Category Archives: Leading Change

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BCAP, AIM, and now the DA Photo?…Oh My!

Focusing on Constants in a Time of Change

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The Army zeitgeist in 2019, and into the foreseeable, future is change. The Chief of Staff of the Army is not shy about how his past assignments influence his current vision. He assembled an entire Army Talent Management Task Force under a 2-Star General–Maj. Gen. McGee–to lead the effort. In 2019, the force experienced a new, interactive marketplace to match officers and open assignments. Eager majors and lieutenant colonels participated in an NFL Combine-type event (BCAP) to determine who will command at the O-5 level. And units across the Army started gearing up, literally, for a new Army Combat Fitness Test. Some are even calling to get rid of the DA Photo! How are we to interpret these changes? Here are a few constants from my foxhole.

Soldiers from 1-21 Infantry Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division conduct platoon live fires to simulate realistic training, Hawaii, Jan. 15, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Geoffrey Cooper)
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Delivering Lessons, Outside the Box

How Amazon Helped my Unit Think Outside the Military Box

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On a cold and rainy day in October, the 504th Military Police Battalion and 66th Military Police Company personnel received the great opportunity to tour the BFI4 Amazon fulfillment plant in Kent, WA. Leaders focused on learning about sustainment and logistics. The personnel that went were all leaders in positions that dealt directly with logistics and sustainment. The group was able to gain a new and healthy perspective on their current job in the military and the cost of what it takes to be the greatest logistics company of all time.

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Counseling in the Guard and Reserves

A Personal Observation

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Counseling is one of the most important tools given to Non Commissioned Officers in today’s Army. It allows us to provide valuable feedback to our subordinates, and allows us to map out development plans that will ultimately shape the Army of tomorrow. So why is it so rarely utilized in the National Guard and Reserves?

 

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Nobody Puts LT In The Corner

The NCO Responsibility To Mentor

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The second lieutenant walked through the office door, I sat at the squad leader desk working on counseling’s and my platoon sergeant was napping behind his desk. The lieutenant greeted us and introduced himself as our new platoon leader, I welcomed him and turned back to my work. My platoon sergeant squinted at him and stood up, he grabbed a chair and put it in a corner. “This is where the kids sit until they learn their place.” He grunted and turned around to sit down at his desk. This first interaction set the tone for the new platoon leader and his interactions with all NCOs.

1st Lt. Timothy Goldstone, platoon leader, Company C, 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, briefs an operations order over a terrain model with his Soldiers and visiting U.S. Military Academy cadets at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, July 26, 2017, during a platoon live-fire exercise. The cadets are spending three weeks in Germany training with the “Iron Brigade” as it hones its Soldiers’ readiness in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor)
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To Get Outside the Box, Start Inside the Circle

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My first official duty as an Officer in the U.S. Army was a temporary assignment to Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM), working for Cadet Command as Cadre for the ROTC Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC). I worked for a Lieutenant Colonel who was serving as the Professor of Military Science at Purdue University. He taught me a lot that summer, but one story sticks out. It was a humble parable that continues to resonate with me a decade later.

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Rolling Uphill – Sustaining Change

Leading Change Series - Part IV

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Leading change is not a fast or easy process, but it is required to sharpen the organizational “saw” through synergy and renewal. It demands the power to stay the course, through setbacks and triumphs, and demonstrate the endurance to achieve results. Change starts with a single step, but that axiom can leave you discouraged when – after step one – you realize there are many more steps to take. You will face roadblocks in the form of people, internal systems, and outside forces. If step one is difficult to take, steps two and onward require even more perseverance and grit. The will to succeed makes the difference between those who initiate change and those who achieve it. Fighting complacency requires constant assessment and coaching.

Sustaining change is a team effort. Succession planning and a culture of learning is the only way to keep rolling uphill.
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When Change is Values-Deep

Leading Change Series - Part III

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In every competitive environment, organizations evolve to survive and thrive. Society, Markets, and Warfare are ever-changing and so must those who want to succeed in them. Changing systems is a fight in and of itself. But, what if the change required is deeper than spreadsheets and efficiency reports? What if the organization’s values and behaviors aren’t aligned? I used the word “fight” intentionally. Make no mistake, when change is values-based, you are fighting for the heart and soul of your organization. To create a values-centered change, leaders steer the individual to driving the organization, communicate a clear and collective vision, model and steward the change, and empower their team.

Changing Values Requires Clear and Shared Vision
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Build Confidence in Change

Leading Change Series - Part II

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Change is scary; organizations and people are naturally resistant to change. We defer to the sedentary status quo over the risk of growth. Last week, in Part I of our Leading Change Series, we discussed Kurt Lewin’s three steps for organizational change. (If you haven’t read Part I, it is available HERE) Organizations are living, breathing organisms that are comprised of people. A mechanical mindset, fixing a problem by simply uninstalling a piece and reinstalling an updated mechanism, won’t maximize growth. You can’t sustain an effective organization this way, because people are not widgets. Teams pose an agricultural paradigm, not a mechanical one.

Changes of Command often bring a new look to the organization.
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The Art of Change

Leading Change Series - Part I

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Leaders and formations in the Army are always changing. With this change in people, comes a new look at the organization. It brings reinvention, breeding adaptability and innovation. Change is healthy, important, and necessary – but leading change also requires art. Dissatisfaction, contempt, and failure, are usually the drivers of change. But, that doesn’t mean everyone in the organization will view circumstances through that same lens. Change is disequilibrium caused by disconfirming information. Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory and John Kotter’s 8 Step Change Model, provide leaders a lens through which to view and understand what it takes to successfully lead change.

Maintaining the status quo is comfortable. Leading change requires getting down “in the mud” – are you up for the task?
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4 Tips for Transitioning Organizations

Originally Published on From the Green Notebook

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The U.S. Military is a leadership laboratory to grow yourself and your team. Its personnel system, by design, promotes leaders out of position and across organizations. Controlled change breeds innovation and progress. But, change can also bring discomfort and anxiety. Fear not – here are some steps you can take to transition well and establish yourself in a new organization.

A Change of Command is just one of many transitions in the United States Army.