U.S. Army photo by Matthew Moeller, Aug. 1, 2018

We have all seen the staff section with too few rowers rowing with all their might while the others sit idle in the boat. Too few carry a disproportionate share of the work, while others drag their oars in the water. I am one of the lucky ones. As a Battalion S3 in Korea and a Brigade S2 on Fort Bragg, I was fortunate to lead Intelligence Warriors: men and women who understood the unit’s mission and tirelessly worked to achieve the Commander’s vision. Here are a few lessons I learned as these phenomenal teams advanced towards success.

All Oars Matter!!Whether you have 5 or 10 Soldiers in your section, all oars must move in cadence as the coxswain issues commands and steers the boat. Yes, some paddles are bigger than others based on duties and responsibilities, but smaller paddles bring quantifiable value to the team. During my initial introduction to my operations section, I was thoroughly impressed by the Privates through junior Non-Commission Officers churning through task heavy operations orders from a Brigade that received orders from an Army Service Component, a United States Army Direct Reporting Unit, and a local Installation Command. Enabled by a thorough understanding of the unit’s mission and the commander’s vision, these junior Soldiers efficiently processed and published quality orders for our battalion, regardless of the daily fog and friction all unit’s experience. The confidence these young Soldiers possessed and their ability to communicate their running estimates on demand gave me the freedom to focus on other important tasks. As you assume your duties as the S3, trust your Soldiers with more and train them to think and work two levels up from their current position.

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate!!The transition from operator to manager is tough, but you must transition, or you will find yourself task saturated. You will look bitterly around the office at the end of the duty day wondering what everyone else was doing all day. The costs of delegating are patience, time, overcommunication, and a little grace. It undoubtedly took my predecessor months of coaching and mentoring the operations section to get them to the level of confidence and competence I witnessed, but the reward was worth the effort in terms of accomplishing my unit’s vital mission. Your Soldiers will fail. The responsibility will rightfully rest squarely on your shoulders; you are their leader. However, the lessons learned from those failures will instruct the Soldier and the leader. Calculated risk, such as delegation, prompts innovation, efficiency, resiliency, and proactive actions. Most of my days were spent in staff meetings and other planning sessions. When I returned from a long day of meetings, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the disciplined initiative demonstrated by all the Soldiers in their respective assignments. We have all experienced the micro-managed staff sections in which the officer or NCO in charge is the final say on all decisions. Those sections will falter when the leader is away from the helm. This is unacceptable. Invest early and often in defining and explaining the Commander’s vision and watch your Soldiers thrive.

Foster the Unique Talents of Each Team Member:Each Soldier is blessed with unique talents. It is your responsibility to find and nurture those talents. Each talent enables mission accomplishment. There is no such thing as the “good old days” of better Soldiers. The Soldiers in front of you are neither more flawed nor more perfect than any Soldier of a past generation. They are the men and women of our Nation who volunteered to serve beside you. Just as in past generations, some Soldiers will consume organizational energy in adverse administrative actions if they are not led properly. Invest time interviewing these Soldiers to find their un-nurtured talents: develop opportunities for them to focus their energy on those talents to enable mission accomplishment. Distribute praise in public and in private.

I encourage you to silence the negative reports you may receive from other leaders as you assume your duties. Give each team member a fresh start and a fair shake. These Soldiers will require more of your time in physical fitness sessions, counseling sessions, and other soul-searching sessions. The joy in bringing those capable and willing Soldiers forward is worth the effort. They will eventually contribute to the team’s overall success. The ignored or maligned Soldier weighs down the crew when they are not rowing with the rest of the team. When the entire section encourages and helps the team member falling behind, the burden lightens and a path to success inevitably appears. When every Soldier is valued within the section, their contribution to the unit’s mission will increase and the risk of individual failure decreases.

My time as an Operation Officer was challenging, memorable, and fun. I am truly thankful for the patience, time, overcommunication, and a little grace the humble servants ahead of me invested prior to my arrival. Their friendship and encouragement during the transition made the burden lighter. The expectation that the Field Grade is a humble servant who leads by example while in the trenches with their Soldiers is the right model; the model that breeds mission success. The pace is always relentless, but the people in your organization make each moment worthwhile.

For Intelligence Officers: Ensuring Success as a Brigade or Battalion S2

Service as a Brigade (BDE) or Battalion Intelligence (BN) Officer is rewarding and challenging; a professional self-actualization for many Military Intelligence Officers. The S2 and all other Warfighting Functions (WfF) are responsible for developing synchronized products that enables the Commander to Understand, Visualize, Describe, Direct, Lead, and Assess (UVDDLA) their operational environment. The following highlights my path to success as a BN/BDE S2 and these initial steps will assist any S2 in establishing a firm intelligence foundation in their assigned unit.

First, upon arrival to the unit, coordinate for an office call with the Battalion / Brigade Commander. This initial session with the Commander will help the S2 understand the Commander’s preferred methods of receiving intelligence information. You should leave this meeting with a firm grasp of the Commander’s mission statement, training priorities, vision, and end state. As the leader of the intelligence WfF within the BN / BDE, the S2 must understand the significance of intelligence driving operations in combat and home station training. Proactively seek opportunities to brief the Commander and his staff on the current threats around the world and incorporate these threats into training scenarios.

Second, seek out each sister WfF Officer in Charge to gain an understanding of their respective priorities and challenges. The initial discussions with the Deputy Commanding Officer (DCO) or Executive Officer (XO), Operations Officer (S3), and Signal Officer (S6) were important in understanding the unit’s calendar, training priorities, and the organization’s network architecture. A thorough understanding of the unit’s calendar allowed us to plan intelligence training, perform scheduled maintenance / upgrades on our intelligence systems, and disseminate relevant and timely intelligence products. Invite them into country studies and Initial Preparation of the Battlefield planning sessions; seek out their expertise in their respective WfF as it relates to the enemy applying maneuver and combat support forces in specific regions of the world.

Third, after a month of assessing the section’s strengths and weaknesses, develop an intelligence training and evaluation plan with the section Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO). Coordinate closely with the DCO, XO and S3 to ensure the plan supports the BN / BDE Commander’s vision, mission, and end state. Confer with the S2 or G2 in your higher headquarters to gain feedback and support in executing your plan. Develop a monthly battle rhythm for establishing all of your assigned intelligence systems in multiple training environments and gain further practice by establishing the systems each time the S6 sets up their tactical networks. During the unit’s red-cycle, encourage the NCOs to conduct intelligence training internally and ensure that they leverage Foundry or other local Military Intelligence units conducting intelligence training. Messaging the purpose and timing of your intelligence training events to BN /BDE leadership will be key in planning and conducting effective intelligence training. Persistent and consistent integration of the intelligence WfF across the rest of the staff WfF’s will ensure that intelligence facts and assumptions are incorporated in all unit activities.

The initial steps highlight above and the continued crosstalk amongst your leaders /peers will improve your chances for success as an S3 or S2. I pray these words encourage you as you assume your next assignment as Field Grade Officers in the United States Military. Good luck!!

MAJ Leon Matthias is currently serving as a Deputy Mission Crew Commander on the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System at Robins AFB, GA. As a Military Intelligence Officer with Infantry Branch Detail experience, he has served in 3/3 ID, 95th CA BDE, 525 EMIB, 82nd ABN DIV, 8th Army, 501st MI BDE, and 116th MI BDE. He has completed five years of KD serving as a BDE S2, BN S3, DIV Collection Manager, and ASSC Collection Manager. He has served overseas in Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan.