Posted on Nov 16, 2021
Advice for newly commissioned 2LT/Platoon Leader?
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I am graduating BOLC this week and reporting to my first duty station shortly. Does anyone have advice/tips for a new 2LT/PL? All help is greatly appreciated!
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Platoon Leader
2d Lt
Platoon Leader 2d Lt
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 20
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Yes! Listen to your NCO’s. Don’t be the LT with the good faith idea. Don’t do anything without a task and purpose at hand. Mission first but you can’t complete the mission if you don’t take care of your Soldiers. Get to know them, their strengths and weaknesses. Asses them fairly and use their respective strengths and weaknesses for the betterment of the team. Always listen to your NCO’s and Soldiers, but never forget you are in charge. Compliment in public and reprimand in private (I had a hard time with this one). Remember to stay in your lane and out of NCO business. It’s your business to know their business but not to get into it unless illegal crap is going down. Always listen to your NCO’s.
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SP5 Maria Van Ness-Rondon
So true!!! Do not go in with the higher than thou attitude, be humble, ready to learn from your NCO’s think about it an LT is the privates of officers. Respect your soldiers and gain their respect and trust. You will be fine and as told above keep the Mission first that’s our purpose above all to accomplish the Mission!!!
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2d Lt Shawn Morin
Praise in public, punish in private was always a great philosophy in my opinion as well.
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Know your Soldiers and take care of them. That doesn’t mean you’re always going to make them happy. What I mean by take care of them is make sure that they’re staying on top of their individual readiness.
Listen to your NCOs and foster an environment where tactful, respectful dissension is encouraged. If you don’t do this, eventually no one will come to you with their problems or their disagreements. You don’t want that. But remember, you’re in charge. Listening to your NCOs doesn’t always mean agreeing with them.
Start by ensuring that your company commander gives you an initial counseling so you can understand his/her expectations of you, and ask him/her for their OER support form during that counseling. Use their support form to immediately start yours, and nest it with your commander’s. A great trick to doing your support form is starting it at the beginning of the rsting period (your rating period starts the day you report to your unit). Keep a Word document on your desktop and update as you go throughout the year. This will make completing your support form so much easier at the end of the rating period.
Give an issue counseling those you will rate, and make sure your counseling to them nests with the counseling you received from your commander. Believe it or not, initial and quarterly counseling is a dying art, and it shouldn’t be. You have to know your commander’s expectations, and in turn, your Soldiers need to understand your expectations of them.
This isn’t all-encompassing, but it’s enough to get you started. A lot of it has to be learned on the job. Being a PL is absolutely one of the best jobs you’ll ever have, besides command. Enjoy the time you’ll have with Soldiers. It goes quick, I can confirm.
Listen to your NCOs and foster an environment where tactful, respectful dissension is encouraged. If you don’t do this, eventually no one will come to you with their problems or their disagreements. You don’t want that. But remember, you’re in charge. Listening to your NCOs doesn’t always mean agreeing with them.
Start by ensuring that your company commander gives you an initial counseling so you can understand his/her expectations of you, and ask him/her for their OER support form during that counseling. Use their support form to immediately start yours, and nest it with your commander’s. A great trick to doing your support form is starting it at the beginning of the rsting period (your rating period starts the day you report to your unit). Keep a Word document on your desktop and update as you go throughout the year. This will make completing your support form so much easier at the end of the rating period.
Give an issue counseling those you will rate, and make sure your counseling to them nests with the counseling you received from your commander. Believe it or not, initial and quarterly counseling is a dying art, and it shouldn’t be. You have to know your commander’s expectations, and in turn, your Soldiers need to understand your expectations of them.
This isn’t all-encompassing, but it’s enough to get you started. A lot of it has to be learned on the job. Being a PL is absolutely one of the best jobs you’ll ever have, besides command. Enjoy the time you’ll have with Soldiers. It goes quick, I can confirm.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
Good start, let me continue.
First, pray you get a competent PSG, it will make your life a lot easier. He/She has been around for a lot longer than you, so listen to their advice. You don't have to always follow it, you are still in charge, but always consider why. Cpt. Snell already mentioned initial counseling with the leadership you rate, at Platoon level, I always tried to have a face to face with all my soldiers. I suggest a notebook, with names, ranks, mos, and things like name of wife, kids, birthdays, etc. Make sure their leadership and the soldiers know that they can come to you with problems on pay, promotion etc.
Be technically competent at your job and know the jobs of those under you. Have that PVT show/teach you his job, I don't care if you already know it. If will give you a baseline of his competence and get that PVT used to instructing other.
Two last things. If it isn't inspected, it doesn't get done. I made sure I was in the motor pool when maintenance was happening and would walk though PCMS with a random soldier. Inventories. If you don't see it, it ain't there and don't sign for it.
At some point you will be in the position that to do what's right requires you to bet your bars. Do the right thing. It doesn't always work out, but you can be effective if you worry about it.
