It looks like my next assignment will be as a recruiting company commander. What can I do to improve morale and take care of my team?

Sir, after spending nearly four years in USAREC once upon a time, but incapable of speaking about the current command climate there, I would say that aside from business as usual - they are still NCOs/Soldiers - ensuring there is adequate down time is the single biggest key.

During my time in recruiting, there were days that began as early as 2 am for me, and ended about 25 hours later. Of course, my next duty day began no later than 9 am, a bit of a break from the norm which was prior to 8 am.

Those days were killer, and my wife hated them.

Let your SCs/Team Leaders lead. I once sent the whole station home at 4 pm on a Tuesday. The 1SG called my cell phone frantic because nobody was answering the phones in the station. Well, it was a blizzard outside in the Chicago area, and my station was filled with NCOs who had never driven in any snow at all. Rather than keeping them there knowing that our local populace would be at home due to the weather, and prime for phone calls, I sent them home before it got dark and the temperatures dropped and things became more and more inherently dangerous.

The 1SG was half panicked. He said “what are you thinking, that’s the perfect time to make phone calls! You’re gonna have to call the Commander and tell him that, I can’t believe you did that.”

When I called the Commander - a fellow Aviation Soldier, who had been in command for a few months at the time - he said “Thank you, SFC Waychoff. Those are still Soldiers. They still need leaders who look out for them and their families. Please call me when you know that they’re all home, and let me know that.”

That stood out to me. It said a lot, and it made a difference to our recruiters that we took care of them.

The mission can indeed be intense, and in most cases, those Soldiers are indeed busting their asses to make that mission happen. It is not an easy mission. New recruiters take time to develop their skill sets and confidemce. Take care of them like you would any other Soldiers and you’ll be appreciated and respected, and you will have a successful and rewarding command.

Best of luck, Sir. Put ‘em in boots!

Sir,
Taking care of your NCOs is pretty much that same as it is on the line. Improving morale is going to be the challenge. As long as you nail the taking care of the team part, morale should handle itself.
Caveat: the blanket solution to everything is always the phone blitz... that never resolves anything... Just sayin’

In my humble opinion have your staff focus on cultivating talent and potential over a numbers game.