Posted on Oct 21, 2014
Are we as leaders failing our Soldiers and ourselves by not allowing others to fail?
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Throughout my career I have seen all ranks step in to avoid mission failure. From a 1SG taking over a platoon to finish a project to the S3 taking over S1 and/or S4 functions to avoid mission failure. Is this causing an overall failure of the system? We preach that the time to learn is stateside and to allow our Soldiers to fail as failure is the best learning tool. However, we do not truly let our Soldiers, sections, or units fail.
In most cases the Soldier, section, or unit is not properly taught how to fix it and achieve success or given the opportunity to learn. Even worse, in some cases they come to expect others to do their job for them and do not worry about it because someone else will pick up their slack.
Additionally, this causes others to do the workload for them. Not only does this put more strain on the Soldier, leader, section, or unit that is covering down for them but it has multiple effects after that. They are taken away from other missions, time off, family time, school work, etc. Is this fair?
Lastly, as leaders we cannot be everywhere so we do not always see when this happens and when the mission does not fail we assume that the individual, section, or unit responsible was responsible for the mission success. Sometimes the are then recognized for doing so, though it was not their doing at all. This leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth who knows the truth and was part of the "solution" to avoid mission failure. It is an integrity violation for those who input Soldiers in for awards if they knew that they did not do the work that they are being put in for an award and a violation for those who accept such an award. Evaluations roll the same way. And this may lead to the Soldiers and leaders who should not be promoted to be promoted as they have awards and glowing evaluations which are false.
What are your thoughts? Are we too focused on mission success to not allow our subordinates to fail and learn from it?
In most cases the Soldier, section, or unit is not properly taught how to fix it and achieve success or given the opportunity to learn. Even worse, in some cases they come to expect others to do their job for them and do not worry about it because someone else will pick up their slack.
Additionally, this causes others to do the workload for them. Not only does this put more strain on the Soldier, leader, section, or unit that is covering down for them but it has multiple effects after that. They are taken away from other missions, time off, family time, school work, etc. Is this fair?
Lastly, as leaders we cannot be everywhere so we do not always see when this happens and when the mission does not fail we assume that the individual, section, or unit responsible was responsible for the mission success. Sometimes the are then recognized for doing so, though it was not their doing at all. This leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth who knows the truth and was part of the "solution" to avoid mission failure. It is an integrity violation for those who input Soldiers in for awards if they knew that they did not do the work that they are being put in for an award and a violation for those who accept such an award. Evaluations roll the same way. And this may lead to the Soldiers and leaders who should not be promoted to be promoted as they have awards and glowing evaluations which are false.
What are your thoughts? Are we too focused on mission success to not allow our subordinates to fail and learn from it?
Posted in these groups: 
Leadership
Failure
Leadership Failure
Posted >1 y ago
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Sir,
I believe the answer is yes and not just because we are to focused on mission success. Also because you are never allowed to let a Soldier fail because then everyone wants to ask what you did to prevent it. Some of life's best learning experiences come from failing. People learn the value of money by purchasing something stupid and then having to regret it. People learn the value of proper life and career management by missing an opportunity because they failed to be prepared. In the military if any of these situations happen we start pointing fingers at who is responsible. Personal accountability is never a part a failure anymore. I am a firm believer that sometimes you need to fall flat and get back up. Its called resilience; teaching it in a classroom by powerpoint is nothing compared to living it and learning from it.
I believe the answer is yes and not just because we are to focused on mission success. Also because you are never allowed to let a Soldier fail because then everyone wants to ask what you did to prevent it. Some of life's best learning experiences come from failing. People learn the value of money by purchasing something stupid and then having to regret it. People learn the value of proper life and career management by missing an opportunity because they failed to be prepared. In the military if any of these situations happen we start pointing fingers at who is responsible. Personal accountability is never a part a failure anymore. I am a firm believer that sometimes you need to fall flat and get back up. Its called resilience; teaching it in a classroom by powerpoint is nothing compared to living it and learning from it.
