Leadership stereotypes exist but I think there’s a difference between being effective in your job/branch versus effectively leading Soldiers. Obviously, leaders need to understand the nuances of their MOS but effective leadership transcends branches.

Great timing for this question as I am currently reading The Art of Command. This book focuses…[Read more]

Leadership stereotypes exist but I think there’s a difference between being effective in your job/branch versus effectively leading Soldiers. Obviously, leaders need to understand the nuances of their MOS but effective leadership transcends branches.

Great timing for this question as I am currently reading The Art of Command. This book focuses…[Read more]

@seagraves,

Congratulations on your recent commission! You are in a great situation to complete some relevant OJT before attending BOLC. I’m not familiar with the specific job requirements of an XO at advance camp, but I think there are some areas you can focus on to help your company while simultaneously developing yourself.
– Become familiar…[Read more]

@seagraves,

Congratulations on your recent commission! You are in a great situation to complete some relevant OJT before attending BOLC. I’m not familiar with the specific job requirements of an XO at advance camp, but I think there are some areas you can focus on to help your company while simultaneously developing yourself.
– Become familiar…[Read more]

@seagraves,

Congratulations on your recent commission! You are in a great situation to complete some relevant OJT before attending BOLC. I’m not familiar with the specific job requirements of an XO at advance camp, but I think there are some areas you can focus on to help your company while simultaneously developing yourself.
– Become familiar…[Read more]

A lot of great techniques/ideas on counseling. I am late to the conversation, but I do want to add one technique that was valuable for me as a commander. As Gary points out in the above post, providing questions in advance is important for an effective counseling session. Taking the advice of a mentor, the last question I always asked on the…[Read more]

Alan,

As a former troop commander I really appreciated reading your article. In our effort to regain proficiencies in security and reconnaissance tasks, we can’t ignore our ability to fight. I think your points about mastering actions on contact and battle drills are spot on. Hopefully as we continue to emphasize reconnaissance operations against…[Read more]

Alan,

As a former troop commander I really appreciated reading your article. In our effort to regain proficiencies in security and reconnaissance tasks, we can’t ignore our ability to fight. I think your points about mastering actions on contact and battle drills are spot on. Hopefully as we continue to emphasize reconnaissance operations against…[Read more]

I would argue that meetings at both levels exist to ensure units stays proactive, identify potential friction points, validate systems, and drive decision making. At the same time, we all have information requirements to our higher headquarters and meeting with subordinate units help facilitate that flow of data. Effective meetings encompass all…[Read more]

I would argue that meetings at both levels exist to ensure units stays proactive, identify potential friction points, and validate systems. At the same time, we all have information requirements to our higher headquarters and meeting with subordinate units help facilitate that flow of data. Effective meetings encompass all of the above.

At the…[Read more]

I would argue that meetings at both levels exist to ensure units stays proactive, identify potential friction points, and validate systems. At the same time, we all have information requirements to our higher headquarters and meeting with subordinate units help facilitate that flow of data. Effective meetings encompass all of the above.

At the…[Read more]

@patrick-d-moore1, you bring up a great point about leaders modeling responsible on-line behavior. I couldn’t believe all the blatant and disrespectful posts made by some military leaders during the last election cycle. If we (leaders) are posting inappropriate or unprofessional content, how can we expect our Soldiers to act any differently? And I…[Read more]

@patrick-d-moore1, you bring up a great point about leaders modeling responsible on-line behavior. I couldn’t believe all the blatant and disrespectful posts made by some military leaders during the last election cycle. If we (leaders) are posting inappropriate or unprofessional content, how can we expect our Soldiers to act any differently? And I…[Read more]

@gary.m.klein,

Thanks, great resources!

~Scott

Great topic! I will offer two things I did as a commander. First, we did a troop-level dining out, which took dedicated planning and coordination but the Soldiers and their families really enjoyed the event. We were fortunate to conduct the dining out a few months after returning from a deployment, so it gave us a chance to recognize outgoing le…[Read more]

Heather,

I try to rotate between history/military, current events, and leadership but I tend to gravitate towards books that focus on leadership and leader development. My last two books were George Marshall: A Biography by Debi and Irwin Unger and Start With Why by Simon Sinek (both gifts from a mentor). I highly recommend both! I am currently…[Read more]