Helpful Advice for the new S1

2014-08-21T15:26:49-04:00

Finished BOLC! YAY! Survived a flooding room, and now working my way into the swing of things. We have JRTC coming up in July.. So flood me with all the information you know about JRTC and what it was like as an S1 during JRTC.

Ive been gone for four months due to school, and have missed A LOT in regards to all the personnel stuff preparing for JRTC. I have the master DMD and etc... but I feel like Im lost in the sauce trying to catch up.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Aug 22 at 2014 10:35 AM

2014-08-22T10:35:29-04:00

And here is a great example of why and how RallyPoint is so much more helpful than some group on Facebook. Obviously the advice you got from that page was well, less than professional.

The advice I have for you is to remember, you are no longer a NCO. Let the NCOs help teach you as to what your new role should be within the unit. While I'm sure your professionalism will help direct you in this direction, just remember, now that you are on that side of things, there are certain things that NCOs handle. I've had one LT who was a prior service E6 come to a unit and he thought he was better than everyone since he got his butter bar. He would try to get involved with Soldier matters and put his nose into places where it didn't belong. His leadership took a hit because of it because he gave off the impression that he was just getting involved in order to run to the CDR. Junior Enlisted and NCOs did not trust him. So take this time and build your trust. Show your unit the professionalism you have and continue to do great things!

Response by MSG Wade Huffman made Aug 22 at 2014 11:28 AM

2014-08-22T11:28:08-04:00

Congratulations on your new assignment, Ma'am. Gender aside, my number one piece of advise for you as an S-1 would be to ensure your section has a focus on customer service. Throughout my career, that was always the top issue with many (not all) S-1 sections. Let your team know that it's OK to not know a particular solution to a personnel issue, but it's NOT OK to dismiss the situation because of not knowing. Ask questions, the team can only get stronger by sharing knowledge (from within and outside of your own organization). Make you's the S-1 shop that the soldiers you service can have confidence in. Sounds like small potatoes, but it's not. Good Luck!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 22 at 2014 11:37 AM

2014-08-22T11:37:42-04:00

Don't let your lack of an initial counseling keep you from counseling your NCO. Set the roles and responsibilities for your NCO and if you need to adjust them later you can.

As far as being an S1, you will be expected to know or find out about all personnel actions so get studying now because there are a lot of them.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 22 at 2014 11:44 AM

2014-08-22T11:44:58-04:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member I can tell you this - there's nothing worse than a butter bar (2lt for you Army types) trying to rush things. I agree with you on the delay of leadership taking the time to give you that inital counseling. There are 2 sides to that coin; your command may feel it would be best to see how you shake out without guidance. Afterall, this is NOT your first time in the military, so you have many of the courtesies, interpersonal realtions issues down pat. The other side may be they are not sure if you are a good fit and would rather you show them what you are doing and are capable of. I'm not in the ARMY and I'm certainly not in your COC - but I'm gonna with the first option.

As for what to do: (1) as 1LT(P) Michael Barden mentioned - I'd pretty much ignore whatever is said on FB. (2) Have you assessed your office, it's methods, etc and determined if there are issues that need to be fixed? There's not such thing as an office that doesn't have problems....we're human. (3) As SGT Ben Keen mentioned: maintain that division of Officer to Enlisted. There are things that are NCO business - be there; observe, listen. When the NCO's aren't taking care of NCO business - talk to the NCOIC and give them your support but INSIST they take care of business. While it may be initially easier to "fix" the issue yourself, you're only doing yourself a disservice and certainly not supporting your lower COC. (4) Customer Service. As MSG Wade Huffman mentioned your new job is customer centric. Don't forget; you have 3 sets of customers (a) your command (b) the soldiers that come to do the multitude of things personnel offices deal with (c) your staff. You have to answer to all three. Yes, only one of them writes your evals - but each of them can either make your job a success or watch you flail around like a mad person with their hair on fire, chuckling the entire time.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 22 at 2014 11:58 AM

2014-08-22T11:58:13-04:00

I think the best advice I'd offer for any S1 is to make sure to show that you care. You are one of the last stops in the line for making sure personnel are taken care of and that their situations are handled professionally. Make sure that you don't seem obtuse or indifferent to soldier's issues. A great S1 cares about their soldiers and wants to ensure that they aren't given hardships due to an inefficient S1 shop.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 22 at 2014 12:19 PM

2014-08-22T12:19:25-04:00

Ma'am, before crossing to Civil Affairs, I was a very long-running battalion S-1 guy. Started at the bottom doing awards and DA 4187s, topped out as a Section Chief, sometimes with an officer, sometimes not. Hardest challenge I ever had was running a Joint Task Force J-1 shop in Afghanistan with over 1000 troops in it from different services, components, and countries. I learned a lot of what I know from experience.

