How does an incoming commander deal with a weak 1SG?

Had this situation happen to me. Finally put enough pressure on the 1SG and fired him.
The outgoing commander should had taken action on this and left some counseling paperwork.
Talk to the Bn CSM and see what background info and what suggestions he has.
Develop a training schedule that encompasses team building. This may point out weak areas.

That sucks to hear. I'm curious what your 1SGs view point is.
Basically, something with teamwork. Get the company together and do some team building exercise. Make yourself the butt of some gentle jokes. It's fun. Maybe not for everyone, but most people really are positive in nature. Gotta find those negative "cancers" and weed them out. Correct that behavior. It has no place in the military life or the civilian life.
The sure fire way that always got our company moral up was a ruck march. They sucked. They were painful. They were long. But for some reason, everyone always had a good time. We all laughed and joked around, had some good gentle ribbing at the COs expense, and when we finally got back at night we slept like logs.
One thing our platoon sgt did(later our 1SG) was sound off with "What the fuuuuccckk" and everyone responded at the top of there lungs "WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUCCCKKKK". This was fantastic moral boost. Everyone got a good laugh. From what I hear this may not "fly" anymore, but if you can get away with it, it's worth a try.

This is my initial response before looking at the answers already submitted - I am speaking as a chaplain as well as an NCO. You will know all of this already but allow me to state the obvious.
1. If you're being handed a company that is "in the toilet" take everything the outgoing CO told you with a whole bucket of CYA salt. Ultimately, the 1SG, NCO's and soldiers of the unit take their lead from the Commanding Officer. If that unit is in the toilet, it is there by the old CO's doing -- full stop.
2. Everything you said about the readiness and morale of the unit indicates that you will need to take a very firm grip at the start, especially with your junior NCO's. Your senior NCO's will more than likely fall into step once they realize they have a CO who knows what he's doing. The junior NCO's may have only been NCOs under that one CO. They will probably not trust you at the outset. You need to set hard standards, meet them yourself, and be consistent in application of both correction and recognition. Be as fair as you possibly can be and be even-handed when correcting and praising. Do both. You can ease your grip over time but the standards must never drop.
3. If one does not already exist, create an open door policy and mean it. Anyone who comes to you IAW that policy needs to know that you have their back -- within the limits of custom, regulation and the UCMJ, of course. Tell your NCO's to do the same and convey to them that you expect them to resolve problems at as low a level as possible. Give them the responsibility and especially the authority to correct problems with tools like "extra training" and "voluntary" extra duty when appropriate. The UCMJ ought to be the last resort.
4. Trust your NCO's - this is something that will eventually pay huge dividends.
5. Spend as little time in your office and as much time as possible in the field with your men. Be there, be seen, be as good as you expect them to be. If your fitness is a bit low - nail that down. If you're not that good a shot, get good quick. Get the soldier's CTT manual and make sure there is not a single task in that book you cannot teach with authority and accuracy. Set the example.
6. Get your NCO's to do the heavy lifting with regard to morale, discipline and job performance. Meet with them often to set direction and goals but also to hear back from them. Have your 1SG be a gateway through the week (notwithstanding your open door) but meet with all the NCO's together at LEAST once a month.
7. If (as I suspect) your senior NCO's have been stressing hard with the last CO, make sure they each take a bit of time off within the next 6 months to reset.
8. Find ways to let everyone blow off steam. It sounds like you're taking over a pressure cooker. Do team sports for PT as often as the training schedule will allow. Have unit functions like "family day" or Company BBQ's using the MWR fund. Do training that builds team cohesion and fosters leadership while pushing them hard physically.
9. Be both a filter and a shield between your men and Battalion & higher. Give your unit reason to trust you when you say you have their backs. Have the courage of your convictions and the balls to tough out those moments when you and the BN staffers do not agree.
10. Pray that the BN CO is doing the same as you -- further deponent sayeth not.
Finally - recognise that while this may at first glance appear to be a poison chalice it is equally an opportunity for you to truly shine as an officer and soldier. Remember that a unit is only as good as the officer that leads it -- and an officer is only as good as the NCO's that support him. This has to be a team effort. Build it, lead it, mother it, and kick its butt as needed.
God bless and Good Luck.
Oops - I almost forgot: treat your junior officers the same way you treat your junior NCO's in private but in public, back them to the hilt. They and the rest of the unit need to know that those bars mean something. If you want your lieutennants to develop into good captains give them the chance to learn by doing and be there to pick them up when they fall on their faces (as they most assuredly will). You and your officers all need to be on the same page so let them know what you are doing and instruct them to immitate/emulate you. This of course means you cannot be slack in any element of soldiering because it will be picked up, transmitted and magnified hugely by your unit. Any flaw in your character will be reflected in them.

