Fellow Mustangs, what did you find was the hardest part about making the jump from enlisted to officer?

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 20:12:58 -0400

After making the jump to the "dark side" did you face any unexpected challenges? Did you need to tweak your leadership style? Any tips for this noob Officer would be much appreciated.

Response by Maj Marty Hogan made Apr 7 at 2017 8:24 PM

Maj Marty Hogan — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 20:24:34 -0400

27 years of enlisted experience is hard to change styles. I look more at the big picture as the job requires. Still weird for me. Remember your core values and you will be fine. One hard thing is being full time in the Guard you don't move much and you are now in charge over some you've worked with for a lot of years side by side. You got this CPT Private RallyPoint Member always available if you got question or need to bounce ideas.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Apr 7 at 2017 10:40 PM

SN Greg Wright — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 22:40:54 -0400

I'll tag in CAPT Kevin B. for ya.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2017 12:40 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 00:40:31 -0400

Realizing that you work for them, not the other way around, is the biggest lesson. Never believe you know best; the man who knows best learns the least. Ask them questions about themselves, their well-being, their successes and struggles. Do everything with their best interest in mind. When you fully realize you work for them, to make them more effective, to make their lives better, it'll all come together for you and you'll be a successful officer. That's all assuming, of course, that you put in the time studying and ensure you're an expert in your own field of knowledge.

You'll be alright.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Apr 8 at 2017 12:41 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 00:41:47 -0400

The thing I had to remind myself the most often was to not do NCO stuff anymore. Over time, I got to watch how other NCOs both good and not deal with things. The "nots" I had a better insight as to what their problem was. Even then I forced myself not to jump in but rather have a sidebar with the SEL and let that lawn mower fire up. Make sure you take advantage of your experience to communicate correctly at the varied ENL levels. Being good at that will garner you the most respect and effectiveness. You have to set aside your NCO tools and work on your OFF tools. You should have an advantage. As you go along, help your peers understand as well. Spent a career doing that. So when I needed to have a dirtbag gone in a day, I knew exactly how to do that correctly. And when I needed to instantly help a wronged SM, knew how to do that too. The senior NCOs will be your biggest cheerleaders if you do that. Besides that, never be too senior to pick up a piece of trash and keep yourself squared away. Every promotion is evermore humbling. Everything you do, do for the right reason. That way, if you do 32 like me, you should be able to count the people who think you're an Alpha Hotel on one, maybe two hands. Everyone else will have become better because your were in their lives. And more of them will be alive.

Response by LTC Jeff Shearer made Apr 8 at 2017 8:39 AM

LTC Jeff Shearer — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 08:39:36 -0400

Michael keep on being you, someone had a great deal of confidence in you or you would not have gotten the opportunity. However, now you have to be an officer. take care of your troops, but have standards. Get a good O as a mentor, that will help.

Response by Lt Col Diana Echols made Apr 8 at 2017 6:01 PM

Lt Col Diana Echols — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 18:01:40 -0400

As a successful NCO you probably had a bias for action. Make sure your bias now is for listening. You will hear greatness all around you. Your job is now to remove obstacles and let your NCO talent do their thing. One caveat is to remember that besides being a servant leader, you must also use situational leadership. There may be a time to take direct action, just be judicious.

Response by CPT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2017 9:48 PM

CPT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 21:48:17 -0400

Understanding that the majority of your career is spent on staff. You either embrace it and make the best of it, or let it destroy your progression.

Also, I noticed that the big picture is key. As an NCO you can focus on your piece of the pie. You can really get good at your specific individual and collective tasks. As an officer it's all about being mentally agile and diversity of knowledge. You don't have to be the subject matter expert on everything. There is too much on your plate. You have to know your personnel and where you can get the most/best out of each of them.

As an enlisted Soldier, thing just show up and training just happens. As an officer I have a greater appreciation for all the planning that goes into every little thing that the unit executes.

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Apr 10 at 2017 10:24 AM

SGT Dave Tracy — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 10:24:48 -0400

So you went from being a Rock Star to the band manager eh? To each, their own. ;-)

Anyway...

From an officer's point-of-view, I can't grasp what challenges you have to deal with now--luckily you have some experienced Officers giving you their opinions--but from the enlisted side, I have a thought; might not even be an original thought, but here it is: I would suggest not micromanaging your NCOs (or Joes). I have seen firsthand what happens when a former NCO goes bad (I mean Officer), micromanages areas outside their lanes and cannot delegate. It's not good for the Officer, the NCOs or their soldiers.