First, pray you get a competent PSG, it will make your life a lot easier. He/She has been around for a lot longer than you, so listen to their advice. You don't have to always follow it, you are still in charge, but always consider why. Cpt. Snell already mentioned initial counseling with the leadership you rate, at Platoon level, I always tried to have a face to face with all my soldiers. I suggest a notebook, with names, ranks, mos, and things like name of wife, kids, birthdays, etc. Make sure their leadership and the soldiers know that they can come to you with problems on pay, promotion etc.
Be technically competent at your job and know the jobs of those under you. Have that PVT show/teach you his job, I don't care if you already know it. If will give you a baseline of his competence and get that PVT used to instructing other.
Two last things. If it isn't inspected, it doesn't get done. I made sure I was in the motor pool when maintenance was happening and would walk though PCMS with a random soldier. Inventories. If you don't see it, it ain't there and don't sign for it.
At some point you will be in the position that to do what's right requires you to bet your bars. Do the right thing. It doesn't always work out, but you can be effective if you worry about it.
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(I have re-read this prior to posting, and it may come off a bit harsh. That is not at all my intent. I can't figure out how to "tone it down" without losing context. Please understand that I am not trying to chastise or bully. Please read this with the voice of sincerity and honest effort to be helpful in setting the right foot forward.)
Sir,
There are a TON of similar (searchable) threads on here already.
So here is my first tip for a young LT:
Exhaust available resources before admitting you don't know something - especially in front of your troops. Double especially when the available resources are things the Troops know about.
I am not saying to never ask for advice - ask for it, and often! But look to your peers and pubs first. (Unless it is dealing with specific internal issues, like "what is going on with "SGT Smith," or "how should we handle this issue with PFC Johnson?" - then lean HEAVILY on the support of your NCOs.)
But if you ask your squad leaders how to work power point or where a button on outlook is, without first googling it, you will paint a very negative picture of your competence.
If it can be found in google, army publications, or a chat with other LTs, go there FIRST. Then present a tentative solution to your NCOs, 1SG/CO, etc. and ask for input and "tweaks," rather than starting broad with "tell me anything." Don't ask your NCOs what the maintenance plan should be. Come up with a maintenance plan (after doing any necessary research), and then run it by the NCOs and ask for input and feedback. Show them you have at least half a clue and ask them to help you learn the other half.
Sir,
There are a TON of similar (searchable) threads on here already.
So here is my first tip for a young LT:
Exhaust available resources before admitting you don't know something - especially in front of your troops. Double especially when the available resources are things the Troops know about.
I am not saying to never ask for advice - ask for it, and often! But look to your peers and pubs first. (Unless it is dealing with specific internal issues, like "what is going on with "SGT Smith," or "how should we handle this issue with PFC Johnson?" - then lean HEAVILY on the support of your NCOs.)
But if you ask your squad leaders how to work power point or where a button on outlook is, without first googling it, you will paint a very negative picture of your competence.
If it can be found in google, army publications, or a chat with other LTs, go there FIRST. Then present a tentative solution to your NCOs, 1SG/CO, etc. and ask for input and "tweaks," rather than starting broad with "tell me anything." Don't ask your NCOs what the maintenance plan should be. Come up with a maintenance plan (after doing any necessary research), and then run it by the NCOs and ask for input and feedback. Show them you have at least half a clue and ask them to help you learn the other half.
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2LT (Join to see)
SFC O’Mally,
I appreciate your feedback. I have read multiple posts and spoken to other LTs, CPTs, and NCOs. Everyone I speak to gives different advice, so I was seeking to receive as many opinions as possible!
I appreciate your feedback. I have read multiple posts and spoken to other LTs, CPTs, and NCOs. Everyone I speak to gives different advice, so I was seeking to receive as many opinions as possible!
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Suspended Profile
SFC O’Mally,
You offer good advice. I'm an open book kind of person. Overall that has been good but not at all times. As a new SGT, that changed MOSs for a deployment, my subordinates often knew more than I did about the technical aspects of the job. I was eventually counseled by my supervisor that I was took quick to say that I didn't know how to do something. There is a time to immediately admit a lack of knowledge and other times to say nothing find other resources as you suggested.
You offer good advice. I'm an open book kind of person. Overall that has been good but not at all times. As a new SGT, that changed MOSs for a deployment, my subordinates often knew more than I did about the technical aspects of the job. I was eventually counseled by my supervisor that I was took quick to say that I didn't know how to do something. There is a time to immediately admit a lack of knowledge and other times to say nothing find other resources as you suggested.
2d Lt Shawn Morin
Good advice. Always handle a question or issue at the lowest level first, then go up the chain… the lowest level is yourself and the resources you have at hand. Then ask your peers you trust, then your NCOs (who you should realize are above you in expertise) and then your commanding officer.
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