CPT (Join to see)

Sir, I will share a story with you, and although your dilemma is on a grander scale than mine was, perhaps my story might assist with some ideas.

As a new E-7, I was assigned to a section consisting of 6 soldiers who had no morale, motivation, nor did they care about their work ethic. In addition, I overheard the seniors who assigned me to these soldiers say “let’s see if this new SFC sinks or swims with them. They are all misfits on the way out.”

Initially these soldiers seemed to have no respect for me or my rank, or anyone for that matter. I met with each of them and wanted to know why they felt as they did; what did they want to get out of this assignment and also asked what I could do to help.

I understand individual sessions may be impossible given the amount of soldiers you have acquired, but perhaps having a meeting with your first sergeant, then senior enlisted and lastly your junior and lower enlisted may shed some first hand information.

Open the floor for them to speak and be honest but respectful with their concerns or grievances, while still maintaining control of the session. The restructuring may be only part of the problem.

For me, I found that one soldier wanted to go to board to E-5, but was never sent; one had 15 years and had never been considered for promotion and the others wanted to go further their education. Additionally, all wanted time off which they had not had in over 2 years.

Our section was also behind on work by about 2 because no one knew what the others job entailed. Therefore, no one could be granted time off because that section would seize to function in their absence.

I listened patiently, and when it was my turn to speak, I expressed my expectations for our office. I wanted each soldier to teach his job to one other person, which would allow for possible pass approvals; I then wanted them all to teach me their job so that I could assist where needed, as well as ensuring the section was functioning as it should.

This might help with cohesion and morale, as well as their senior ensuring they know their job.

With in 4 months of my assignment to the section, we cleared (me included) about 1 year of the 2 year backlog. We trained together, we learned together. I earned their respect as both a person and their Senior NCO. These soldiers excelled and exceeded my expectations of them and of those who called them misfits. I learned my soldiers were fractured but not broken.

Apologies for being so long winded however, my hope for you is that you too will be able to find the root of the problem in order to assist you with strengthen your soldiers morale, cohesion and pride in their work.

I wish you luck

Having made the mistake of starting off on the wrong foot I’ll offer this: No one will believe you care about their perspective if you’re the one doing all the talking up front. Others have said, gain as many perspectives as you can; Officers (BN too), NCOs, and your Soldiers. But you have to really hear their problems, ask a few leading questions, probe for the cause. Don’t expect to solve the issues immediately or on your own. Once you’ve gotten all the input, bring your key leaders together and develop a course of action. Build the team that will see you through command from day one, start by listening before speaking.

Sir, there is a great deal of good information in the posts of others on here, the sad thing is that some SRNCO's just want to wear a diamond and not be the diamond. I have replaced weak 1SG's before when commanders found out they had duds holding the job. I recommend as others have stated already, evaluate what you have after having a sit down with your 1SG and explaining your expectations and goals. Don't always take the word of the outgoing commander that what they say is golden because if its true, its their fault as well for not fixing it while they were in command. If after a period of time goes by he/she (this is 2019 as I have been told) isn't getting the job done you can look to replacing your 1SG from an outside source(Recruiting) or moving up from within even if they are not a E-8. I have seen a number of units with a SFC as the 1SG over the years. When you have a good 1SG you will know it as you two will be on the same sheet of music and mutually support each other while running a company with good morale and younger NCO's looking to be 1SG's themselves one day. There is nothing wrong with having a word or two with the BN CSM to get his take on things and to see if he is aware of the issues as he should be since its his job to mentor 1SG's. Any CSM worth his rank would have a large case of the ass at any 1SG that wasn't doing their job as it reflects upon him as well. Good Luck Sir.