Response by Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth made Apr 10 at 2017 4:29 PM

Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 16:29:51 -0400

For me, no one new I was a retread until they either found out from talking to someone else, heard it from someone else, or they just flat out asked me. It wasn't important to me that they knew...it had no bearing on my duties as a officer because people see you in a different light once they know...it helped mold my thinking as an officer but people look at you and treat you different when they know you were a retread. Take with you the experiences from being an enlisted man from the good leaders, bad leaders (you learn just as much from them as you do the good), and the in between. Develop your leadership style that works for you. Don't try to imitate another officer because you will fail. Leave the comments of "When I was an E-5 we did XXXXX" behind. Look to your SNCOs to guide you through...it is part of their duty. Remember, they know the heart and soul of the rank and file of the unit...you don't and probably never will. The last thing to remember is that you are now not the "doer". You don't turn the wrench...you ensure they have the right wrench, the proper training on how to turn said wrench, and they turn the wrench at the right time then praise them for a job well done in public and hold accountable those who don't in private...simple example but it gets the point across. You are now the leader and they, from top down enlisted, will be looking at you for leadership. You and only you will be held accountable to the actions of your unit so take command, be out front, and always, always, always, take care of your men and women and they in turn will take care of you.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 13 at 2017 12:59 PM

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 12:59:38 -0400

I had 16 years ENL before I became an O. I now have 17 years as an O (yeah, I'm old). Succinctly, your relationship with your fellow ENL's necessarily must change. This is especially so, and more of a challenge, if you are promoted in the same unit. You must create distance. The person you might have partied until the sun-came-up with may be the person you have to discipline. You put yourself in a precarious situation if you remain the ENL mindset. They still have the right to do what you should no longer do. This doesn't mean you need to disband established friendships - but you must be careful on how you carry on in your professional military world.

The huge advantage, of course, is your prior ENL years gives you an excellent perspective of their problems and concerns - and seats you in a positon to rectify many of those issues. Take full advantage of that. I know I did and do. They are the bread and butter of are force. If they didn't exist, we wouldn't either. We are nothing without our ENL force. Keep that in mind always.

Response by Col Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 20 at 2017 3:35 PM

Col Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 15:35:57 -0400

Fourteen years enlisted, twenty as an officer. I do not feel that there was anything different between MSgt and Second Lieutenant except that I had more respect from strangers I was a MSgt. People that knew me expected me to lead. People that only knew me as a Lt assumed that I was new to the military and "explained" everything to me. I didn't mind either way. The rest of the path continues to be learning, listening, helping, directing, coaching, and finally leading. I have added skill sets. Thanks for the question!

Response by LTC Orlando Illi made May 10 at 2017 6:53 PM

LTC Orlando Illi — Wed, 10 May 2017 18:53:37 -0400

Understanding that I am not one of the guys. My first Brigade CSM told me "... LT - if you have to tell someone you're an Officer - you're not..." Best advice I ever recieved

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 26 at 2018 4:05 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 16:05:46 -0500

Saluting everyone

Response by LTC Charles T Dalbec made Mar 9 at 2019 7:00 PM

LTC Charles T Dalbec — Sat, 09 Mar 2019 19:00:59 -0500

Of course the medical field is a special thing by itself and is no way equal to any other MOS or AOC. Special branches have their own challanges to deal with but you will do well based on your Enlisted Training ...

Response by MAJ Jim Woods made Mar 10 at 2019 6:39 PM

MAJ Jim Woods — Sun, 10 Mar 2019 18:39:29 -0400

The best advice I could give you is simple. You don't know everything. Let your Senior NCS's guide you. It will go along way to gaining their confidence.

