Category Archives: Self-Development

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Preventing Disappointment through Counseling

Connecting Army Tools to Develop Leaders

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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. 

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Randolph Delapena, the 82nd Airborne Division Command Sgt. Maj., speaks with Paratroopers assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, prior to conducting a Joint Forcible Entry (JFE) for exercise Panther Giant on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, March 8th, 2023. Exercise Panther Giant is a validation exercise for elements of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team to demonstrate readiness and lethality before attending the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC). (Sgt. Jacob Moir, U.S. Army)
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Reading to Recall

Moving from Notes to Actions

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Leaders are readers. But why read if you cannot recall 90% of what you read by next week? A good leader is carved from the challenges, trials, hardships, and enlightenment that are provided through experience. This is a variable that leaders cannot control, right? Sort of. The method for filling gaps in your knowledge base and level of experience can expanded via reading. Books, articles, or white papers provide leaders insight into the experience of others. Literature, in all forms, can help sand the edges of our experiences, give them more clarity and perspective, and allow us to incorporate those lessons into our own lives. As the retired General Mattis said, “If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate.”

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Read Effectively and Write Well

Practical Ways to Prepare for Academics at Any Level

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Maybe you’re heading to CGSC or SAMS. Perhaps you need to work through a reading list or write an argumentative essay. You might be preparing for civilian college or graduate school. Wherever you’re going, a little preparation now will save time and help you get the most out of your education. Show up with the keys to success: how to read effectively and write well.

USMA Cadets study in the West Point Library. (U.S. Army photo retrieved from USMA Library Facebook page)
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Winning in the AIM Marketplace

How to get your Next Assignment of Choice through Attention to Detail, Research, and Initiative

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The Assignment Interactive Module (AIM) Marketplace opened up on 23 September, meaning the race has begun for each of us in the 22-02 Movement Cycle to find and secure our next assignment before it closes on 03 November.  This is the second marketplace in which I have participated and I have learned a lot since then about how it functions.  Since literally forgetting my first Marketplace was occurring four years ago to winning in the Special Marketplace that followed, I have spoken many times with Military Intelligence (MI) Branch personnel at Human Resources Command (HRC) about the process while both receiving and giving several Leader Professional Development (LPD) sessions about it.  This guide will support you in successfully navigating and winning in the AIM Marketplace.

Soldiers enjoy the view from the ramp of a CH-47 Chinook during a high-altitude training flight in the Bavarian Alps, Germany, May 4, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Robert Fellingham)
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Efficient Self-Development

How Leaders Can Develop the Best Version of Themselves

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Today is the day. Today I will put the phone on mute, sit down with a book, and dedicate my time to developing my personal attributes. Then I will take some time to reflect on my actions and formulate ways to improve and become more in-tuned to my growth. Today is the day that I put all of my responsibilities as a leader, father, husband, and friend aside and truly focus on my self-development. The time has come that I set aside this significant amount of time every single day to invest in a better me.

Also me: Yeah, good luck with that, buddy.

Self Development creates the best Soldier, Leader, and person that we can be
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Being the Assistant to the Assistant Staff Officer

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In every group there are unsung heroes. These are the people in the background that do the hard work, ensuring everything gets accomplished. On a staff, there are the staff primaries (S1/2/3/4/5/6), then there are the assistant staff primaries, and sometimes even the assistant to the assistant staff primaries. The assistant staff officer is the person, behind the person, and in some cases…behind that person, who does the hard work. If you find yourself in one of these positions, remember that this a crucial job, both for the staff, and for your own development.

US Army photo by Master Sgt. Luis J. Coriano.
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Slut Shaming

The Prelude of Sexual Violence Against Women in the Military

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“As a woman in the military you can either be a slut or a b****. Choose the latter.” This was the first piece of advice I received after arriving to my unit. If I appeared too friendly or smiled too often-particularly with males, I would be perceived as a “slut”. Someone who flirts (or more) her way to the top than earning it. Better to be a “b****'”- cold and aloof, than have a warm disposition misinterpreted.

A soldier crawls under barbed wire during assessment and selection at Camp Mackall, N.C., March 1, 2021. Women in uniform face obstacles a lot thornier and more dangerous than barbed wire. (U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens)
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The Fresh Failure of Platoon Leadership

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Now, this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down…by joining a combat support Military Police platoon as a new officer with the correct mindset, drive, and determination and then slowly snowballing into failure. I held no punches in my self-assessment, and tossed self-preservation out of the window. The following three lessons stem from my critical failures. 

A GREYWOLF Trooper, 3rd ABCT, 1st CAV DIV prepares his M1A2 SEPV3 for a gunnery live fire exercise, Fort Hood, Tx. (US Army Photo by Sgt. Caleb Franklin)
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Life after a Callsign

Preparing Mentally to Give Up Command

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Congratulations, we have selected you to command! For many of us, this is one of the most rewarding phrases in our careers. A milestone that we have been preparing for. In fact a milestone that our entire profession does a remarkable job preparing us for. The tools and resources to become a great commander are endless. Where I believe that we often fall short, is preparing leaders for what life is like mentally after you transition out of command. The impact of going from 100 miles per hour to 0 has on our mental health as leaders is something we often don’t talk about. However, it is something all commanders experience to some degree. Making mental health post command a priority will aid in providing a seamless transition towards your next role.

Mental Strength enables resilience for our toughest challenges (US Army)