It all starts with the commander and the type of climate they provide. I agree with the others that say take what he said with a grain of salt. I've had commanders I respected the heck out of and they held their NCOs accountable. I've seen commanders who sat back and let 1SGs do what they wanted to the point where it got too far out of hand. Your best bet is to come in and be very observant, but also get a command climate survey done. Whatever you do, make sure it can be anonymous and you can come to a conclusion as to the results.

If not there, pull soldiers of like ranks all together to have a commander's talk. Kick out all of the NCOs when you sit down with the junior enlisted. Then, sit down with all of the junior NCOs without the junior enlisted and senior NCOs. Then sit down with the senior NCOs (sans 1SG) and do the same thing.

Thank you for sharing a part of history not found in history books. Excellent share

I work for the state psychiatric hospital. I was in the kitchen for five years. I now am a mental health worker on 11 to 7. I will say the hospital CEO and Foodservice director in the previous administration were miserable people. There is a new COO, CEO, and Foodservice director. Because of the change, most of the problems have vanished. He will help on the tray line or dishroom wherever needed, says hi to staff, and for the 1st time in 7 years, the kitchen has a Christmas party. The union has no issues with the Director anymore. The FSW3s, just like your 1st Sgt is weak too, and its because they were afraid of the Assistant Director. The Assistant Director hid in the office most of the time, but god help you if she came out, and you weren't doing something her way, even if it violated the Board of Health rules or Hospital Infection Control protocols.

For example, she would assign people to wash all the garbage barrels and then go to the tray line and serve dinner without any time to shower or change clothes. They came up with the idea of doing drains at 6 am then having the drain cleaner doing the pots the cooks used. I went to the infection control nurse at the end of my shift. No way was I allowing that to go on. I do understand keeping busy in a kitchen. However, tasks need to be done in the right order.

They didn't want educated staff so they could tell them anything and they would do it without question. The kitchen Management actually would look for people that were not trained in culinary at my pay grade for that reason. I was Serv Safe certified and had a certificate in buffet catering and most of an Associates in the applied science of culinary arts. So I would ask them to assign me to other chores if I was serving dinner. I outright told them I would follow serv safe or board of health rules as applicable.

Leadership is always from the top. I question that the Sgt is week. Maybe it was your predecessor. I worked in the Grafton Job Corps, right after school, and the man in charge of the kitchen was a retired mess Seargent with20 years in. He was not weak by any means. He ran it with military efficiency. I was picked to deal with the Board of Health inspection since I was fresh from school and had up to date knowledge. In the kitchen, there is a minimum staffing level of 8 FSWs and three cook 2s on days. I don't know the 2d shift. Being understaffed all thew time kills morale as everyone is always tired. I was mandated many times in the kitchen. I know it for a fact.

I also worked with a retired CSM (Command Seargent Major) from the army with 37 years in. This coworker was at a part-time job in the Deli that I had. We did things with military precision every night. The slicers were sharpened every night, and All boxes were labeled with date-time and what was in them. CSM William Pierce could do the work of 3 people, and made it look easy.

Knowing the SGTs I know, I can't imagine that they don't know their job. Maybe it was a personality issue or complete understaffing with no help from above. I'm pitching for you, but I can't catch come to mind i,e. I can't do it all.

Tighten him up, don't let him be a " BUTTER-CUP" under Your watch, Sir ? ! ?

Wow, as a recited USAF MSgt, I find this embarrassing. I know none of my OICs ever thought this of me. Good luck.

Captain, the first Sgt serves you, if he's broke, fix him. Your Lt's are in command of your line troops. Be absolutely sure they are onboard. Platoon Sgt's. carry out and enforce your orders. Make sure they are clear and understanding of your goals. Your leadership is the key and you set that stage. Not knowing if you are a Med unit or Inf some basics should be followed. You'll need to be personally engaged in the proper building blocks in the smallest of details initially. Build a sound foundation. Everything you do should focus on team building until it takes off on it's own. Not knowing you I can only comment on what I see here. Morale is your indicator of how you are doing. Your toughest troops to deal with can be your greatest allies. Camaraderie, cohesion, competition and discipline should have balance. Develop your soldiers. Require they know the job before they get promoted into it. Better to have a vacancy than the wrong person in it. Work hard, play hard. Above all, listen to your troops and make your goals and rewards clearly understood and share in it. I have seen miraculous turnarounds in units I've been in and leadership was always the key. I have also seen great units torn apart by personal agenda and leaderless structure. See that the troops know where to get, read, know and follow the regulations. It keeps everyone honest and humble. Good luck!

