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Think, Ask, and Observe

Preparing for Command, Part I

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Company command is the pinnacle experience for a junior army officer. It gives officers the first true opportunity to take charge and implement a vision. There is a lot that goes into a successful command, but it starts with the right preparation. The best prepared commanders use the pre-command transition to think, ask questions, and observe. These short weeks make the difference between a running start and feeling lost three months into command.

A paratrooper from the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, performs the action of present arms on Fort Bragg, N.C., May 19, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dustin D. Biven)
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Success at BOLC

Pulling back the curtain

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If you’ve recently commissioned, or intend to commission in the next 4 (or 5) years, you likely have some curiosity about the next step in your Army career.  The Basic Officer Leaders Course (BOLC-B) is the first stop for newly-commissioned officers.  Because BOLC-B is branch specific, the courses vary in duration and program of instruction.  Regardless of branch, however, keys for success at BOLC are more-or-less universal.  The recommendations found in this article are based on survey responses by Engineer BOLC instructors and administrators.

The leadership attributes and competencies that you learned and developed at your commissioning source are no less applicable at BOLC.  If you were successful at West Point, ROTC, or OCS, you likely already possess most of the skills required to succeed at BOLC.  The difference is that you are now a professional Army officer, and expected to conduct yourself accordingly.  Furthermore, you are now working with peers from all walks of life- the homogeneity of your commissioning source is a thing of the past.

BOLC is an opportunity for immense professional growth. Make the most of it.
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I’m Not Sure What to do with my Hands

A Message to Cadets and Recent Commissionees in Quarantine

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So you’re a cadet without summer training and might not be going back to campus in the fall. Or, maybe, you are a 2nd Lieutenant who just commissioned and is waiting for BOLC in quarantine. I bet you feel like Ricky Bobby in his post-race interview from Talladega Nights.  “I’m not sure what to do with my hands.” A lot of cadets and junior leaders have expressed this frustration to me recently, and here is what I tell them.

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Make Thinking Great Again

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Officers face a healthy debate regarding a War on the Rocks article that explores how to maximize leaders to think creatively and get out of the traditional boxes of a history focus. Too many officers feed their doctrine obsessions at the expense of challenges that outpace doctrine in a complex world. Doctrine is important, don’t get me wrong. In both the operational and institutional Army,  the true challenge for leaders is the art of thinking and overcoming the dangers of intellectual laziness that feed bias.

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Implications of Officer and NCO Relationships

Critical Experiences that Shape Careers

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Relationships matter. This oft-cited platitude is heard echoing through almost every leader professional development session that has happened in recent years. There is perhaps no nascent relationship more important in the Army than leaders at the small unit level. How officers and their Non-Commissioned counterparts interact professionally has been examined thoroughly in Army literature, although not perhaps as comprehensively as some may think. Surprisingly little examination of interpersonal interactions and organizational history as vehicles to further relationships has been completed. The relationships developed between the senior non-commissioned officer (NCO) and the senior officer of company grade formations are key indicators of initial success.

US Army Special Forces Soldiers conduct Extraction Training (Photo by US Army)
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Expectations of a New Lieutenant

A Panel Discussion

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Our first “panel discussion” seeks to address a common but perplexing question on the minds of many soon-to-be officers.  “What is expected of me?”  The most straight forward and objective answer to this question is found in the Army Leadership Requirements Model (ALRM).  ADP 6-22 Army Leadership and the Profession explains the ALRM and details each of the leader attributes and competencies.  We highly recommend that cadets familiarize themselves with these concepts early in their development.  The Company Leader has built a concise and easy-to-digest product that breaks down the attributes and competencies- check it out HERE.

In order to give a sense of the personal and practical application of these concepts, we have sought to provide a diverse set of opinions on the topic.  Leaders from five different branches, both officers and senior non-commissioned officers have weighed in.  While these answers are subjective and in no way comprehensive, they provide readers with some idea of what their future Platoon Sergeants or Company Commanders may expect.  In collecting the feedback from our panel, we found that the content (and formats) of their submissions varied, but definitive themes emerged.  It is our hope that this discussion will diminish ambiguity for emerging leaders and provide focus for individual personal development.

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Creating a Better Training Culture

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In 2016, the Army transitioned to standardized mission essential tasks (METs) and training and evaluation outlines (T&EOs) for battery level units and above. It’s hard to believe that, prior to this,  commanders chose their own mission essential tasks. But the transformation is not complete. Battery and platoon level leaders still struggle with understanding their METS, T&EOs, and performance steps. This requires a cultural shift that is lagging behind the doctrinal change. 

U.S. Army Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment assemble a M777 howitzer while conducting airborne operations during exercise Allied Spirit II at the U.S. Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Caleb Barrieau, JMRC Public Affairs)
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More Than Equal Opportunity

Building Trust and Leading Change for Cadets

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“The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” – Colin Powell

The following are a few questions that leaders and cadets should be asking themselves candidly and critically. We owe it to the Army, its soldiers, and the nation to be introspective, especially considering that we are looked to as examples of American virtue. This is particularly true at times of high social tension, specifically regarding today’s discussions about race.

Will you allow a lack of trust to undermine your team?
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Adapt and Innovate

Ancient Battles with Modern Relevance, Pt II

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With only 40,000 men, Alexander the Great invaded the kingdom of Persia. One after another, larger Persian armies fell before him.. Alexander’s army seized Anatolia, Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Bactria, and even to the edge of India. As king of Macedon, he conquered the ancient world, campaigning outside of Greece for nearly 13 years. Prior to Alexander, Macedon was merely a backwater territory north of Greece. Warring neighbors to the south, and internal strife and raids, left them weak. All of this made their rise to power, ability to subdue and unite the Greek city states, and conquest of Persia all the more incredible. What changed in so short a time to fully upset the balance of power?

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Objective Boston (Raid)

A Tactical Decision Game for Cadets

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Just days after Area of Operation Irish was cleared of Arianan conventional forces, elements of the South Atropian People’s Army (SAPA) infiltrated the AO.  A company-sized SAPA element has found favor with the local populace and has maintained a low profile since the infiltration approximately one week ago.  In the past 48 hours, the insurgents established a command post IVO OBJ Boston and have begun coordinating attacks throughout the AO. Their intent is to disrupt Coalition advances towards the Ariana/Atropian border to enable Arianan forces to reconsolidate for counterattack.  They will accomplish this by attacking sustainment formations and destroying critical infrastructure (roads, bridges, power lines, etc).  The Command post consists of a small headquarters element (3-4 individuals), likely in the hard-stand structure, and a dismounted infantry squad in the vicinity for security.  In the past 48 hours, SAPA forces in AO Irish have been supported by 82 mm mortars.

Area of Operations (AO) Irish