If I could boil down your job as a BN S-1 to one thing, it would be TRACKING. The BC/XO doesn't expect you to DO so much - that is what your section is for - but they do expect you to know exactly where all of your pending actions are at all times. Do that, and you are a rock star. Very rarely is an action late because of your shop, but rather because some rater or commander wasn't tracking something needed to be done. That's where you come in. Be particularly mindful of Evaluation Reports, Promotions, Pay Issues, and Readiness/ PERSTAT information in that order. They are important because YOUR boss has to brief HIS boss that exact information. Not only that, but they all have distinct importance to the Soldier and will thus be of interest to their CoC.

I'd echo the customer service advise, but add that it has everything to do with the mentality of your shop, and you need to set the tone. Things like "limited business hours" and requiring some sort of chit to get assistance are very maddening to a Soldier that has a personnel issue and wants support.

Don't try to be an expert at all things personnel, but DO strive to be an expert researcher. Most of the questions you'll get from staff and the commanders starts with "how do I do..." Never blurt out an answer, even if you think you know it. Go to the regulation or SOP, find it in black and white, and quote the answer WITH THE REFERENCE and you will buy all the credibility you will need (particularly relevant as a 2LT) and garner a reputation for thoroughness and competence that will serve you well.

Have your section task-organized and challenge them to be experts at what tasks are in their lane. Have them then cross-train to build depth and grow leaders within your shop. Having a guy that "only does pay, and he's the only guy that does pay" will undermine your service quality and your shop's elan. Pride in work and ownership go a long way towards team building.

I could go on and on, but if you have specific questions, feel free to contact me directly.

Response by LTC Jason Strickland made Aug 22 at 2014 12:29 PM

2014-08-22T12:29:20-04:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member, first and foremost, ensure your troops are getting paid! There is nothing that will destroy morale, enthusiasm, and overall effort than GIs who are not getting their paychecks.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 22 at 2014 12:36 PM

2014-08-22T12:36:20-04:00

Remember that as an S1 a big part of your job is to take care of Soldiers. No one gets an award, promotion or goes on leave without it going through you. Take that challenge and responsibility seriously, as I know you will, you will do well and enjoy it too.

Know what opportunities and programs are out there for soldiers to take advantage of and make sure the commanders and soldiers know about them.

Make sure your shop tracks each package submitted to you as if it were their own. S1 shops can get a bad reputation very easily if paperwork get's lost. (make the soldier keep a copy of everything and keep an extra copy in your shop as well so you never have to ask the soldier for the same paperwork twice)

Good Luck

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 22 at 2014 4:30 PM

2014-08-22T16:30:18-04:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member , there are a few things that you need to do. I worked as a paralegal when I was enlisted. I worked in S1 offices from 2001-2003 and 2005-2006 (deployed). In-between, I worked in a legal office and interacted with the S1 sections quite abit. I will tell you a few things based on my experience and it is just my experience (not true in all aspects):

1. Training - Know that your Soldiers are trained. This is the job of your NCO, but know what they do, who they are, and their talents. I say this because I had to do many pushups along with another paralegal in Korea. Anyways, we had to do pushups because we did not know how to type purple hearts. It was not our job and the NCOIC never trained us. To this day, I am still bitter about it because our S1 was not paying attention to the mismanagement in regards to our jobs. Ironically, he was making us do it because we were the only ones in the section who could read and type, with very little mistakes.

2. Understanding your CDRs/Customers - Understand who you work for and support the company commanders. Everyone is looking up to you in order to have their records updated. A good S1 ensures to "help" those who are seeking help. While on my second deployment in Iraq, the S1 we had did a poor job in updating officer records. The S1 told me "You cannot add your enlisted tours to your ORB because you are an Officer" and "You cannot update your DA photo until you are promotable." Basically, give out the right advice.

3. Understand the process - See what your Soldiers do. Understand what they go through, their issues, and their strengths. If you understand what they do, you can better manage because you know what can realistically be accomplished. If you want to improve your shop, you will have a better on doing so because you cared to observe the issues.

