Part of a book club a few years back, I read and discussed a book that half the group thought read like a college paper. They were turned-off, their attention applied to structure over the content. This skewed the subsequent discussion away from the author’s arguments towards the monotonous tone of the book. It was a well-reasoned and thoughtful thesis, but it did not capture the attention of at least half of us. How do you prevent that in your own writing?
Protests in America have literally been a staple of rectifying inequalities from this nation’s origins. In fact, it has been codified and is protected in the First Amendment of the Constitution as the freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights movement that ended segregation and Jim Crow laws, there have been peaceful protests mixed in with violence.
When I found out that I was selected to attend resident Intermediate Level Education (ILE) at Fort Leavenworth, I immediately realized how little I knew about the course. My research brought up numerous articles from officers discussing their year at Fort Leavenworth. These articles are what I found most useful and are the reason that I decided to write my own. Hopefully, my experience and advice serve two purposes. The first is to assist future classes in understanding the course of instruction and aid in your preparation for the “Best Year of Your Life.” Second, this article will be my attempt to, as General Funk says, “Leave the jersey in a better place than I found it.”
It’s been two years since I completed my Field Grade Key and Developmental (KD) time. Since then, I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to gather my thoughts and reflect on my time as a Battalion and Brigade S3. By no means does my experience make me an expert. If anything, it’s an opportunity to think. My intent is to reinforce common fundamentals with personally unique thoughts. Much of it is directed at the man in the mirror.
There I was…It was 2013, I was an aviation battalion S-3 in Afghanistan, and my boss had just given me less than 24 hours to write an argumentative essay. Someone at a higher headquarters wanted to redeploy one of our aerial medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) helicopter companies without replacing it. My boss believed this decision would severely impede MEDEVAC in our area of operations and the division commander agreed. He said he would take the issue to his boss and asked us to provide a short paper summarizing our analysis and recommendation. The writing fell to me. I had thought I’d left the argumentative essay behind two years earlier when I graduated from the Command and General Staff College (CGSC). But once again, I found myself crafting a thesis, gathering evidence, and writing an argument.
Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.
Anyone following the Field Grade Leader knows the importance of reading. Anyone short on material or motivation can find dozens of book lists and a stream of articles that support professional reading. Everyone knows we need to read, but rarely do we talk about how to read. We assume that because we can see and comprehend words and the order they are in, we can read. But is that true? Everyone knows what a map looks like, but not everyone can use it for land navigation.
By now, you’ve probably been inundated with advice on how to be an effective staff leader as an Iron Major serving in an S3 or XO role. You’re eager to establish efficient systems for operations and administration, develop a brilliant PSOP, lead the staff through MDMP, translate your commander’s intent into guidance and taskings, and oversee a command post. You’ve probably received some valuable warnings about the ways in which Majors fail. However, successful completion of every task and every mission as a Major means little if you leave a trail of burned-out, bitter, and cynical staff officers and NCOs in your wake. You are now visible to a far broader audience, especially company-grade officers and mid-career NCOs who may be nearing decision points about their future in the military. Unfortunately, the caricature of the grouchy, miserable Major stroking the commander’s ego and sleeping in the office has gained considerable traction in military culture. Gifted junior officers will often see this as a glimpse into their future and choose to pursue another line of work. Understanding and practicing the intangible elements of field grade leadership – beyond staff systems and MDMP – can elevate you from the clichéd stereotype of the grumpy, overworked, “yes–man” clawing for a top-block evaluation to a transformational leader that brings out the best in your unit and its people.
It was Romania, and four feet of snow had fallen the night before. Nearly all functions base-wide had been shut down for two days, but my Detachment still had a mission to do. With limited support, to include an impassable three-mile stretch to our office, my Detachment Sergeant and I were literally frozen in time. As we walked through a dug out tunnel of snow to our dining facility, we war-gamed what was important, what could wait, and what just didn’t matter anymore. We knew that we had to decide how and when to put our soldiers in harm’s way to complete the essential aspects of our mission. Even considering the Army’s prescribed Mission Essential Tasks (METs), our definition of essential had changed.
Most of us have experienced Homer in high school or perhaps college, so this story should not hold any surprises. Though I did not expect them, I found a few new things to share.
Humility has taken its place in the pantheon of critical military leadership qualities in recent years. The highest praise of a senior leader often is that they accomplish great goals through their units – with a sense of humility. Toxic work environments, operational failures, and personal indiscretions all appear to stem, in part, from an underlying lack of leader humility. The challenge for military leaders is that humility exists on a continuum, and too much humility can lead to passivity and indecision. Also, attempts to demonstrate humility through statements and acts can give off an aura of disingenuousness. Given the amorphous and contradictory nature of humility in military leadership, the concept may provide little functional utility for officers. The following narrative attempts to give a brief framework of the factors that allow officers to lead in the optimal zone of humility.