Monthly Archives: March 2017
The Field Grade Leader in a Stryker Formation
Thoughts on the Military Decision Making Process
The Operational Planning Team
A Major’s Guide to Communication
Teach, Coach, Mentor
Developing Subordinates to Succeed in our Profession
Manage Your Time. Manage Your Priorities
The common enemy of field grade officers is time. There aren’t enough hours in a day to get it all done, and we’re constantly pulled between future plans and current problems. Earlier, we discussed time management as a crucial concept to think through prior to starting a big job. Here are some additional thoughts:
The Science and Art of Being a Major
There are a ton of resources out there for Captains before they take command. From books to blogs, there’s an abundance of information readily available. However, there’s usually a cognitive gap between completion of ILE and your first KD job, often separated by an assignment to a Corps or Division staff. Here are some key thoughts to get you thinking about KD, broken down into two categories — Science and Art.
Your Field Grade In Brief
Each time a Major joined our Brigade, the XO and I would sit down with them to discuss success during KD time. Our Brigade Commander always said that leaders invest time in priorities, so the XO and I would invest scarce time in setting new team members up for success. We’d talk through annual training guidance, policies, the battle rhythm, and other information we saw as essential to a good start. Of all the topics, I’d argue the most important was being a team player and good peer. The discussion would usually go something like this: