Posted on Sep 18, 2015
Has the Army "downsizing" caused an unintended "zero-defect" mentalilty to perpetuate in our formations? How does this affect morale?
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MSG (Join to see) - The Army has been through several of these drawdowns and, each time, has perpetuated the zero-defect mentality to decisions concerning who stays and who goes. While I realize there must be criteria to differentiate individuals, there should be realistic cut-off dates in applying them.
I have seen real travesties occur as a result of this culling of our personnel. For example, QMPing an SFC whose only derogatory comment was a DUI as a PFC, many years before. While I certainly do not condone a DUI, it should not have been the determining factor in the decision to put this outstanding NCO out of the Army many years later, when everything else he had done since then was near perfect. (Although I won't relate the story now -- I did in a similar post many months ago - I was unsuccessful in my fight to get the decision reversed, but was successful in keeping him in the Army by unorthodox and regulation-bending "slight of hand"... and he was picked up for promotion to MSG/E-8 the following year and retired as a SGM).
People need to have the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them. A zero-defect mentality, in my opinion, simply perpetuates an environment of people being afraid to take risks or do anything for fear of being criticized or cited for it if they screw up or not live up to somebody's expectations of how things should have gone. I subscribe to the fact that the only people who have never screwed up are people who have done nothing. There is a reason there are erasers on pencils... It is not a crime to use them and we need to stop pretending that there is.
I have seen real travesties occur as a result of this culling of our personnel. For example, QMPing an SFC whose only derogatory comment was a DUI as a PFC, many years before. While I certainly do not condone a DUI, it should not have been the determining factor in the decision to put this outstanding NCO out of the Army many years later, when everything else he had done since then was near perfect. (Although I won't relate the story now -- I did in a similar post many months ago - I was unsuccessful in my fight to get the decision reversed, but was successful in keeping him in the Army by unorthodox and regulation-bending "slight of hand"... and he was picked up for promotion to MSG/E-8 the following year and retired as a SGM).
People need to have the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them. A zero-defect mentality, in my opinion, simply perpetuates an environment of people being afraid to take risks or do anything for fear of being criticized or cited for it if they screw up or not live up to somebody's expectations of how things should have gone. I subscribe to the fact that the only people who have never screwed up are people who have done nothing. There is a reason there are erasers on pencils... It is not a crime to use them and we need to stop pretending that there is.
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LTC (Join to see)
Well put Sir. There is a famous story I heard a Naval Admiral tell about a incompetent young officer who grounded an entire ship without getting tossed from the Navy. The admiral told the story and then admitted he was that idiot. We must allow officers and NCOs to make mistakes in order to learn. He also emphasized how forgiveness breeds tremendous loyalty and tolerance of others mistakes. Two critical lost skills that would go a long way to reducing toxic leadership and improving morale.
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MSG (Join to see)
Thank you, Sir. Very well written and articulated. I agree that because a Soldier being QMP'd for a mistake they made years ago is a far stretch and further perpetuates the "zero defect" mentality, there is also this image that you must be a saint if you never made a mistake. Moreover, those who have the cleanest record are seen as the "cream of the crop". In my experience, every mistake I learned from made me stronger, more empathetic and a better problem-solver. I understand the cyclic nature of the Army down-sizing, but I think they got it wrong. With today's social media, this may impact on our ability to recruit in the future when the "all volunteer" military services ask for patriots, our sons and daughters, and we remember what they did to those who made that sacrifice and joined our ranks, only to be shunned when no longer needed. There has to be a better way and I think it starts with how we "up-size" the military, rather than the "down-size" it.
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SFC Steven Steingiesser
Sir, I definitely concur with the idea of not holding people accountable for mistakes they were punished for years ago. The military's view was much different then it is now. NJP wasn't an overly huge concern. If you got caught, you took your punishment and it was dropped. To bring up those past mistakes ruins the point of the NJP and how it was treated then.
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LTC (Join to see)
SFC Steingiesser,
Respectfully your thoughtful response is missing the point on one key element. Those soldiers WERE held accountable and either paid the price or were told either actively or passively that it would not continue to be held against them. It is unfair and unjust to accept someone's enlistment/commission and then later say your NQ (not qualified). If you were punished for something or just counseled the issue should be dead and buried. These types of stories reveal a special insidious type of betrayal by the leadership.
Respectfully your thoughtful response is missing the point on one key element. Those soldiers WERE held accountable and either paid the price or were told either actively or passively that it would not continue to be held against them. It is unfair and unjust to accept someone's enlistment/commission and then later say your NQ (not qualified). If you were punished for something or just counseled the issue should be dead and buried. These types of stories reveal a special insidious type of betrayal by the leadership.
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Saw this in the Navy-Marine Corps team circa 1990's. The bad news: Prepare to lose some amazing leadership. The good news: A lot of sh**birds will be weeded out as well. Down-sizing is politically cyclic. We'll see it again... and again.
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I think the "zero defect" mentality has damaged the Army across the board. It runs counter intuitive to what the Army is pushing with the MRT program. The military has spent millions of dollars teaching us how to recover from making a mistake, or when things don't work out; however when you actually make a mistake, your career is done with. Actions speak louder than words and the Army has shown when you make a mistake, your career is over. This leads to those in command or authority not willing to put themselves in position to fail. No action is taken as it has become preferable to the wrong action and that is a travesty.
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