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LTC (Join to see)
1SG (Join to see) perfect example is non-participants. We have to explain all the actions that we did to try to recover them. Well at what point does it become the Soldier's fault for not showing up and hold them accountable? If the chain reaches out all the way up to the commander multiple times at some point you need to trust the chain of command and cut your losses and let them go. At other times you need a new chain of command.
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SGT James Hastings
I totally agree. The importance of the mission often is more important than following orders that either changes in the situation afterwards invalidate or were just wrong from the start but weren't clear until the situation unfolded. When you override a command you realize the consequences to you and shouldn't accept that responsibility unless you strongly feel that to follow the original orders may result in unnecessarily losing lives or failing the mission or both.
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LTC (Join to see) Maybe it's not just a Army problem, perhaps it's larger than that. Parents often don't let their children fail, hence the term "Helicopter parent", in sports especially in the youth leagues everyone gets a trophy (just for participating) or member recognition award, a student receiving a "C" is viewed substandard in some school systems. I think we're robbing those we don't allow to fail from the experience of learning, of coming up with their own creative solutions to the problem, of learning the ethic of hard work and pride because of real accomplishment. Not allowing failure robs them of having confidence in themselves and their own capabilities. It robs them of learning to trust themselves and their own instincts and of building true trust of team partners. I think it's not just about leadership not allowing failure, it's about society's idea that everyone has to succeed. Yes there is value in allowing Soldiers to fail. It's training, that's where you're suppose to fail so you can learn to succeed. AARs are for discussing what went wrong, why and how to do better.
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I've seen just what you describe, LTC (Join to see), over and over throughout my Army career. And then the folks who succeed get more work dumped on them because they are proven performers who get things done, while others slide by. Your scenarios are spot-on.
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We too often focus on making everything important; not everything deserves the same degree of religious intensity!
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LTC (Join to see)
SGM (Join to see) , if everything is a priority then nothing is a priority. Sound about right?
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SGM (Join to see)
CPT Maurelli...yes sir! We had that discussion in my office today...if everything is important then nothing is important; people lose their bearing and can't figure out where to put their best effort. One of the leader's jobs is to set priorities. Had a chat with one of our senior leaders today about how to handle things in a sea of "priorities" from our HQ in Washington. Started with horse analogies...you can ride a horse to death or make sure the horses get enough rest to ride another day. If a B report card will get you through Grad School, sometimes the leader should accept a B, pat folks on the back and expect an A next time, if only to raise morale, instill confidence and give them a breather. Yes, anything worth doing is worth doing well, but "well" is not an A. Prior to that, people who took initiative would be instantly crushed by criticism and changes--in effect demoralizing all and ensuring a C average. That said, HQ can tend to ursurp leaders on the ground by not giving them enough room to maneuver. It's a constant battle to push back enough so you can actually lead at the appropriate levels.
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In order to learn, one HAS to fail. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over the same way, expecting different results. If we can't learn from our failures, we can't learn
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I wouldn't say that we are falling our soldiers by doing this. If that Section Sergeant is failing and the PSG has to step in to complete the mission I see two soldiers failing. They both FAILED. First the PSG failed by not preparing the section leader to perform their duties and the Section leader failed for not knowing their duties and responsibilities.
The mission comes first. That sums it up and leaves no room to argue that. But the issue is more so how are let soldiers be put into a situation where they are not prepared or competent enough to be successful. It shouldn't be a surprise if that Section Leader isn't tracking the with the mission.
I have always learned that a soldier is the direct reflection their leadership. If you see failure in your soldier you have to be open to look at yourself and see where you went wrong before you may make that mistake again.
The mission comes first. That sums it up and leaves no room to argue that. But the issue is more so how are let soldiers be put into a situation where they are not prepared or competent enough to be successful. It shouldn't be a surprise if that Section Leader isn't tracking the with the mission.
I have always learned that a soldier is the direct reflection their leadership. If you see failure in your soldier you have to be open to look at yourself and see where you went wrong before you may make that mistake again.
