Are we as leaders desensitized?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 12:12:03 -0400

As I sit here and think of the issue plauging our Soldiers these days and some of the tragic outcomes such as the Ft. Hood shooting from earlier this year and the most recent death of the Soldier at Ft. Lee; I want to know are we as leaders numb as to whats going on within the ranks? I understand that multiple deployments make it difficult (not impossible) to really get a handle on whats going on with our Soldiers. I have heard and seen first hand how some leaders cannot and in some cases will not connect with a Soldier and find out whats really ticking. What say the masses?

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Sep 27 at 2014 6:46 AM

SFC Mark Merino — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 06:46:45 -0400

SSG Private RallyPoint Member Lord I hope not. When we can't be concerned about our troops, it is time for us to step down from our leadership positions and get help.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 1 at 2014 1:29 PM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 13:29:25 -0400

Three words: "Mission, Men and Me". If leaders across the board would apply that consistently, it would resolve many of our issues. (Men in this case inclusive of Women).

Obviously, we have a mission to accomplish. We all understand that. The part that seems to be left out is actually "knowing" your Soldiers. Encourage your front line leaders by asking them to tell you about their Soldiers. Not just where they stand on SSD or Medpros, but who they are..

What makes them tick? Are they married? do they have kids? Where are they from? I could go on.

Many leaders are overly caught up in the multitude of tasks that need to be accomplished and looking good on a matrix report that we forget that we need to take care of our Soldiers. We can best do that by knowing our Soldiers.

The "Me" part means simply take care of yourself. Not only with NCOES and PT but also spiritually (to each their own). If you lose contact with yourself, you cannot connect with others.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Oct 1 at 2014 1:50 PM

COL Jean (John) F. B. — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 13:50:15 -0400

Leaders have to stay connected with the troops, regardless of their rank and position. Not to do so is a recipe for failure. The chain of command must work, but the leader needs to get down to the lowest levels to get the pulse of what is really going on. Without doing that, everything that reaches the higher echelons has been filtered.

When I was a new Lieutenant, I was at times absolutely appalled at some of the dumb decisions (in my view) that were being made by the battalion and brigade level commanders, without any regard for the impact on the troops or taking the time to get their opinions about things that clearly affected them. I mentioned that to my dad, who, at the time, was a very senior Army officer. He told me that he had seen the same thing as a young officer and that the farther you get away from the soldiers, your decisions tend to not take them into consideration. There is no mal-intent; it just happens. The only way to avoid that is to get down to that level, listen and watch. I found that to be very true and did my best to stay in touch with the junior enlisted as much as possible (to the chagrin of some in the chain of command below me).

Multiple deployments, downsizing, social engineering, budget issues, etc., etc. have taken a real toll on our Army (and the other services) and service members. We need caring and concerned leaders to lead us through these tough times. What I have seen of our current NCO and Officer Corps gives me hope and confidence that our military will weather these tough times and remain the backbone of our nation. I am so very proud of our men and women in uniform. Hang in there... We old guys, and the country, are pulling for you.

Response by CH (MAJ) Thomas Conner made Oct 1 at 2014 10:00 PM

CH (MAJ) Thomas Conner — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 22:00:53 -0400

I hate to open this can of worms, but I think the Army is promoting too fast, which means Soldiers are not as mature, or have life experience, this in turn results in an inability to know how to connect with subordinates on the issues that matter. I've witnessed great connection when it deals with football, but lacking when dealing with more sensitive issues.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 1 at 2014 10:27 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 22:27:39 -0400

To a point yes, but also to a point do you think that this could be 1. some leaders should not be leaders and just do not care or 2. leaders hear a lot of complaining from their Soldiers or 3. some leaders are afraid to act on things as either they feel unsupported or feel that that may be overstepping their authority as they are not being mentored properly or were not taken care of when they were a private?

Just a few suggestions.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 1 at 2014 10:45 PM

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 22:45:07 -0400

Not knowing the whole story it would seem like the leadership in the unit of the Ft Hood shooter failed. The kids mother passed away and he could not get bereavement leave? I can't fathom why anyone would deny their subordinates to go to their mothers funeral. I think in part that had something to do with that shooting.

We have our bad apples. Kids who do not fit. However it is a week leader that does not put effort into getting to the bottom of the issue, whether it is counseling or sending them to psych help. I think we see sometimes look at people and assume they are damaged goods and discard them. I have seen that a lot in my career on both the O and E side.

