Have you ever been disappointed with the performance of a new team or new leader? Perhaps your expectations were too high or something else went wrong. How do we close this gap between expectations and the desired end-state? Maintaining performance through transition requires the commander to over communicate the vision and guide their people through the discomfort zone. The best commanders will also listen to feedback in stride to best direct resources towards changing priorities or emerging risk.
When leading a new team or integrating new team members, routine and deliberate counseling can help prevent disappointment. Specifically, use these four complementary Army tools: ATP 6-22.1 (Counseling Process), DA PAM 600-3 (Talent Management), FM 6-22 (Leader Development), and the Commander’s Vision (CMD Policy Letter #1).
Connecting the Tools
As a battalion commander, I experienced two complete and different one-year cycles of the same two-year command. Each cohort consisted of new people in new positions with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. However, the brigade still expected our battalion to execute tasks in a way that achieved the division commander’s purpose, developed leaders, and built readiness at the battery and platoon levels.
Over this two-year period, and over 120 developmental counseling sessions, I created a “Purpose Pyramid” to align leader development (FM 6-22) with counseling (ATP 6-22.1) as the main driver to communicate expectations (Commander’s Policy Letter #1) and support their own professional goals (DA PAM 600-3) while serving our brigade and division-level headquarters (see Figure 1.1). Effective counseling facilitates the alignment of personal and professional goals. It helps us mitigate friction through course correcting tools, while reinforcing a climate of growth and sustainable progress.
- Command Policy Letter #1: The Commander’s stated thoughts on the vision, mission, resources, discipline, culture/climate within their organization.
- DA PAM 600-3: Army Talent Management Overview with corresponding Smartbook on MilSuite that describe a 20-year career path in each respective Army Branch.
- FM 6-22: Leader Development which provides leaders the basis to assess their strengths, developmental needs, and to determine goals for improvement [FM 6-22].
- ATP 6-22.1: The Counseling Process provides a doctrinal framework for counseling subordinates and provides fundamentals to support effective counseling [ATP 6-22.1].
The Counseling Cycle
Commanders own the frequency and structure for each counseling session. Commanders must be deliberate with content and ensure a conversational tone. Otherwise, the engagement quickly devolves into a counterproductive waste of time. I used the following framework (See figure 2-1) to provide quarterly and tailored feedback to fifteen individuals, all of them in key developmental billets.
Build relationships through honest, two-way conversations that facilitate mutual understanding. Create an individual development plan that builds upon individual strengths and mitigates(or eliminates) capability gaps [ATP 6-22.1]. The commander identifies upcoming opportunities to implement the development plan and apply the appropriate “course correction/protection tool” to enable collective success.
Course Correction/Protection Crosswalk
How do you correct poor performance? How do you reinforce good performance? It’s rare for a subordinate leader to tell the commander, in plain language, how to best help them or the team. And that is assuming the individual knows what he or she needs. Using a counseling crosswalk (See Figure 3.1) can help leaders listen for key words, identify root causes, and apply the appropriate course correction/protection tool.
Only honest, two-way dialogue can help both parties select the correct course of action. Ideally, the commander guides the subordinate leader through their own words to identify root issues and apply the appropriate change tool. Positive change is more attainable when both parties see the same root issue, agree on the right change tool, and commit to the same definition of success.
A Climate of Growth
A climate of personal growth is only sustainable if counseling is viewed as a two way street. It needs to be centered on open communication that aims to make each other better. Leaders must model a consistent focus on self-development, setting the example to establish a culture of growth. Leaders who model investing in development send the message that leader development is a priority [FM 6-22]. When counseling is a priority, we put our “People First” by ensuring each leader is understood, valued, and assisted. Ideally those we counsel will take the same approach within their own subordinate teams.
The Challenge
Counseling takes time. Good counseling takes time and effort to align personal goals with the Commander’s priorities. Many leaders don’t do it because they are in position for only a year. Or, perhaps, they think that they lack the tools to guide a career. Fortunately, there is an online Smartbook for each career field. It is available on MilSuite and helps both parties see the same requirements along the same path. Ultimately, the battalion commander must model good counseling and connect subordinate leaders to the right tools to lead themselves and others.
The Commitment
At the most recent 173rd IBCT Company Commander/First Sergeant Course, MG Todd Wasmund, Commander of the Southern European Task Force – Africa (SETAF-AF), discussed the saying that commanders should “do what only commanders can do.” MG Wasmund defined those commander actions as “providing the vision, mission, resources, discipline, and climate/culture” [Quote]. Effective counseling allows the commander to conduct all five of those actions in a 1-on-1 setting, so that we can better understand “who we are, and what we do” [Quote].
Deliberate counseling should feel like an open conversation. Good counseling should help two people better understand each other, value each other, and assist one another. Great counseling should enable us to find common ground, align our efforts, and be more purposeful towards a shared vision. If counseling is conducted routinely, in a supportive environment with the correct tools, we will avoid disappointment and exceed our own goals as leaders and teammates.
Rob Kinney is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army and recently commanded the 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment in the 173rd Airborne Brigade at Tower Barracks, Germany from June 2021 to May 2023. He holds a Masters in Military Arts & Sciences from the School of Advance Military Studies (SAMS) and a Bachelor of Science from United Military Academy (USMA). Lt. Col. Kinney will attend the United States Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA this summer.
Sources
- FM 6-22, Developing Leaders, available online at Army Publishing Directorate
- ATP 6-22.1, The Counseling Process, available online at Army Publishing Directorate.
- Quote from MG Todd R. Wasmund, SETAF-AF Commander, 06APR23 at Camp Del Din, Italy.