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LTC (Join to see)
CPT (Join to see) I like your points. Also, by reflecting on your own actions you can see if you could have prevented this or if you need to replace or reduce someone who you inherited as we all have some of those in our career.
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CPT (Join to see)
I have been on both sides of this. When I was promoted to SSG that was my first time in a traditional infantry unit. I was in a scout unit and then a support battalion. I will be the first to say that I failed constantly. I tried my best to improve myself but my PSG never mentored me or helped me in anyway. But he was always the loudest to yell. I would be successful later on but purely through going to the school of the hard knocks.
I would later see him, when I was commissioned and finished Ranger school, and told him how he failed as a leader. He tried to turn the argument around but he was still a SFC and I was an officer so I stopped him. It is hard to say that one was a bad soldier when you were in charge and then that soldier would go on to be the honor grad at OCS and get a Ranger Tab. He still didn't see that.
I have seen a Squad Leader get reduced recently. I can say that just about everything has been tried. If you have been an SSG for ten years and you are not more knowledgeable than a brand new SSG you have an issue.
With all of this I take additional steps to identify why the soldier has issues and not that he is just screwed up. You can't blame the ground for being wet when it is raining outside.
I would later see him, when I was commissioned and finished Ranger school, and told him how he failed as a leader. He tried to turn the argument around but he was still a SFC and I was an officer so I stopped him. It is hard to say that one was a bad soldier when you were in charge and then that soldier would go on to be the honor grad at OCS and get a Ranger Tab. He still didn't see that.
I have seen a Squad Leader get reduced recently. I can say that just about everything has been tried. If you have been an SSG for ten years and you are not more knowledgeable than a brand new SSG you have an issue.
With all of this I take additional steps to identify why the soldier has issues and not that he is just screwed up. You can't blame the ground for being wet when it is raining outside.
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When Found why not tell them that it isn't going to work. let the leader fail and learn something but have a fix ready available to fix it forthwith. Then show them the correct way when fixing the situation. Don't let it get to the point that it will cause mission Failure. That is the reason we TRAIN in the states for the real mission where ever else that it may be.
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"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
Helen Keller
Helen Keller
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Failure is growth. Personal and professional. Letting others take care of things or take control only limits a persons growth.
One must learn from their own failures to be able to lead and provide, purpose, motivation and direction. I personally see what your describing all the time is this helpful or harmful to a person's growth? In my opinion the thought of failure and someone worrying about their own personal gain is the problem. Being able to show others how you have grown or bounced back form failure key to your development. Failure in life develops empathy and will be a benchmark in your own leadership.
Don’t be afraid of failure
Never Quit!
Failure is an inevitable but healthy part of life. If we wouldn’t fail, we wouldn’t advance. Our fear of failure, however, is not so healthy.
One must learn from their own failures to be able to lead and provide, purpose, motivation and direction. I personally see what your describing all the time is this helpful or harmful to a person's growth? In my opinion the thought of failure and someone worrying about their own personal gain is the problem. Being able to show others how you have grown or bounced back form failure key to your development. Failure in life develops empathy and will be a benchmark in your own leadership.
Don’t be afraid of failure
Never Quit!
Failure is an inevitable but healthy part of life. If we wouldn’t fail, we wouldn’t advance. Our fear of failure, however, is not so healthy.
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Depends on how you look at it. I have some amazing Soldiers that do whatever it takes to get the mission taken care of. No matter how stupid they might think it is. There are other Soldiers that whine and complain constantly. Which tends to make a 10 minute job last an hour or longer.
As a leader, my job is to lead my Soldiers. If they fail I have failed. Mistakes are ok. Mistakes are something that you can learn from.
Failure, that happens when we are not reacting like a team to complete our mission.
No, I will never allow others to fail. If they do then apparently I was not doing my job as a Leader.
As a leader, my job is to lead my Soldiers. If they fail I have failed. Mistakes are ok. Mistakes are something that you can learn from.
Failure, that happens when we are not reacting like a team to complete our mission.
No, I will never allow others to fail. If they do then apparently I was not doing my job as a Leader.
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