The System is Down – An Approach to Systems Leadership as a Major

A Guest Post by Kevin Ryan

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Lucas. Sept. 22, 2019

I often tell people that being the Intelligence Officer for a Brigade Combat Team was the only job in 13 years of service that I felt as uncomfortable on Day 1 as I did on my last day.  It was the first position I held after graduating from Command and Staff College; a training center rotation 3 months into the job; and deploying to Iraq 3 months later to advise and assist the Iraqi security forces in the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic State made for a tumultuous tenure. But probably the toughest part was that it was my first “key developmental” job as a field grade leader – finding my leadership style as a Major was my biggest challenge.  

Majors Play Key Role in a Battalion’s Leader Development Program

A Guest Post by Christopher L'Heureux

U.S. Army photo by Capt. Chelsea Hall

Recent posts on this blog got me thinking about the role majors play in leader development within a battalion. The responsibility for leader development, as with everything else, falls squarely on the commander’s shoulders, but most majors possess a strong desire to mentor and the critical knowledge and skills needed to develop others. They have two or three assignments and a year of school between them and the next most senior officers in a battalion. But they command nothing and are most often caught in a robust game of whack-a-mole in their everyday jobs as XO and S3. They have desire and experience but little time and no control of the program. So how can majors contribute? While each commander will have a perspective on what the majors do, I offer a few thoughts:

  1. Organize. To start, organize the program for the boss. Sure, the boss is hands-on and directive but you can help. Make sure leader development on the calendar, discussed in the training and training resource meetings, and that it aligns with the overall training guidance. If you cannot answer “why” you’re executing a particular leader development session, then there is work to be done. Initially, my program focused on character due to some culture problems in the organization. As we got past those, we shifted to competence-based topics oriented on upcoming training, all the while ensuring the team understood why we were talking about what we were talking about.
  2. Prioritize. Where does leader development fit into unit priorities? Maybe it’s not first in your organization but it was my top priority. That didn’t mean it didn’t get stepped on now and again. Prioritizing is a continuous fight, and it was my majors who kept most leader development sessions from being stepped on from above and below. You only control what you add to the calendar. Can you cancel the static display for the visiting dignitaries that just came up? Nope. But higher will not bat an eye when you cancel your LPD. Take the hard road and use your relationships up and across the brigade to minimize the effect on leader development sessions…fight for the time.
  3. Fill the gaps. Leader development is often parceled off to a subordinate who is told to run with it. Ensure those charged with execution prepare (even when it’s the boss). If the commander is not personally getting the back brief, majors should pick up that slack. A single poor leader development session can kill the motivation in a program. Make sure sessions are interesting, relevant, and with the right audience. Interject when necessary. You’ll need platoon sergeants and above to orchestrate big change within a battalion. Having lieutenants read new doctrine in front of the battalion leadership like open mic night at the local coffee house, however, isn’t going to cut it.
  4. Provide all-around feedback. Leverage the natural relationships the XO and S3 have with company commanders and XOs to explain objectives and obtain feedback. Is the program doing what the boss wants? If not, let the boss know. Also, support bottom-fed ideas. When the LTs ask to do a book club, figure out how to make that happen. Any spark from below is a thousand times more powerful than something from above. Help the boss understand what the officers and NCOs of the unit want and need. Push back when you don’t think the program is aligned with organizational objectives. Remember, the commander will often do things based on their experience; help them connect the dots.
  5. Develop content. Seek opportunities to develop content; I see this as a major’s greatest contribution to leader development. The XO and S3 oversee almost every system in the battalion. As a result, you are in a unique position to understand where the organization is weak and have the experience to do something valuable to address it. Is it command supply discipline, maintenance, weapons qualification, or LFX planning that is lacking? My XO created and ran an XO Academy for company XOs and any other lieutenant who aspired to be one. My S3 instituted a Maneuver LFX Certification Program for leaders. Both programs developed individual competence and a more effective overall organization. Both initiatives were planned, resourced, and led by a major – I just showed up and watched people grow.

None of the thoughts presented are groundbreaking, but a review never hurts. We often get absorbed with the issues of the day and forget the basics. So majors, organize and prioritize the work; fill the gaps in the 8 Step Training Model; provide feedback up and down the chain of command; and develop content. Majors possess incredible experience and knowledge at the battalion level and their subordinates deserve to learn from them. There is an old saying that everything a major touches turns to gold, so make an impact and lay your hands on leader development.

LTC L’Heureux is currently an instructor at the School of Command Preparation. An Armor officer, he served primarily in cavalry and infantry assignments within Stryker Brigade Combat Teams with operational experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Europe. He recently relinquished command of 2d Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment at Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany.

 

Building Trust: 8 Ways to Become a More Approachable Leader

A Guest Post by James Kadel

U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Ryan Debooy

Have you ever hesitated outside your boss’s office, or took a deep breath before dialing your commander’s phone number?  What if you had an idea on how to improve your organization, but decided not to say anything? Have you ever felt like you needed to strap on body armor before bringing bad news to your supervisor?

