The Trap – Young Officers’ Data Use for Self-Analysis

During my OER outbrief for my first evaluation as a Captain, my Senior Rater began with words that shook me: “CPT Lightsey, the Army isn’t interested in how fast you run or if you are the best shooter in your company.” I was immediately taken aback, as this advice was opposite of everything that I learned as a cadet and had witnessed as a Lieutenant. Coming from a competitive ROTC program and being in an Operations branch, I equated my own performance and potential with how my quantitative data compared to my peers. But I learned that day that this view was the Trap! Like many junior officers, it was instilled in me to remain hyper-focused on my performance via scores on things like physical fitness tests and qualification ranges, as well as things like maintenance percentages, and the deployability numbers of my Troopers.

Still in a state of shock, my Senior Rater continued the OER discussion (turned mentorship session) by asking me how I thought I ranked amongst my peers. Not wanting to seem boastful, I answered with a lower ranking than what I actually thought. I cited examples of my peers’ accomplishments – planning the Squadron Field Exercise, the number of Soldiers they had successfully trained on the unit’s Mission Essential Tasks List, and other highlights I knew my fellow junior officers had accomplished. He listened attentively then let out a slight chuckle, before informing me that my answer was significantly lower than where he had rated me. It was abundantly clear that I had “drunk the numbers Kool Aid” and subscribed to the erroneous idea that my statistics comprised my value as a leader. He went on to explain his opening comments by saying, “the Army is not concerned with your scores and numbers because you are more than a few statistics. It is great to be good at the basic requirements and it’s important that you strive to do the best you can at them, but it is more important that you are an agent of creating and maintaining a functional organizational culture. Your job is to provide the highest level of quality leadership to your Soldiers – and the Army is interested in your ability to create a culture that is consistent with its values”. Again, I was stunned by his words.

That counseling session and the mentorship I received that day helped me realize that placing so much emphasis on just a few quantitative measurements was not the only (or best way) to gauge my value – or enough to create a cohesive, combat-ready team. Since that day, I have moved through a number of different jobs but have always remembered the lesson my senior rater taught me that day – and managed to avoid falling for the trap again. Keeping that lesson in mind has also made be a better leader as I have been able to coach a number of peers, subordinates, and NCOs to not make the same mistake. In the era of AIM 2.0 and LinkedIn, workers in private companies, nonprofit work, the government, and military alike have become increasingly reliant on numbers to tell their stories and have concentrated on improving those numerical indicators of their performance. While numbers and data can be useful, they don’t paint a complete picture.  I now try to focus on the whole person rather than on just the metrics from a few tasks and events that can’t provide an accurate view of the whole person.  I have found more success marketing myself and understanding my own role as an agent of culture by telling my story to others and emphasizing my unique characteristics and thought processes.  Sharing who I am through more than just numbers – through sharing my story – has taken planning and practice, but it has ultimately helped others to see the value I bring – value that is NOT communicated simply through numbers.  

By not falling back into the numbers trap, I have been able to secure better future opportunities, make stronger connections, and build a more diverse network, all of which have provided tremendous benefits to the Army, thus increasing my value to the organization. I would advise any young officer to find what unique value they bring to the military, become an agent of culture, and look beyond the comparative data trap. Focus on clarifying in your own mind what value YOU bring to the team and don’t hesitate to share that story. Although, some will not be as forward thinking, many senior leaders will appreciate you and your work beyond the numbers.

CPT Andrew Lightsey, IV commissioned from Appalachian State University in 2016. He is qualified in the UH-60M Black Hawk and LUH-72 Lakota Helicopters. He has served as a UH-60M Flight Company Platoon Leader, an AH-64 Maintenance Platoon Leader and Troop Executive Officer, and Battalion Assistant Operations Officer. In 2019 he deployed in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan. He enjoys spending time with this wife Emily, daughter Eleanor, and two dogs Lucy and Pecan.