Do any current or former 1SGs have any insight, advice and/or best practices to share about 1SG duties?

From what I knew of my HHC 1SG he was busy. Good luck Top.

About 80% of your job is going to be paperwork with ncoers, counseling statements, and the like. The rest will be running interference between bothersome officers who like to micromanage and the people actually doing the work.

I had a wise CO tell me one of my most important duty's was to train the new second lieutenants how to be good officers. That CO went on to become a we'll respected General.

Insure your Plt Sgts are aware of what their responsibilities are and your expectations

Contact your nearest AD Military installation and inquire about the Company Commander / First Sergeant Pre-Command Course. I facilitate the Fort Hood, TX. course

As a former BBC 1sg, that is the hardest job as a top. You are accountable for the company but all the soldiers are under the control of the staff officers. When filling out your dutie the staff pulls them out. Saying that soldier can not be spared.

I did perform 1st Sergeant duties in the Air Force and the first Commander I worked for was a SSgt as an enlisted man with 8 years enlisted service and a Captain when I worked for Him. It was a pleasure, all our officer in the unit were prior enlisted NCOs I had a good NCOIC of the orderly room and great clerks. They sure helped Me look good. When that commander was promoted to Major He made a PCS move to another base and I broke in the new Commander which was also a pleasure. The 1st Sgt always worked very closely with the Commander. I found it a very interesting job and getting some of the young troops on the right path or assisting them when they ran into problems. Myself and the Commander participated in every award ceremony within the unit which meant a lot to our troops who actually expressed their appreciation. The job was never boring. When I left that job I broke in the new 1st Sergeant and trained Him before moving on and had nothing pending for him, no mess was left, everything was cleaned up. He appreciated that esp as it was His 1st assignment as a First Sergeant. Both the Commanders I had worked for as 1st Sgt had arrived at the rank of Colonel before they were done and retired in that rank. Those duties for Me were in a USAF Security Police Squadron and except for First Sergeant My job was with the Air Police, later called Security Police duties for My entire Military career.

I have a few minutes still before I am even looked at for the next rank (only 18 months TIG), but I have had some opportunities to step in as acting First Sergeant for small blocks of time such as weekend range/field exercises or during home station AT. In many ways, my experience mimicked what I got during my 1SG leadership opportunity during SLC. Making sure Soldiers were where they were supposed to be and on time, holding the section leaders accountable, and ensuring information flow downward was working. Finding the roadblocks in that last point, and removing them was a crucial thing in my mind, because too many times junior Soldiers were (are) not getting the info they need when they need it.

Being CA, you surely know that those units are a different breed. I am unsure how the subordinate BNs are staffed, but the BDE HHC that I am with is about 50-50 officers: enlisted/NCOs. I have seen the senior NCO's and 1SG's (and experienced myself) struggle to herd the cats that wear gold and silver. I don't know what your current assignment will be like in this regard.

I know this is a stale post now, and I hope you have made it through the break in period relatively unscathed. I don't really have anything to add to what the Sergeants Majors and others have already said, but I can tell you what I like to see in my own First Sergeant: Vigorously support the NCOs in conducting training. Fight for the training time/sergeant's time/section time at the training meetings and instill in the senior NCO leaders to want to do the same. You will loose time and soldiers to planning meetings, COA meetings, MDMP.... The junior NCO's will need to find motivation and support to step up and conduct the training. In my experience, any one worth his rank will gladly take the opportunity if they know they have it and are set up for success. It can be hard to break the staff sections away from the office environment and back into "soldiering", but I bet secretly many want to have that break.

I posted this on another thread with a similar question. I hope this is of some assistance to you. This what I recommend you do, in order:

1. Get your unit in the field and do a hard assessment of its capabilities, limitations, and strengths of individual Soldiers.
2. Compare that assessment with the Company Commander. If you disagree in some areas, you might have caught on to something he didn't.
3. Have a nice long talk with the CO about his goals and objectives.
4. *Spend some time on this one* - formulate a plan to develop your Soldiers, NCOs, and unit to meet the CO's goals and objectives.
5. Get buy in from the CO, and bounce your plan off the CSM.
6. Get buy in from key players within the unit.
7. Lay out expectations and set high standards for performance. Set out to be the best.
8. Do things that build esprit and teamwork. Such as a cookout, unit-wide competition days, etc.
9. Determine ways to measure progress towards goals. Be prepared to make adjustments as needed.
10. Celebrate success. Recognize people who bust their hump for you in formation, with or without an accompanying award. An early release, Pass, or coin carries a lot of weight and gives others something to shoot for.
11. Never settle. If you attain your goals, set new ones. At any given time, I have three short-range, three mid-term, and three long-term goals active. When I attain one, I celebrate alone or with others (depending on what it is), then set new ones.
12. Always remember, support, and take an interest in the success of your Soldiers, even after they leave the unit. Your job is to make your unit AND the Army better. Remember that and your men will remember you.

Best of luck. It has been the toughest assignment I have ever had, but certainly the best.

Respect your NCO's & soldiers, deligate, deligate, deligate. Get dependable Plt Sgt's. Pass all your annual inspections, inventories ect.. keep your CO in check!! Have fun, I don't regret having 3 different HHC Companies...