Tag Archives: Leadership

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You and Your NCO

Reverse Mentorship in the Officer-NCO Relationship

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The officer-noncommissioned officer (NCO) relationship is one of the Army’s many paradoxes that is fun to discuss and theorize. The Army deliberately pairs the two. Imagine a typical platoon’s leadership, with a brand-new platoon leader (second lieutenant) placed in charge of a seasoned platoon sergeant (usually a sergeant first class). Make no mistake, the platoon leader rates the platoon sergeant. As a captain, the company commander rates the first sergeant (1SG) who, once again, is typically more seasoned. Why is the individual with far greater experience placed in the subordinate position? The onus is on the NCO to provide reverse mentorship – and on the officer to learn from it.

Among many other duties, a good NCO-partner is much like a lane safety on a rifle range. They are a trainer, coach, and mentor.
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Copy and Paste Leadership

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In a 21st-century leadership environment that is dominated by technological advancements, communication between noncommissioned officers and their soldiers is easier today than it’s ever been. Compounding this ease of communication with the United States Army’s long-standing philosophy of standardization, today’s leadership environment has created quite the conundrum for the new era of NCOs. Though the Army’s workplaces are dominated by multiple levels of structure, it is essential for NCOs to understand that the key to effectively developing their Soldiers is individualized leadership.

 

Professional Counseling

Second Lt. Isaac Brunson practices conducting noncommissioned officer counseling with Staff Sgt. Devon Perry, a student attending the Logistics Noncommissioned Officer Academy at the Army Logistics University. (Photo Credit: Adam Gramarossa)
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An Exercise In Communication

Why We Write Series #3

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Loud and colorful video imagery covered the screen in the Production Control office of our Kiowa Squadron. It was 2012 and we were conducting an after-action review of a downed aircraft recovery training event. In the middle of our exercise, in a simulated crashed aircraft, we had no way of talking to our TOC. Our QRF forces weren’t coming in over the radio. And the pilots providing overhead cover…nothing from them either. We couldn’t talk. Our recovery mission was a complete failure. In this moment – standing in our AAR – I realized it was because no one conducted pre-missions checks and services on our radios. As our Production Control Officer would say, “without comms, you are dead. End of story.”

Paratroopers assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, secure a helicopter landing zone for a CH-47 Chinook Helicopter, July 20, 2019, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The Paratroopers provided protection to a nearby meeting between U.S. and Afghan officials discussing peace and security within the region. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Thomas Cieslak)
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Ethics in the Crucible

The Saga of Lieutenant Jake Portier

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It seems that the entire world has heard of the saga of Chief Eddie Gallagher, the Navy SEAL on trial for charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, and obstructions of justice. Members of his own platoon alleged that he engaged in heinous acts of violence against civilians and detained combatants. The purpose of this article is not to weigh in on the accusations against Gallagher. Many have and will continue to do so, including the President himself. Nor is it to further probe the bizarre alleged “spying” of the defense by the prosecution. For us junior officers, the more relevant leadership lessons come from a lesser-known member of Gallagher’s unit– Platoon Commander Lt. Jacob “Jake” Portier.

Navy SEALs conduct dive operations training in the Atlantic Ocean, May 29, 2019. SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. special operations forces and are trained to conduct missions from sea, air and land.
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Combat, Orders, and Judgement

The Nightingale Series

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Combat is decidedly mortal to the participants. Leaders, officers, and enlisted soldiers, are charged with execution of orders and the strict adherence to commander’s intent as the responsible agents for the men they serve—both above and below them. Failure to do so in peacetime can be professionally suicidal. Failure to do so in combat may be either suicidal or the key to success. The difference is called judgment. And good judgment is the Holy Grail of any combat unit. One case of leaders on the beachhead, on June 6, 1944, provides a sense through which to view disciplined initiative via calculated disobedience.

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Regard Your Soldiers

Sun Tzu’s Take on Family or Team

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Family or team? It is becoming the organizational culture version of the born or made question in leadership. 3×5 Leadership recently ran a great piece that broke down two competing theories on the topic. I recommend you read “Are We a Family or a Team?” and the books he references (Dan Coyle’s The Culture Code and Todd Henry’s Herding Tigers). This post will focus more on a personal view with the only expert invoked being Sun Tzu.

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Soldiers with 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, conduct live-fire exercises late into the evening during their annual training at Orchard Combat Training Center near Boise, Idaho, July 25, 2018. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Zachary Holden, Oregon National Guard – Oregon Military Department
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Story Time

An Alternative to Safety Briefs

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A Google Search of “Safety Brief Memes” renders more hits than a former Company Commander cares to admit. Safety Briefs, usually delivered by a Commander or senior NCO at the end of the week, are a running joke. So much so, that the Secretary of the Army, Dr. Mark Esper, announced earlier this month that they were no longer mandatory. Safety Briefs were often a regurgitation of platitudes that sound more like an attempt to cover your behind than genuinely impart a worthwhile message. “Don’t drink and drive, no means no, don’t do drugs, don’t…., no…., etc. etc.” But, it doesn’t have to be that way. Let’s save the baby before we throw out the bathwater.

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Discovering My Passion for Leadership

Why We Serve Series

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I cannot quantify how challenging it has been for me to write this post. It’s a topic I am passionate about, but I’ve greatly struggled in articulating my deep emotions over what keeps me committed to my Army service day-in and day-out. I want to offer some grand, moving story that pulls at the heart strings, but that’s just not me, unfortunately. What I have to share regarding “why I serve” all comes after I joined the service and the incredible experiences I’ve had thus far in my career. Further, my passion for service and why I do what I do all centers around one thing: leadership.

Post-PT with one of my squads while a platoon leader at Fort Bragg. It is these moments that drive my service.
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Commitment, Discipline, & Follow Through

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I earned my Ranger Tab largely, if not completely, through persistence. My Ranger School journey required 7 phases and a signature from my future Brigade Commander. It took me 175 days to earn my Ranger Tab – half of 2014 – but at the end of September I graduated. Through all of this, and in the time and space I have had to reflect back on it, I learned that graduating Ranger School requires commitment, discipline, and follow through. If I can do it, you can too.  

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To Conserve Fighting Strength

#BranchSeries - Medical Service Corps

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Three years of grueling effort in ROTC came down to this one decision – my branch. Up to that point, my experience was solely in small unit, infantry tactics. Since Infantry was not an option for females at that time, I felt a bit lost. The lack of tangible experience, and basic knowledge, about other branches made this decision more difficult. The idea of making an uninformed decision, one that would impact my entire career in the Army, was daunting. For whatever reason, I ended up selecting Medical Service Corps and embarked on an adventure unknown.

Soldiers of A Co, 2-502D IN, 101st ABN DIV (AASLT) provide light for medics and the BN Surgeon to treat a Soldier wounded by an IED while the MEDEVAC helicopter lands in the background. Picture taken on 08 OCT 2010 by American Photo Journalist Erin Trieb. See her other work at http://www.erintrieb.com.