I can go on for a while, but I think you will be ok.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 22 at 2014 5:34 PM

2014-08-22T17:34:40-04:00

LT Rolfing...I haven't seen a sitting BN CDR on here yet, so I'll give you my $1 and 2 cents. Answering your last question first, my MED PL is a female. She's one of the best I've seen. Got nothing to do with whether you have a hoo-ha or a jim-jim...nor what you do with it in your off time. No one cares, at least not in the Cavalry. One of my Top-2 Troop Commanders (out of 6) is a female. Same deal. It's about competence and confidence, not whether you carry your sexual organs inside or outside of your body. 'Nuff said...now on to the stuff you really care about...

1) You own OER tracking. Don't let one be late to HRC.
a. Understand EES and be able to navigate it for your Commander and everyone else in the officer rating scheme. Don't low-ball this. If you are there right now, you know the deal. Figure it out quick.
b. If your boss doesn't have a REALLY GOOD Senior Rater and Rater profile excel spreadsheet, you need to find one and put it into action. You must be able to predict OERs out 12 months, tracking the annual OER's and doing your best to track the Change or Rater, Change of Position, and PCS OERs. Never let your boss go over 45% without a big red light on his desk going off.
c. Reference (b), above, you along with the BN XO must understand and help the boss manage officer moves. It feeds the OER system. There are other reasons, but for you, this is the primary concern...the boss' profile tracker.
2) You manage the S1 shop. I say manage for a reason. Yes, we are all leaders, but I need both in the S1 shop and if I have to make a choice, I want a manger in the S1 shop. The NCOIC can run it, but you TWO need to sit down and figure out how to manage it. I assume you are understaffed, just like every other BN S1 shop. One person can only really do 1 job in there to an excellent standard, 2 jobs to a good standard. More than that and you start getting into mediocrity in jobs, and that ain't good. Find what people are good at and maximize it. Your NCOIC MUST get his/her hands dirty. They are a WORKER and a leader. They don't have the luxury to be "Big Sarge," sitting in their office chair with a cup of coffee telling people what to do. Same with you. Everything relating to officers falls in your lane.
3) Keep your boss informed about everything relating to HR in the Battalion, and in the Army. Know when promotion baords are coming up (1LT, CPT and MAJ). Make sure they are on the CALENDAR. Remind him 3 months out, because there needs to be complete the record OERs done or senior rater options completed. When promotion lists are released, he needs to know. At ANY level. From SFC to 4-star general. There are some he needs to take action on (promotions of LT's and CPT's, MSG's, etc), and there are some that require his social action (he will need to send congratulation notes to SGM's, LTC's, COL's, BG-LTG's who he knows or are in his community). Changes to HR regulations that affect the BN or general actions in the Army need to be relayed to him as well. If nothing else, it needs to be known for information.
4) If you have an adjutant, you are lucky. Try to convince the XO that you need one. If you don't...you own the ceremony of the Battalion. The pomp and circumstance is in your lane as the ADJ. I have an adjutant and it frees the S1 to focus on AG stuff vice things like hails and farewells, coins, managing access onto my calendar, cup and flower fund, etc, etc, etc. Find an adjutant (a 2LT waiting for a PLT, or a former XO who is waiting to move out to FACCC). It's worth it.
5) Become intimately familiar with the PERSTAT. If the PERSTAT is jacked up, I gut two kinds of people. Troop Commanders and the S1. I don't go for SPC Smith who creates it. I go for the S1's throat. Make sure you are doing what is necessary at your level. DO NOT just take the reports from the Batteries at face value. Someone needs to review it to see if it makes sense.
6) Never be late with a suspense. Whether it's NCOER's or OER's or AAA162's. The more you are late, the more attention you draw to yourself. You don't want to be the target that is stuck in the up position on the BN CDR's range. That weapon doesn't run out of ammunition.
7) Come in early, stay late, and finish the job. Don't you dare go home at 1730 if there is something going to be late tomorrow morning. See recommendation #6.
8) PT yourself until you quiver every morning. It will make you stronger...and it will help with the stress the rest of the day. Make your S1 shop do the same thing. Do PT with THEM every morning. Make them vomit, then PT some more. The S1 shop always gets a bad rap. If they see you smoking the dog-doo out of yourselves in the morning, they will instantly have more respect for the shop.
9) Learn from your NCOIC. If he/she sucks, get the XO and CSM to fire them...immediately. Replace them with a hungry SSG. Your life will improve.

