Are we ready to move away from the Rank equals Responsibility mind set?

SPC Smith, I understand your statements, theoretically we as senior NCOs are suppose to use our junior leaders to handle certain tasks that we feel they can handle. i came up through the ranks quick. I was able to make Sergeant when i was 20 yrs old. If you have good leadership and a great mentor, they will groom and shape you so that you will be able to perfrom at a higher level. Now, I see you keep refering to older individuals who are just coming in. Today's IET soldiers are no longer just 18-20 yrs old. As an Instructor in TRADOC I see alot of SMs coming in with prior life experience. If a unit receives one of these soldiers, then yes they should include them in certain discussions and pick their brain to see if they ever dealt with any of the situations. However, to flip that coin, just because someone may have life experience does not mean that they can handle the pressures of being a leader. If you are standing out above your peers, taking the initiative, volunteering for those "crap" jobs, and getting your name out there for positive reasons, you will be noticed and you will gain more responsibility. Your leaders will assess your potential and put you in positions they feel you can handle. The promotion system and the authority that comes with it is based on your overall potential to the next rank. If you can not handle the responsibility of the next rank, it will show at your current rank. You also wanted to know why a junior enlisted does not get the additional duties such as SHARP/EO and MFT. These jobs are set at a certain rank for the fact that you must prove that you are mature enough to handle the weight the responsibility. Be honest with me, how comfortable would you feel talking to a SPC as apposed to a SFC about certain person issues? To bring up my point, just because someone is mature enough to handle the position does not mean they posess  the knowledge to perform the task.

I hope this helps you out. Good Luck to you.

Great point SPC Smith, but I think this is the part where your knowledge should outshine as you're talking about your excellent skills.  As a new E4 just coming to AD in 2006, my CDR was great and always talked to me and gave me great pointers.  8 months later when they needed an NCOIC at a BAS he pointed to me and said I had a good head on my shoulders and could handle it. 

Your CoC should see you (if that's how you portray yourself) as a level headed, wealth of knowledge and if you think there's an area you can assist in, show and prove it.

Good luck! 

I agree with SGM.  I can have all the experience and more as an E6, but I can never be the one to shoulder the responsibility of the BN CDR, thankfully.  I think it all comes down to ULTIMATE responsibility.  Although I think I understand what you're saying SPC Smith and please correct me if I am wrong-but you can have a SPC who is actually doing the work commensurate of an E7, yes?  Now hopefully the CoC will see all the good work that SPC is doing and def put him on the proper tracks to become promoted ahead of his peers, and although when the BC comes down to the shop he may chew you up, but the ultimate person he/she's gonna be looking for is the NCOIC of that shop.  Am I understanding correctly.

Now as far as "sitting on valuable resources", then I wonder who's doing that because every time there's a class to give, a question to be answered, and problems to be solved, for some reason my name is called, lol and its been that way since I was an E4 and NCOIC of my BAS.  I think once a person becomes the GO TO resource in their AO, regardless of rank, they will never be under utilized.