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Avoiding the Information Trap

A Guest Post by John Bolton

 

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January 18, 2013 – Photo by Sgt. Scott Tant

“Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things.” –Henry David Thoreau

Army digital Mission Command Systems (MCS) are supposed to increase efficiency by developing a common operational picture (COP) and improving situational awareness. However, they often produce the opposite: a false depiction that inhibits subordinate initiative as we fixate on systems at the expense of time, effort, and larger than necessary command posts. Unless we approach their use in a disciplined manner, judiciously applying when and how to utilize digital systems, even the best systems will create additional work, waste time, and inhibit Mission Command.

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Digital Leadership in a Digital Age: The Dark Side

A Guest Post by Christopher Little

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

Imagine you find yourself in an austere wartime environment, newly appointed to lead a Joint Task Force (JTF). The bad guys look like civilians. You have never fought a war quite like this one, a decentralized one with no clear endstate. These are the conditions Army General Stan McChrystal faced when he took command of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in the Middle East. The enemy was a formidable, decentralized force able to reassemble themselves and make decisions when their leaders were not able to make real-time decisions for them.

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We’re All Architects of Digital Leadership—Whether We Want to Be or Not

A Guest Post by Phil Amrine

US Army photo by Paolo Bovo – Sept. 26 2017

Many of us in the field grade ranks may consider ourselves “digital natives,” the catch-all term for people who grew up with digital technology as an integral part of our daily lives.  Some of us were undergrads when a new website called “The Facebook” went live in 2004.  Shortly before (or after) we were commissioned, Apple launched a never-before-seen product called the iPhone.  While we may not be true digital natives in the sense that we used those products every day as children, there’s no doubt that our youngest lieutenants and troops fall in that category.  Digital natives or not, there is one fact none of us can deny:  social media systems are transforming our culture in a rapid and unpredictable nature, and those changes are going to impact our forces just like every other cultural shift in our society’s history.  When it comes to accepting those changes and integrating them into our daily operations, we have no choice but to engage.

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How Do You Use Social Media to Contribute to the Profession of Arms?

A Guest Post by Dan Brown

June 28, 2012 – Photo by Staff Sgt. Brendan Mackie

Social media has grown so much that it inevitably bled over into the profession of arms. The majority of Soldiers have a social media account. There is no better opportunity to reach these young Soldiers on a more consistent level than using these platforms.

Social media provides everyone a platform and what we do with that platform is important. I have decided to use my platform to assist in the mentorship of the younger generation of Soldiers within the National Guard. As a Major in the Florida Army National Guard, I understand that I must transition from the role of mentee to mentor. I have always been fond of the benefits of social media and I believe it is a great way to facilitate digital leadership.

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Becoming a Digital Leader: A Necessity Towards Modern Success

A Guest Post by John E. Plaziak

US Army photo by Spc. Christopher Brecht. March 10, 2017

Information moves faster than ever before in today’s age. The 24-hour news cycle and social media allow for instant publication from anyone with a computer. As leaders in this digital age, it is our responsibility to understand capabilities and limitations of information flow, understand that facts are becoming more distorted than ever, and acknowledge that newer generations are more inherently involved in technology than we are. I also believe that leaders must, at least topically, understand some of the new ideas and technologies that are being developed. A leader’s ability to evolve with the ever-changing landscape of the digital world is essential to our success.

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Self-Discipline – Why Efficiency is Important to Organizational Leadership

By Field Grade Leader Editor Agustin M. Gonzalez

Feb. 27, 2017, U.S. Army photo

In the spring of 2012, I heard some advice during a professional development session that caused me to reevaluate my daily routine. That morning, the Deputy Commanding General of Operations (DCG-O) conducted PT with the officers of our battalion. After PT, we assembled in the battalion classroom for a professional development session. We were all eager to hear from an officer who had an exceptional reputation as a leader and warfighter.

During the session, the DCG-O described his time in multiple leadership positions from platoon leader to his current position. He talked about the responsibility entrusted to us as commissioned officers along with some of the best practices he learned over decades of service.

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How to Encourage Self-Discipline in Our Profession? Is that the Right Question?

A Guest Post by Franklin C. Annis, EdD

As I sat down to begin writing on the topic of self-discipline in our profession, something seemed off about the topic. I felt the framing of the question was not correct and my thoughts could not align with the terms. I realized that we might best master the art of self-discipline when we start viewing our profession as a true vocation.

U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Gabriel Silva, May 5th, 2017

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Self-Discipline and the Profession

A Guest Post by Major Janessa Moyer

U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Jesse D. Leger. May 23, 2017

The commonly accepted definition of self-discipline is the ability to control one’s feelings and overcome one’s weaknesses. It is the ability to pursue goals despite temptations to abandon them. Self-discipline means following a proverbial compass. This compass includes moral, ethical, and legal azimuth checks and one must also follow this compass to an endstate. It is the foundation that drives an individual to succeed in the completion of tasks, the accomplishment of goals, and it is also the driving force behind happiness.

When considering self-discipline within the profession, there are a few different aspects to consider. Self-discipline can be a blanket term for all of the individual responsibilities that one must ensure they maintain or complete. Some examples of individual responsibilities that require self-discipline within the profession are physical fitness, medical readiness, and professional military education.

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Balance – It’s Not a Four Letter Word

A Guest Post by Dan Von Benken

 

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U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Clayton Cupit

Balance is a commonly misunderstood topic in the Army. When leaders mention the need to have balance, many react with an eye roll (here we go again), or a smirk (does it really exist?). Many leaders are viewed as having workaholic-like characteristics. A cursory Google search confirms this: Army leaders possess workaholic characteristics. We come in early to free up time during the day; we spend more time at work than intended; we work hard because our buddies are working hard.[i] But we are who we are: Soldiers and leaders who have endured 17 years of persistent conflict, force structure realignments, force reductions, and lowered promotion rates. We are in a profession that comes in early, works hard, and depending on requirements, stays late. Balance is difficult to understand.

My recent promotion triggered me to reflect on my years as an “Iron Major,” the years often considered the most challenging in an officer’s career. It subsequently led me to reflect on the ebbs and flows of balance during my career and ask myself where I was out of balance, why I was out of balance, and how did I manage to balance it all? When I looked at the problem through this lens, I concluded balance really does exist, and it is a combination of personal choices and professional requirements.

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Defining Balance as a Military Professional

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Balance – it’s a concept many military professionals embrace philosophically but fail to employ in their day-to-day lives. We are committed to our profession, and with that commitment comes significant responsibility. We carry the organization’s weight on our shoulders all day, every day, knowing our performance impacts Soldiers’ lives and their ability to accomplish mission. Further, we know that most jobs are “make or break” for our military careers. If you want to be a battalion commander, you have to excel in key and developmental positions. We know our personal lives are important, but that often importance gets lost in the grind of our daily duties: emails, meetings, last-minute tasks, serious incident reports; the list goes on and on. This article isn’t intended to solve balance, providing a simple equation to calculate how much time you need to spend at the office today. Unfortunately, it just isn’t that simple. The purpose of this essay is to provide a better definition of balance for the military professional.