How can I help my Soldiers' morale?

By leading by example. You have to come in and have a "Fake it, till you make it" mindset. By you, yourself coming in and acting motivated, your soldiers will follow your example if you are a respected leader to them. Yes, I personally know it is easier said then done however IF you can get past the demotivated aspect of the issues and just have fun with it, you'll go a million miles forward. Open Communications and being honest is a huge boon for a leader and knowing this should bring you to, empathize and sympathize with your soldiers however don't get sucked into that. They will not always be in the "that unit" and change is inevitable. Paint the picture of their and your individual futures in an inspirational way, to them. Let them know that "that unit" is just a stepping stone which will teach them how NOT to do things in their futures as well as your future! Embrace the suck because there WILL BE LIGHT at the End of the Tunnel! Good luck Sgt.

First, determine Why it is happening. Once you know the Why, find solutions that fit your Soldiers. Do you have any specifics, so I can give you ideas?

Your brain is like a computer and your mind is like the software. If you change your mind you can change your life.

You must be able to discern between manipulation and motivation. Manipulation is self-serving and self-interest. Motivation is what is best for the common good - You , me, and all concerned. So ask yourself what is the "intention" behind behavior/action? Here is a paradox - "You can get whatever you want , if you help enough other people get what they want."

There are five levels of motivation:
1. Mission (Who else? What is my purpose?)
2. Identity (Who am I? Who are we?)
3. Values (Why do we do what we do?)
4. Beliefs (Why do we do what we do?)
5. Capabilities (How do we get things done?)

You can motivate anyone to do anything if it matches their internal mental programming

There are five motivational programs:
1. Toward - Away (goal achievers or problem solvers)
2. Internal - External ( decisive leadership or compliant followership)
3. Options - Procedures ( choices or process)
4. Active - Passive (self-starting or other initiating)
5. Sameness - Progress - Difference (same, improved, or new)

Create desire that, "I can be there."

Steps to building Esprit de Corps:
1. Reward cooperation
2. Assign responsibility for group morale to the group itself
3. Plan occasions when people can be away together
4. Assign a high value to communication
5. Collaborate

Think about this like any other TRAUMA & FIRST AID situation.

1) Identify the problem (Loss of motivation). You have already determined this.

2) Determine the cause (What is causing Loss of motivation). Before you can begin to correct you must ASSESS or you risk Injuring yourself and others. Think about it like seeing someone having a seizure. You don't immediately rush over. You look first, because he may be holding a live electrical wire (causing said seizure).

3) Stop the Bleeding. After identifying Cause (2), do what you can to stop said Cause (if within your power) or ESCALATE to someone who has said power.

4) Start the Breathing. How do you IMPROVE morale? How do you COUNTERACT loss of morale? If morale is a bucket of water, and loss is a hole in the bucket (water is draining out of the hole), then you need to either a) patch the hole (3) or b) FILL the bucket (IMPROVE morale).

5) Protect the wound. This goes back to (3). After the bleeding is stopped, look for ways to prevent recurrence. This can be through morale improving events, or through "procedures" to ensure it doesn't reach catastrophic stages again.

6) Treat for shock. Find those who are "injured" and get them back up and running. People are resilient, but some are going to have longer term damage that need special attention. Locate and work with them, lest they bring others down.

SSG (Join to see), you are starting in the right direction. You notice a problem and you want to fix it. I have a couple of thoughts.

SGT Brent Cann has very sound advice. Don't let your Troops know that you are not motivated. Try your best to put on a good face. This will help.

Find like minded NCOs who want to make things better. You aren't the only one. Seek people out, talk with them. Collaborate. There is strength in numbers.

CSM (Join to see) toldyoui to find out why. This is also sound advice. If it's becausse training is bad, you and your mafia that you have created in the previous step can work together to make that happen. If it's toxic leadership. Talk to your CSM, if he/she is part of the problem, talk with his/her CSM.

Good luck. Knowing you have a problem in the unit and working to fix it is admirable.

As many have given the right answer, leading by example. Even though the unit is not as inspirational everyone wish it to be, there may be different root causes unknown and difficult for you to tackle. So everything falls with you being who you supposed to be an NCO.
Remember when it comes to teamwork, individualism is the worst enemy. And by taking matters on your own it might complicate things in the long run. Be supportive and tactful but maintain your military bearing. There is a chain of command for a reason and the hire it goes the greater is this bearing, never to be confused for arrogance or carelessness.

If you were looking for specific examples here are some:

1. Request permission to your staff of taking command of a PT session, and instead conducting same boring routine, take them to play a sport they might enjoy. Football, Soccer, go to the Gym allow them the freedom to pick what they want to work out.
2. Make a habit of once a while do cookouts.
3. An inspirational movie session when the time is available is not a bad idea.
4. I remember at one point I asked permission to my SFC to conduct a quality survey were I would allow all my unit soldiers speak out anonymously about their unit and leaders and provide a grade of value. It was so that the SFC liked the idea and he requested personally to do the survey, whereas the SFC only evaluated the final review and scores. So you cannot see your fellow NCO’s review. This will give you and your staff an idea who or where is the problem and also what your subordinates think about leadership.
5. Another thing that you should be doing anyways is periodic Developmental Counseling form DA 4856. Many think that this is always negative but they are entirely wrong and misguided. Developmental counseling can be very positive in a way by gratifying those who exceeded expectation and those being inspired to work in a particular area of need. Either way the counseling can be written not just for records but also to communicate strategically between your soldiers and the unit.

Regards

SGT Brent is "right on point" and the key is "never to take it personally" or it'll crush anyone! This is what we signed up for! Just as Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "No one can make you feel inferior without your permission!" The same is true about being "beaten down" it doesn't have to feel that way. You adjust your expectations and rise to that level. "No one rises to low expectations!" I've been it some crappy units, and you just have to keep telling yourself" "You're young, you'll get over it!" Ha! Google the story about "Randy Leamer" on the Oprah Winfrey show! He tells an amazing story about how he was able to do the impossible to save his daughter's life! His conclusion as to how he was able to do that was simply: "When your WHY gets bigger, you'll get better!" Ask yourself: "Why did you sign up?" Floyd Patterson was knocked down the most in his career in boxing, and yet his response was: "They said I was the fighter who got knocked down the most, but I also got up the most!" In fact Floyd Patterson was knocked down SEVEN times in his first title fight against Ingemar Johannson. He came back and retained his title in his rematch with a 5th round knockout over Johannson! Lastly, one final great quote to live by is: "Your attitude will determine your altitude!" Shake it off, you are soldiers and warriors! "DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!" All the best to your soldiers! - Top

Without specifics, the best I can offer is to suggest that you stop walking past the trash on the ground. That's an analogy, of course, but if you want things to be different, you have to find a way to make them different. I'm not suggesting you lead a mutiny, but there are undoubtedly things you can do to improve the situation. It's hard to say what those might be without more specific information.

Go in with the following 4 P's-Purpose--what is the unit's purpose? and pursue that to the nth level. People--attempt to make it better for your subordinates and peers. Productivity--help keep the unit in check on this, and no one will be effected. Finally, progress. How much progress are we making toward the unit goals?

See if you can do flag football on Fridays. The scored upon team has to do push ups and sit ups. On Friday Afternoon conduct a squad huddle to see what everyone is doing on the weekend and how their lives are going.