How are your senior leaders most out of touch with junior enlisted.

I have recently become one of them! The problem is not so much in losing touch, as much as it is remembering where you came from.  I say this because our field is and will be in a state of flux.  Be it focus on current conditions or new technology. The important thing to know is I/we don't know every thing.  But I got reach back to find out. Pride will get you killed my friend.  The best way I can describe the change is to picture yourself as three baskets. One is yours, the second is your soldiers, and the third is the Army.  As you progress in your career, you have to shift your eggs around to meet the current need.  For example, when you are a PV1.  Your eggs are spread between the Army basket, and yours.  As a private you have no soldiers.  As you progress, you get more responsibility but the same number of eggs.  Now you have to do a risk assessment based on which basket can function with the least amount of eggs.  If you have a leadership challenge ( we all have had that guy at one time or another) then you may have to put some more in the Soldier basket, also if you have a star performer you could put less.  Ok, I will get to my point.  Some folks don't do well at the balancing act, so they keep most of their eggs in their basket.   Not so much in thier Soldiers or the Army's baskets. I am firm believer that the Army has it backwards.  It should be Soldiers first!  The mission will get accomplished if they know you got their backs! 

Some senior leaders give off the impression that they stay in touch with junior enlisted Soldiers as a "check the block" kind of thing and not because they care. This isn't to say that they don't care but body language and presentation speaks a lot louder than putting on a smile and saying "Talk to your squad leader" without really answering their question or addressing their concern. I have witnessed this with a few senior NCOs and Officers; even addressed it once in a sensing session and it just was blown off so I don't see the need for those anymore. The only resolution I can think of is that all leaders need to have genuine care for their troops but those in senior ranks and/or positions are the ones often looked at as an example of character and attributes. We all need to be consistent with our care for our Soldiers. If it ever happens that you act the part just to get by, it's probably time to let go and let someone else take the reigns. Listen to your Soldiers and show them their concerns are a priority for you, even if it means saying "That's really out of my control". Explain why. Just because we're senior does not mean we can't explain ourselves.

The new SFC that just took over as our Dept NCOIC held a meeting with all Army/Navy NCOs saying how she was going to change A, B and C and that monthly NCO meetings would be held to keep her abreast of all issues going on in her dept......

.......I lost track of how long she's been here but we have not had one of those meetings yet.

Because she is my first line supervisor, I've brought ideas and suggestions to her (as she requested during her initial meeting) but she has yet to utilize any of my recommendations.