As leaders, we often overlook the quality of being approachable as it affects our subordinates’ and organization’s effectiveness.  Organizational leadership literature is abundant in describing the benefits of a learning organization and the need for leaders to promote a culture of learning and collaboration.  However, those leaders often struggle to successfully set the conditions in the organizations they lead because they are not approachable. More than just a nice-to-have, the art of being approachable is a necessary attribute for effective leaders at any level or organization because it is a pre-condition of trust and open communication.

A Sergeant Major’s Advice for a Field Grade Officer

A Guest Post by Carl J. Cunningham

U.S. Army photo by Gertrud Zach

The transition to Major is probably the most difficult in the officer corps.  The officer’s power and influence drastically increase despite typically serving on a staff.  Most senior officers maintain that Major is the first rank in which one becomes a “Company man/woman” where the focus is about the organization.  And depending on the branch, the initial assignment may be the first time working above the battalion level.  These changes in the officer’s power and influence require an altered approach to relationships, systems and processes, and the mentoring of subordinate officers.  Because the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) does not provide many Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) engagement opportunities for its students, I offer some thoughts for new field grade (FG) officers moving back out into the force.  The paper’s focus applies to Majors in any branch and at any echelon, but especially those who will lead a staff section at the brigade level or above.

A Missed Opportunity: Learning from NCOs at Command and General Staff College

A Guest Post by Jeremy Flake

U.S. Army photo by Terrence Bell

A few weeks after graduating from CGSC, I began to reflect on the past year, particularly regarding how all field grade officers need to understand the importance of the Officer-NCO relationship at senior levels. The announcement of the new Sergeant Major of the Army triggered many of these thoughts. I had met SMA Daily in passing while walking through the Lewis & Clark building at Fort Leavenworth, but he was only there with the CSA to talk with other senior leaders meeting at the Combined Arms Center, not to speak to students at CGSC. 

How to do Leader Professional Development

By Josh Powers

Like many other concepts in the Army, Leader Professional Development is usually generated with good intentions. Leaders selected for command spend a considerable amount of time crafting their professional development philosophy as they attend pre-command courses, stressing over how each word represents their heart and their soul. Still, professional development is an effort that even the best organizations improvise their way through, often overlooking the recurring calendar event until it is yet, another forgotten task. So how is it that such an important effort often becomes an afterthought, only to be overcome by the daily minutiae of short suspenses and rapidly shifting priorities? 

“Leader development, show me that in your METL…

A Post by Billy Folinusz

Sergeant William Jasper (c. 1750 – Oct. 9, 1779) of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment fought at the Siege of Savannah. On October 9th, 1779 during the failed American attempt to take Savannah, Sergeant Jasper was mortally wounded while rallying the troops around the colors. He was able to retain his regimental colors during the retreat and died shortly after.

As a company commander, your quarterly training brief (QTB) is a big deal.  You feel the pressure to show how you are preparing your organization to be successful and accomplish its mission.  In the spring of 2015, I conducted my first QTB as a commander. We spent weeks as a leadership team preparing our training plan and brief.  One of the critical portions I would brief as the company commander, was my plan to take all my NCOs and officers on a “staff ride” through the Siege of Savannah.  As we walked into the session, I felt there was little that could go wrong. We had prepared thoroughly, nested our training plan, rehearsed multiple times, and felt confident we had a solid briefing that would impress our leadership. The brief started, and we were off to a great start. As we came around to the staff ride portion, I was genuinely excited to show how our company was investing in leader development.  When the “Siege of Savannah” slide popped onto the screen, I saw my commander’s face begin to contort. After my introduction to the event, I jumped into how the staff ride synchronized with my command philosophy, and that’s when I was stopped…

Counseling Subordinates Sets Expectations and Standards 

A Continuation of the Series by Nate Player

U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser

“Counseling is the most important tool that leaders have at their disposal. Clearly communicating expectations and standards provides a baseline for measuring performance and ensures that both the rater and rated officer understand expectations. This is especially important when managing your rater profile and justifying the contents of evaluation reports for both officers and NCOs.”

The Brigade S4 Survival Guide

Simple do's and don'ts can enable success

US Army photo by Spc. Ryan Lucas, 19 July 2019

Serving as a brigade, group, or regimental S4 is one of several possible key developmental (KD) assignments for Majors in the Army’s Logistics branch.  There are nuances among brigades, groups, and regiments that have different force structures and different missions. Therefore, this article is meant to be universally applicable across diverse units.

In addition to serving as the brigade’s lead long-range logistics planner, the S4 has oversight for a variety of command discipline programs and policies that are key to enabling the brigade and its units to accomplish their mission-essential tasks.  To oversee so many command discipline programs, the brigade S4 must be an effective manager of managers. His aperture is too wide to do anything else.

Better Science = Better Art

Detailed Orders Enable Mission Command

Leaders throughout the Army usually fall into one of two camps regarding operations orders. Those that complain that their higher headquarters is micromanaging them and doesn’t enable them to make decisions or, the ones complaining they don’t have enough detail to execute their mission properly. There is a difficult balance between too much and too little supervision, but many fail to realize that details are essential for subordinates to be able to make good decisions. So in the wise words of the Spice Girls, “tell me what you want, what you really, really want!”