Should you want to be “missed” from your organization after you leave? Why or why not?

I really like this question. As a co cdr, I saw the impact that short-sighted initiatives had on the unit.  As the book  Turn the Ship Around!   shows, this question relates to the fact that many officers (being pessimistic) drive their units to the ground know…[Read more]

Also,  Arianna, think about packing beyond the official unit packing list. Look at what is either very very generalized (‘hygiene kit’… “you know what you need, Soldier”) or not listed / implied (weather- / season-based gear).

To speak directly of the hygiene kit for a moment, female Soldiers need to be prepared with 1-2 months of menstrual…[Read more]

@arianna_howard : a small skill (implied most times), but a very important one, is radio etiquette.  It increases efficiency and clarity of comms, and (especially for both OC’s who don’t know you and the CC/1SG and fellow BN staff who is getting to know working with you) shows you know how to navigate the conversations. Quite simply, it shows y…[Read more]

Completely agree about carrying a book around with you, whether digital or analog! I read so much pre and post deployment because of SRP, etc. Just as you said, a few pages at a time.  It’s like the Chipper WOD applied to a book!! I ended up getting a work bag about a year after commissioning, and I always tried to have something in there to…[Read more]

These are great resolutions and comments.

Resolution #1 Read a book a month. This can be done by reading at night (instead of #netflix), keeping track of pages read (reading habits), and having an accountability partner.

Resolution #2 Write more often. Look for opportunities to reflect while seeking opportunities to write in journals etc.

As a BN S1 my first advice to new commanders is…Do not wait! Reach out for help to the BN Staff, we are here to enable you to do your job!

When I  was first assigned as the BN S1, I was unaware of what UCFR was or how to provide access to my commanders.

Thankfully, I had (still do) an awesome NCO who had access and was able to help some of our…[Read more]

One of the things that I want to do better is keeping in touch with past coworkers and commanders. It’s so easy to lose contact due to the optempo of our daily lives. The ones that I have kept in contact with have been great for getting candid advice, a longer perspective, and even networking for future assignments. It’s also nice to just catch…[Read more]

Can’t lie, I’m presently out of the game and not current on AIM.

However, Board Files feed out IPERMS.  If the Soldier has an item in iPERMS but it isn’t showing in their MyBoardFile, I’d call iPERMS desk and pull the “I’m  the (unit) S1 and calling with a question about (Soldier) file” card.  Do your research, know what should and shouldn’t ha…[Read more]

Yup.  Having that top cover can be vital, especially – frankly- when you’re in a new position and don’t have alot of background for people to draw from, they need time to understand your consistency. In time they’ll see your work, the XO will (intentionally or not) make comments how they don’t have to do alot because your shop’s good, and your…[Read more]

Thank you Brock!

it’s been an ongoing issue as our higher HQ has not been able to provide clear guidance. At the BN Level we’ve opted for having our XO as the only reviewing person for all grammatical errors. Unfortunately at the BDE level there is about 4 people checking for grammar so it has become more of a “writing style” then anything else.

Having a “civilian sector background” I can honestly say that “building long lasting relationships” is everything. At a very young age I was taught that when you leave a job, it is best to leave on good terms and living an open door behind you so that if you ever need to go back or need assistance, that door still open and people will take the…[Read more]

Thank you ae_rollinson!

Awards are getting just a bit better, unfortunately our higher, higher HQ has been pretty nit picky and BDE has been unable to provide us with a standard.

What we’ve opted to do is have our BN XO be the last reviewer and he is technically our standard so far.

I will ensure to use this tool to help Co & 1SG get a better…[Read more]

Good afternoon @jake-bouley; spoke to my husband who is a 92A and has been to a JRTC rotation before their deployment. This was his input, hope this helps or at least provide some guidance
Okay. So looking at JRTC /NTC rotations you will most likely need about 30 days of unit supplies to sustain your day to day operations in while you are…[Read more]

I feel very hot and cold about social media. There’s certainly times that I love it and being able to keep in touch with certain people in an easier fashion than individual emails, text messages, Christmas cards, or phone calls. But … I have security concerns about these platforms as well (caveat / confession — yes, ack this varies on the p…[Read more]

@vanezzaospina / Hmm, you asked for writing tools. Maybe providing Attachments to the BN Memo of the specific award templates could help? Also, have you talked to your BC and/or CSM? Depending how closely you work with them, getting one (or both) of them to put this out to Command Teams (likely during Command and Staff) could be helpful to both…[Read more]

@vanezzaospina / Here’s the resources that @rakimball mentioned. Maybe you’ll get some ideas from this!