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I am personally the type of person who does not enjoy spending endless hours editing PowerPoint slides/Word documents/Excel spreadsheets, sending/responding to emails, and generally running around making requisitions. I joined the Army to do cool "hooah" stuff, NOT to work in a cubicle. As a relatively new 2nd lieutenant (graduated my BOLC in December), I was diverted from my original orders and placed in an assistant S-3 position in a sustainment brigade (much to my deep and unending disappointment). I was tracking that "paperwork" was a large part of the job description for an officer, just not the WHOLE job description. Are there any real benefits to such a situation where my peers are getting their Key Leader Development time as PLs (and developing their branch/MOS competencies) while I am languishing in a cubicle? Or is my perspective distorted? My study of DA PAM 600-3 makes me very depressed regarding the trajectory of my Army career thus far (and it just started!). Any feedback? Thanks so much!
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 40
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CPT (Join to see)
Ma'am - I feel sorry for you because being on staff absolutely drives me crazy! With that being said there are some great advantages. Before I talk about advantages you need to have a talk with your S-3 about his/her plans for your future. I wouldn't bug him/her on a daily basis but if I were you I would state my case that it is imperative for you to get your KD time and, when does the 3 think that move is going to happen?
Staff gives you the opportunity to work with the "big dogs", commanders and S-3s/XOs find a soft spot in their hearts for Soldiers that worked on their staff because they know them much better than a LT that went straight to a platoon. It can work to your advantage when you do finally get your platoon and when you become a company XO.
It gives you an opportunity to really understand mission command and the orders process. You should be participating in working groups and developing COAs, interacting with higher staff, interacting with the company commanders, putting up with the CSM/SGM foul mouthed coffee breath. Gives you a great opportunity to network and get some "face time".
It is a damn important job! Although technically you work for the commander you truly work for the companies. You should be creating time and space to allow the company commanders to train their companies. You are managing resources and time so they can concentrate on training. Try not to forget that, it will become clear when you switch places and take a platoon.
Just like anything else in the Army, be the best damn staff officer you can (even if it sucks). Someone is watching you and appreciates the hard work you are doing, somewhere down the line it will pay off. Definitely have that talk with the 3 about when you can expect to take a platoon, getting forgot about and not getting your KD time when you are supposed to is a bad thing...the 3 knows that, or should.
Hang in there!
Ma'am - I feel sorry for you because being on staff absolutely drives me crazy! With that being said there are some great advantages. Before I talk about advantages you need to have a talk with your S-3 about his/her plans for your future. I wouldn't bug him/her on a daily basis but if I were you I would state my case that it is imperative for you to get your KD time and, when does the 3 think that move is going to happen?
Staff gives you the opportunity to work with the "big dogs", commanders and S-3s/XOs find a soft spot in their hearts for Soldiers that worked on their staff because they know them much better than a LT that went straight to a platoon. It can work to your advantage when you do finally get your platoon and when you become a company XO.
It gives you an opportunity to really understand mission command and the orders process. You should be participating in working groups and developing COAs, interacting with higher staff, interacting with the company commanders, putting up with the CSM/SGM foul mouthed coffee breath. Gives you a great opportunity to network and get some "face time".
It is a damn important job! Although technically you work for the commander you truly work for the companies. You should be creating time and space to allow the company commanders to train their companies. You are managing resources and time so they can concentrate on training. Try not to forget that, it will become clear when you switch places and take a platoon.
Just like anything else in the Army, be the best damn staff officer you can (even if it sucks). Someone is watching you and appreciates the hard work you are doing, somewhere down the line it will pay off. Definitely have that talk with the 3 about when you can expect to take a platoon, getting forgot about and not getting your KD time when you are supposed to is a bad thing...the 3 knows that, or should.
Hang in there!
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CSM (Join to see)
CPT (Join to see)
My pleasure ma'am. Contrary to popular belief not all SGM/CSM hate LTs :)
My pleasure ma'am. Contrary to popular belief not all SGM/CSM hate LTs :)
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LTC Jason Mackay
Great response CSM. Would like to add, that you need to leverage that staff experience to help you become a future Commander. The process to get a LT down to the line is by way of the slating process. Ask the S1 when that is happening. Time your periodic counseling or your Senior Rater counseling so you can make your desire for a Platoon known before the slate is set. Work with your boss or the BDE XO to interview with the BN Commanders. The BN Commanders have huge sway on who gets what.
Sadly, in a 20 year career, you will be assigned to an HHC for most of it. In 21 years, 3 1/2 were as a PL and Shop Officer. 5 years in Command at the O3 and O5 levels. The remainder was schools and staff.
Sadly, in a 20 year career, you will be assigned to an HHC for most of it. In 21 years, 3 1/2 were as a PL and Shop Officer. 5 years in Command at the O3 and O5 levels. The remainder was schools and staff.
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LTC Jason Mackay
OBTW, you may have missed slating this round as we just completed our MER to HRC from our Sustainment Brigade. The MER requisitions officer from HRC , we review slates and departures, get BN Commander recommendations and priorities to rearrange officers, then build the MER.