That's just the tip of the iceberg.

Put your oars in the water and row like hell.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 26 at 2014 10:02 AM

2014-08-26T10:02:33-04:00

Due to being sick I am now catching up on all this advice.

Holy wowsers! Thank you all very much!

I want to take the time to answer every answer but I think I would be here all day!

Much appreciated!

Response by 1SG Nelson Alequin made Sep 1 at 2014 5:52 PM

2014-09-01T17:52:14-04:00

A succesfuk S 1 is measured by their ability to provide timely reports into the BC. Trust your NCOIC to guide you in administration. Make sure that you follow up on their counseling and don't let your superior's lack of leadership follow your lane of responsibilty. Chances are that you will have to write your own evaluation so make sure you annotate all the strengths and weaknesses of your section and what they have done to maintain and improve them. Writng an evaluation on yourself is one of the toughest tasks to accomplish. Maintaining an "I love me file"will help ease the tension. And if by surprise, your supervisor decides to do your evaluation, you have a running record of all your accomplishes. Good luck

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Sep 17 at 2014 10:32 AM

2014-09-17T10:32:51-04:00

Best advice for a new S1 is, do not sign the contract with the Devil. I might seem like a good idea NOW, but it will come back to haunt you.

Ma'am,

Everything is set up to challenge you and help you grow as an officer. Do what needs to be done. Trust your NCOs...to a point. Trust your gut. Don't think you know everything...anything...and ask questions.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2015 1:48 PM

2015-01-28T13:48:45-05:00

Congrats on your commission.

If you want to be a great S1, it's deceptively simple: make sure that you and your section actually do your jobs, that's it.

Realize that 99.9% of the people in your CMF are oxygen stealing time wasters that hate to work or actually accomplish their assigned duties. They "lose" paperwork more often than not. They absolutely refuse to tell you everything you need to submit specific forms, and frequently can't even tell you which form you even need for a particular action. And then, when you think have finally figured it all out, through weeks and months of painful trial and error, and having to go back and fill out/print out supporting documents....the requirements for a specific form arbitrarily change.

Example: within the last 12 months I submitted documentation to support updates to my ERB, 15 times, with detailed instrucions as to which section of the ERB each document supported a change to. It took 10 months for the final correction to be made, which was giving me credit for my most recent deployment. I redeployed in DEC 13, my ERB didn't reflect my redeployment until OCT14. The requested supporting documentation identified during the mandatory Finance and Personnel Records Review that happened during the 4th quarter of FY 14 has been supplied in both hard copy and digital formats to my BN S1 at least 6 times since AUG 14, none of it has been uploaded to iPERMS. The last time anything was uploaded to my iPERMS (aside from a DA Photo which they don't have control of) was my last NCOER in JAN 14.

I am just shy of 18 years of service, during that time I have met exactly 2 competent and professional S1 clerks and not one competent S1 OIC. I loved those 2 clerks like family.

To my knowledge there is no other CMF in the Army with this complete lack of accountability, and no repurcussions for not performing their basic duties. It is why you are universally hated by the rest of us

So just be good at getting things done, don't 'lose" Soldiers paperwork, don't have Soldiers endlessly resubmitting forms, tell everyone ALL of the supporting documentation that is required for a specific form the first time they submit it instead of over the course of 3 different visits to your office. Be better than your peers and the SI sections of the other units on your post, the bar is set pretty low (it's actually rolling around in the mud) so set it high, raise the standard, set the example for your CMF to follow, be the S1 section that doesn't raise peoples blood pressure or cause people to seriously contemplate bludgeoning everyone in your office with the nearest available blunt object. Do what you are supposed to be doing instead of making excuses, and the Soldiers will love you for it.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 1 at 2015 11:32 PM

2015-05-01T23:32:13-04:00

I PCSed into a unit and turned around and went to jrtc a few weeks later. I had 4 Soldiers including myself, and ended up with a total of 14 companies falling under me for the rotation.
If you want to be successful, have good analog systems in place for tracking. If you are doing a decisive action rotation you will take insane amounts of casualties...Mass casualties of 60 or more at a time. Good work/rest cycle, building a sun shower to wash your hair, a tuff box full of ramen, chips, and cookies...and for your briefs: what, so what, which means, therefore