I had a crew member who did not fit military service. He was an odd ball and made statements to get a rise out of people. The younger Airman started taunting him then it trickled to the young NCO's and even some of the young LT's were antagonizing the kid. I kept giving the kid advice kept telling him to knock it off. I finally lost my patience and pulled a couple LT's in an office after making stupid comments back at the kid. Then the SNCO's started to crack down on the younger crew members. It finally stopped. The kid ended leaving the service because of PT performance. But had we no stopped the behavior it could erupted into something more. In aircrew environment the jokes can start leading to harassment that is beyond just the standard aircrew jabs.

Response by 1SG Steven Stankovich made Oct 2 at 2014 2:33 PM

1SG Steven Stankovich — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 14:33:13 -0400

I don't think that we as leaders are desensitized. Staying abreast of what makes our Soldiers tick is a critical skill that needs to be honed all the time. I would say that some leaders are challenged about how to effectively connect with their Soldiers. I have been in the Army for a long time and I have adapted the way I deal with Soldiers based on numerous factors. Some of those factors include age, maturity level, position, and more recently, understanding more effective uses of technology to assist. All good leaders want to know their Soldiers better and strive to be able to effectively communicate with them to help them grow and mature. Some leaders get frustrated when they cannot "crack the nut" and figure out how to do that. When this happens, some leaders revert back to what used to work; short, curt orders, responses to questions, etc. These responses can be interpreted by others as a desensitized leader. It could just be a frustrated leader who hasn't figured out how to, or asked for assistance from peers or other leaders, of how to communicate more effectively with their Soldiers.

Response by SSG John Erny made Oct 2 at 2014 2:37 PM

SSG John Erny — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 14:37:50 -0400

SSG Victor Jones, as a Peer Counselor I had many occasions when I had to talk to troops under stress, I even had one put in protective custody. The tools are there to help so as leaders we should know how to use them. Even if the soldier is on your list and always a problem some times you have take off the rank and talk to them like a person to find out if there is something going on that could lead to a suicide or violence. In this case an ounce of prevention is worth more than something priceless.

If some one is being put out of the service and that is not what they want then everyone should be on the alert. Insure that they get home to the family support that they need. Even if Joe or Jane Snuffy was a dirt bag soldier he is the most precious thing in the world to those who love him or her.

There are people are also just broken, dangerous to them selves and others, Time to alert the chain of command fast. Dare I even say call the post commanders open door line, well after the fact you will regret not doing it.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 2 at 2014 6:06 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 18:06:36 -0400

In my experience, I can count on one hand the leaders who have had an interest in the lives of their subordinates. I remember, in the span of a decade, their names.

Response by SGT(P) Karen Lonn made Oct 2 at 2014 7:03 PM

SGT(P) Karen Lonn — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 19:03:33 -0400

I don't thing that we are desensitized, however, I do think that there are some situations that leaders fail to take a step back and view the soldier as a person rather than a subordinate. There have been many occasions when I have talked to my peers about how they are treating situations. We need to remember that everyone has issues, and not everyone can handle them on their own. That's why we have so many resources available in the military. Your soldiers have to trust that you will take care of them in order for them to ever bring their problem or struggle to you.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 2 at 2014 10:48 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 22:48:10 -0400

I strongly believe that we as leaders....most especially NCOs because we see the troops everyday need to sit down and educated and interface with one another. I wont say it will completely eliminate it but it will greatly reduce the heartburn regarding getting to know our troops keeping an ear and eye for them and most importantly going to bat for them when its warranted.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 9 at 2014 3:03 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 15:03:48 -0400

I think everything has become so political, that it takes away from alot of the leadership and what we can and cannot do. As a Leader you should know your Soldiers, but i was just reading the following:
In a May 21 news release, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh called the most important job as commanders “is to take care of the sons and daughters our nation has entrusted to us.”

Caroline said the Perrys sent welcome letters to incoming airmen and their families, kept track of birthdays and deployments and visited ill squadron members in the hospital.

When the couple learned a military training instructor was alone on Christmas, they invited him to their home. And when one airman was hospitalized, Caroline had his visiting mother over for dinner.

The efforts were recognized in November when BMT commander Col. Deborah Liddick selected Caroline’s Key Spouse team to brief the head of Air Education and Training Command during a visit. Under Caroline’s mentorship, the wife of an airman in Perry’s unit was named Key Spouse of the Year for the 37th Training Wing.

In December, Perry learned he was being removed from command pending the outcome of a command-directed investigation. He was moved across base and barred from contacting anyone in his squadron.