Posted on Dec 7, 2013
Which is worse, an upset Soldier or a personally offended Soldier? Why?
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Soldiers get upset with their leadership on a daily basis, but what happens when a Soldier gets personally offended by his or her leadership?
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Soldiers
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 16
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An upset Soldier may have a legitimate grievance that can be redressed. An offended Soldier has been hurt on a personal level and that is a lot more difficult to fix.<br><br>Example: I had a PT stud, technical & tactical wizard, super leader, with a moral compass fixed on true north of an NCO in my course as a student recently. He related how he graduated WLC and was approached by a very senior senior leader and told to his face that he should be chaptered out of the Army because he has tattoos (no neck or hand stuff) and that means he is not a proper leader. He took Commandant's List that graduation.<br>How do you fix that in a junior leader? How do you get them to re-commit after someone tells them to their face that they're scum regardless of what they have been doing or are doing for the Army for things that are perfectly within the law?<br>
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1SG Steven Stankovich
<p>Great example. I would love to pull that "very senior leader" aside and discuss the ramifications that uneducated opinions have across our Army. </p><p> </p><p>For your young NCO, I would continue to impress upon him how much he brings to the table and how much HIS Chain of Command appreciates his abilities.</p>
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SSgt (Join to see)
Just that there will be people no matter who hard you work that you do not measure up. That one thing that we cannot control is other people's opinions. If they wish to act irrationally that we just have to accept that unless it is illegal.
There is an old expression; "Is that the hill you want to die on?" Just explaining that you are doing a great job and to keep doing what he was doing.
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COL (Join to see)
It's too bad the senior leader felt compelled to express his opinions to the junior NCO directly - especially in such a negative way. I wonder how the senior leader would feel if his boss told him he was through because he didn't know how to treat Soldiers.
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Not sure the context of 'worse' (worse for unit morale?, worse for leaders to deal with?, worse for Soldiers concerned?, etc.)<br><br>Soldiers will get upset...it's human nature. It's like kids not getting their way or not understanding the reasons for decisions.<br><br>When Soldiers are personally offended, something could have been done/said differently and addressed immediately.<br>
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COL (Join to see)
Soldiers will get over being 'pissed off', but they will not easily forget nor will they get over being offended by their leadership unless there is open communication between the Soldier and the leader. I've never worried about whether or not a Soldier liked me or was pissed at me for the decisions I made, but I am always concerned about how I present myself to Soldiers and how I discipline them. I have a few junior leaders who forget they are leading human beings and not robots. It is good to lead your formation with a leadership philisophy and overall direction on where you want to take your unit as a whole. Young leaders forget sometimes that Soldiers need to be led individually as well. We are leaders of human beings...we all respond differently and it is important for the leader to understand that. I also know there are plenty of folks who will disagree with me...
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It's hard to answer this generically, it all depends on situational context...
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