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CPT(P) (Join to see)
CSM Oldsen hit it right on the head. In my particular branch, we were way overstrengthed when I came to the duty station I'm at now in May 2014, and had to sit in the S-3 shop for 6 months before I got a platoon in December of 2014, much like you are now. From LT to LT, it's definitely hard to see the big picture, but as I was in the 3 shop waiting, they let me take on different projects that allowed me interact with all of the S-shops and the different company commanders and basically get my name known throughout the battalion as opposed to the others that have went straight to a platoon or maintained a more low-key presence. Trust me, if you show that you're willing to put in a good work ethic in the responsibilities you're given, it's going to put you in much more favorable eyes with everyone. Plus, you can get mentorship from some of the more senior leaders in staff or other senior LTs who have already completed their KD and you can pick their brains and get that priceless knowledge which has helped me immensely in becoming a platoon leader. It can certainly be a little mundane but worth it if you put in the effort! And even if you don't know it, someone is always watching!
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How do you learn to enjoy being on staff? In short, embrace the suck.
1. Staff work is full of detail-oriented, wonky stuff. You will write annexes that few will read, yet all will be affected by. Master your craft. Read up and become an expert on your subject matter. Take leassons learned by trial and error as opportunities to improve and polish your outputs that much more. Your XO and commander will come to rely on you, and that benefits your career in myriad ways.
2. No matter how rough your days and nights look, someone else on the staff has it worse. Reach out and be collegial with your fellow staff officers and NCOs. The support network you foster will serve you well when the going gets tough, and helping your comrades fosters teamwork that can only build your unit's capabilities. Even a kind word will be long-remembered. Write that one down for when you are in command someday.
3. Be open to feedback, especially from the commander and XO. It will feel like they are tearing up your baby, but what they are really doing (most of the time) is getting you on track with the commander's priorities for resourcing and support to the mission. Buck this feedback at your peril; embrace it and you will be seen as a core member of the staff whose counsel should be taken seriiously.
Staff work can be a tedious and thankless task. But it is important. You are enabling the mission to happen, and giving the commander the information he needs to make decisions. There is power in knowing your work makes a difference.
Good luck, ma'am. You will get your platoon soon enough. Command has it's own challenges. Be ready when the time comes.
1. Staff work is full of detail-oriented, wonky stuff. You will write annexes that few will read, yet all will be affected by. Master your craft. Read up and become an expert on your subject matter. Take leassons learned by trial and error as opportunities to improve and polish your outputs that much more. Your XO and commander will come to rely on you, and that benefits your career in myriad ways.
2. No matter how rough your days and nights look, someone else on the staff has it worse. Reach out and be collegial with your fellow staff officers and NCOs. The support network you foster will serve you well when the going gets tough, and helping your comrades fosters teamwork that can only build your unit's capabilities. Even a kind word will be long-remembered. Write that one down for when you are in command someday.
3. Be open to feedback, especially from the commander and XO. It will feel like they are tearing up your baby, but what they are really doing (most of the time) is getting you on track with the commander's priorities for resourcing and support to the mission. Buck this feedback at your peril; embrace it and you will be seen as a core member of the staff whose counsel should be taken seriiously.
Staff work can be a tedious and thankless task. But it is important. You are enabling the mission to happen, and giving the commander the information he needs to make decisions. There is power in knowing your work makes a difference.
Good luck, ma'am. You will get your platoon soon enough. Command has it's own challenges. Be ready when the time comes.
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CPT (Join to see) As many others have said, embrace it. If you choose to stay in, you'll spend more time on staff even IF you are fortunate enough to command anything past a company command. Also, in the civilian world, there isn't the same type of subordinate commands for the most part -- there is a CEO, a CFO, a COO and then the rest. We'll all be the rest most of our lives. But that's not all bad.
My thought on staff positions is embrace the challenge. I was asked to think more on staff. I wanted to be involved so I was able to analyze and solve problems -- a useful tool in any walk of life. I was able to spend time looking ahead -- as a PL, you have access to whatever commander you have to work for; as a staff officer, you can (especially if your S3 is forward thinking) observe and interact with all commanders, and all PLs across your battalion or brigade.
Lastly for now, remember that being an officer on the staff (or a senior NCO), you will lead and because of the nature of the work you'll learn that it's really all about the people. It is where enlisted, NCOs and officers chat in the morning about the weekend, lament about this and that and then when the work flow starts is all business. While you often interact with less in your specific shop, you will probably interact more often with the shop soldiers and others than you could in a platoon.
I also encourage you to take the time to make yourself better. The implication is always that the staff officer would do anything to be leading again, or be an XO or anything else. So if you are sincere about that, then do your homework and prep work for whatever you think your next job will be (ask about it in your next counseling).
Just be a good soldier and a good officer and it'll be just fine. I wish you the best of luck.
My thought on staff positions is embrace the challenge. I was asked to think more on staff. I wanted to be involved so I was able to analyze and solve problems -- a useful tool in any walk of life. I was able to spend time looking ahead -- as a PL, you have access to whatever commander you have to work for; as a staff officer, you can (especially if your S3 is forward thinking) observe and interact with all commanders, and all PLs across your battalion or brigade.
Lastly for now, remember that being an officer on the staff (or a senior NCO), you will lead and because of the nature of the work you'll learn that it's really all about the people. It is where enlisted, NCOs and officers chat in the morning about the weekend, lament about this and that and then when the work flow starts is all business. While you often interact with less in your specific shop, you will probably interact more often with the shop soldiers and others than you could in a platoon.
I also encourage you to take the time to make yourself better. The implication is always that the staff officer would do anything to be leading again, or be an XO or anything else. So if you are sincere about that, then do your homework and prep work for whatever you think your next job will be (ask about it in your next counseling).
Just be a good soldier and a good officer and it'll be just fine. I wish you the best of luck.
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