As a Sgt. I have had both good and bad CO's some led us into the dirt and left us that way and others fought for us and lifted our moral because we knew they stood by us no matter what happened. So if the out going says he is a poor 1st SGT it makes me wonder what type of CO he was. Like the MAJ said, talk to him and to the rest of the NCO's and see what is really going on. I am willing to bet that there is more to the story than what the outgoing the CO has told you.

I was only an E4 but as a leader you should take some time to learn your new 1SG and see for yourself what that person can and can't do. Same with the rest of your NCOs. That other commander may have been the problem but not able to see his/her short comings. A true leader will do the best with what they got and not blame their 1SG for the failure of the company. Who was really the weak one? The 1SG or the Commander who couldn't lead his company? As a lower enlisted my best commander was the one who took charge with a can do attitude and engaged with everyone in the company and led PT every morning. My worst commander was the one who hid in his office, only showed up for roll call at PT then left, and left it up to the NCOs to run the company.

There’s the joke about a new CEO finding a letter and 3 envelopes in his desk drawer. The letter says, “Dear New CEO, When things get tough, and they will, open Envelope #1. Sure enough, a couple of years in and things are bad so he opens Envelope #1. It says “Blame your predecessor.” He does, things recover for a long stretch and they turn bad again. Remembering the envelopes, he opens #2 - it said “Reorganize”. Genius. He reorganizes and things turn around for several years until, once again, they head South. He opens the third envelope. It said “Prepare three envelopes”.

Honestly, I’d much rather take over a situation in the dumps with no where to go but up, than take over from a water walker with no where to go but down. What an incredible opportunity you’ve been given to make your mark on the lives of your organization.

In my experience, how the unit members perceive the 1SG is absolutely essential, and this alone has such a major impact on unit cohesiveness. I would recommend that an incoming unit commander conduct their own independent assessment of the situation in their first 30 or 60 days as Commander, and if they find areas in which the 1SG can reasonably improve their overall respect among the unit within 90 or 120 days, then by all means, the course of action should be pursued, but if not, then it should be the at the unit Commander’s discretion to make needed leadership changes in the NCO ranks of the unit to achieve the morale and cohesiveness that is necessary to maintain a high performing unit.

MOS? You don’t need a 1SG. If your unit is trained for combat, they are trained 2 levels up from their position. Go with your gut instinct. If he is ineffective, relieve him and put someone else in the position. Are you combat ready?

As an NCO my advice to an incoming commander who was given that forewarning would be to evaluate for yourself. Have a sit down conversation with the 1SG. Bring your platoon leaders and then platoon sergeants in and speak with them. Talk with your Staff Sergeants separate from everyone else and have a censing session. Speak with your junior enlisted and get an idea of what they feel is going on. Have a 30 day observation period and OBSERVE and take notes. Bring your platoon leadership together at the end of that period and discuss your observations and provide some COAs that you have but give them an opportunity to develop a COA that the leadership can own. Implement and reassess.

Do what is right! Hold every soldier and leader accountable for responsibilities, successes and failures. Don't tell them how to do their job, because if they fail, it was your plan that failed. Don't be afraid to jettison dead weight. For me, a motivated E-5 squad leader is better than a ROAD SSG in that slot. Develop your command team, you, XO and 1SG. The 1SG has to determine his commitment to the team. Who's in the unit area first? Who stays late? Is he developing the leaders? Troops know leaders from managers. Good luck, this is one of two opportunities that you get to be a leader at troop level. Sounds like that unit needs you.

Remember, the First Sergeant only serves at the pleasure of the Commander. The alternate position is Master Sergeant. If I were the new Company Commander, I'd wait and make my own decisions as to what changes needed to be made in the Company. Frankly, the issues may have resulted from the actions of the out going Commander.