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]

How do you lead civilians in your organization? If you don’t have civilians, how do you lead people that you don’t have command or supervisory authority over?

As an MI Officer, I’ve had the pleasure of working and leading civilians both downrange and at home station.  I agree with comments above that one must be authentic and understand the…[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]

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]

The only civilians I came across in my time as lieutenant were range or simulation managers. The retired simulation managers were always very helpful. Range control can be finicky, but I just ensured to maintain my respect and patience so we could minimize lost time.

I appreciate these responses to consider for future challenges.

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]

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]

@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]

I leave work when my tasks are done and conditions are set for the following day. As a platoon leader, I would ensure to be the last Soldier home, even if my tasks were done. If the guys were still working in the motor pool, and my office work was done, I would go down and monitor their work. As a staff officer, I would observe maintenance if our…[Read more]