the right info and the error that he is pointing out is…[Read more]

Thank you Cristian!

I’ve try to maintain everyone informed but also try to take care of things are the lowest level.

I am still learning on how to properly involve my HHC Commander/BN XO, it is a hard transition and I continue to just want to fix everything my self.

Thank you so much Brock! This is a real eye opener!
Being a leader is hard…I am learning that rather quickly and it is quite a challenge yet a challenge I plan on overcoming.

Your explanation on escalation of force makes complete sense…as a Junior Officer I am still learning on what the right thing to do is as far as mentoring others and…[Read more]

Thank you Adam! This is very true and I appreciate your words.
My first disagreement with this NCO turned into me approaching the CSM and requesting to move the NCO; his response, very professional and made me think twice, “ma’am, understand my fox hole first, how would it look on me if I give up on this NCO right away?”.
I was quite annoyed at…[Read more]

In my experience, civilians working within the military organization can be a challenge, or an asset. In CA, we have both dual-status and Title 5 (non-dual status) Federal Technicians, and while I don’t currently lead any, I have in the past, and have also been one. Like @fightingengineer said, you have to tread lightly when leading civilians.
One…[Read more]

@Cale,

This has been talked about off and on for the last decade. It’s not a horrible idea, if implemented correctly. When I joined the National Guard in ’99, my unit was part of an “enhanced Brigade,” and we were authorized 60 UTA a year, on top of the 15 day Annual Training. Given, that only equated to 45 days a year, but it’s a great deal more…[Read more]

Bottom line, being a leader is hard. It requires a great deal of time and effort on the parts of leaders to enforce the standard, and ensure any remedial actions or training is complete. It’s part of the reason that so many people who fail to meet the standard are never corrected. But when we do it, the organization gets better and your job gets…[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]

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]

Great topic!

@vanezzaospina is absolutely correct. Seek out your counseling if you haven’t received it. In my experience it’s rarely been more than a check the block, “here’s where I think you should go next” sit down, and opportunity for the higher CDR to poor upon you some of the highlights of their own careers. With that said, it gets you…[Read more]