1. How do you communicate the impact of overload to higher?

back-briefs, training meetings, QTB, showing thought and analysis on “what’s important”/nested w. intent and prioritization

2. How do you avoid passing a similar burden on to your subordinates? Can you avoid it?

• you provide solutions to conflicts, way-ahead/vision (intent, key tasks, end-state) by visualizing, describing and directing with common sense, logic and some competence based on experience, research (combination of art and science). you then set priorities and with a competent 1SG, divide up the labor of who does what and when (generally the 5Ws). Officers generally provide the what (and why) and NCOs provide the how.
• 3. What are some techniques for getting the most out of available training time to meet the demand?
• I set priorities and ignored the ankle biters, moved them left or right, packaged them together, used downtime/concurrently to get after the less important stuff. I shortened the mandatory 350-1 and used time at the range waiting to get in the firing line, to check that block. As an officer, you control the timeline, so be able to visualize things and how they develop in time and space and have some guts, earn your boss’ trust.
• If you take initiative and achieve a high-level of readiness, you can do any mission under any condition. Square away property, shortages, orders, dispositions, and build load-plans, where every Soldier knows which vehicle they ride in and which radio and weapon they grab, plus other stuff, box of MREs, water cans etc. If no guidance, then train on whatever the Army says your particular unit’s mission is, or is designed to do.