Response by COL Jon Lopey made Apr 12 at 2019 8:23 PM

COL Jon Lopey — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 20:23:46 -0400

The toughest challenge I faced was transitioning as a highly-rated NCO in the USMC to the Army as a commissioned officer (CARNG and USAR) and fearing I would not measure up as an officer. Having NCO or enlisted experience helps but it isn't everything. I wanted to be a stellar officer, which took a lot of effort. Officers have to learn more, do more, and lead NCOs that often have much more time in the service. Sometimes a good former enlisted Soldier has to accept the fact they are not going to be the greatest officer right-away because the officer job takes exceptional training, education, experience and effort over time. Depending on your MOS, your initial edge as an officer because of your experience as an enlisted warrior will help but I found being exceptional always meant extra time and effort in every assignment. It is also a challenge to remember you are an officer, represent the officer corps, and are no longer enlisted and you need to adjust your behavior, efforts, and demeanor accordingly. I always felt close to my enlisted charges but I tried to maintain separation, knowing a commissioned officer has unique duties and responsibilities inherent in the position. Setting the example as an officer is often times tougher than doing so as a NCO or enlisted Soldier. You have to earn trust and respect and as an officer the stakes are higher because you are normally responsible for more men and/or women and probably for a lot more sensitive equipment. If you fail, people can die or become grievously wounded. As an officer, that is a burden we carry that is often heavier than our enlisted counterparts. Additionally, you can be relieved and your career adversely impacted by the negligence or mistake of a Soldier in your command you had no real control over. For example, I have seen officers relieved because a Soldier carelessly lost a sensitive item such as a weapon during an operation or training exercise. I wish you the best! Airborne, COL L

Response by MAJ Patrick Hairston CISSP, AWS Certified Cloud Architect made Apr 13 at 2019 12:53 PM

MAJ Patrick Hairston CISSP, AWS Certified Cloud Architect — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 12:53:20 -0400

One hard part for me was to not micro manage.

Response by MAJ Bruce Davie made Apr 19 at 2019 10:49 AM

MAJ Bruce Davie — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 10:49:20 -0400

My most difficult adjustment from nco to officer was moving from executing orders to planning and checking results of orders.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2019 1:34 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 May 2019 13:34:33 -0400

I went through ROTC after my first enlistment so not being intimidated by NCOs was something that I had to quickly overcome as a 2LT. The one thing that did pay off is that I showed every Soldier the respect that they deserved. If a senior NCO has your back, you will succeed.

Response by MAJ Lee Goehl made Aug 30 at 2019 9:18 AM

MAJ Lee Goehl — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 09:18:14 -0400

For me the toughest part was realizing that I was supposed to seperate myself fram my former status ( never really did) guess thats why I ret. Major and to this day my besy Army buddies are a ret CSM and a LTG both retired.LOL

Response by MAJ Lee Goehl made Oct 1 at 2019 11:38 PM

MAJ Lee Goehl — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 23:38:33 -0400

Nothing for me personally but my late wife, had issues with the social element having been prior enlisted herself. Its amazing the difference

Response by LT James Fox made Nov 14 at 2019 1:36 PM

LT James Fox — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 13:36:34 -0500

I was enlisted for 17 years reaching E6 for aroun 8 of those years. I had a hard time at first separating myself from my fellow E6 friends. When they finally transferred me to a new unit things were different. I looked back and how other mustangs and officers treated enlisted and made sure that I treated everyone with respect. You have to earn the respect of the people under you and I think that can be the most challenging without jeopardizing your leadership position. I also found myself helping everyone with ways to help get them promoted. One E6 I gave them a medal for their role in the unit which ultimately helped him make E7. Then you have the other side of the coin, discipline. It has to be done, be fair and just in a way they will still respect you. And, NEVER forget where you came from, the enlisted ranks.

Response by LTC Russ Smith made Apr 26 at 2020 11:46 PM

LTC Russ Smith — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 23:46:38 -0400

1. Being a cadet was beneath our dignity. Mustang's should have an orientation for a couple weeks and get direct Appts to 1LT.
2. Institutional disrespect for Second Lieutenants walking in the door.
3. Condescending officers that outranked me.
4. IOBC Class 5-87 was beneath the dignity of everyone who went thru it. 200 2LTs, only five had not been NCOs. Cadre was relieved en masse for incompetence, abusive climate, and violating safety regs on an M60 Range.
5. Did I mention condescending a-holes?
6. The lack of integrity embedded in the politics of the field grade ranks.
7. The vast majority of 06s were cutthroat, ruthless, back-stabbing weasels.
I was enlisted 6 years. 3 Marines, 3 Army. I was demoted from SGT(E5) to Second Lieutenant in 1986. I retired a Lieutenant Colonel in 2006 with 26 years, 3 months, 1 week & 1 day of service.