Posted on Jan 30, 2017
Maintaining unit cohesion in a "volatile" social climate will be a leadership challenge of the information age. How are you guys doing it?
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We can't deny the impact of the current social scene in our country on the lives of our soldiers and families. It is an unspoken rule that you never discuss politics or religion at work. That being said, I would love it if some senior leaders or retired folks could cite how they kept units focused & cohesive during some of the more troubling parts of our history similar to our current social climate.
Leadership
Unit Pride
Training Soldiers
Edited 8 y ago
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 5
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I've kept it simple. I've told my Soldiers that, regardless of their political and social views, they are still Soldiers and will conduct themselves accordingly. And if they cannot do this, then I will personally see to it the paperwork is done and put them out of the Army. So far, it's worked.
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MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P
I used the same approach MSG (Join to see). I didn't always like the policy or ideology at hand, but I tried to do my job as an NCO and enforce the (lawful) standards as given to me by those in authority. Some adapted, some did not. Those that did not found themselves having a very short military career.
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MAJ (Join to see)
MSG (Join to see) I think that is always a good rule of thumb. I handled my first ever EO complaint as a leader pretty poorly by screaming army values at my soldiers and demanding they only see Army green. In retrospect, both soldiers were simply reacting differently to stuff they had read or seen on social media. My method worked at the time, but I think I would have handled it differently if it happened today. Also I would give at least 1 attempt to teaching and developing a soldiers viewpoints before showing him/her the door. Lord knows how under manned we are these days.
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If it's between you or me - I choose me; but if it is between us or them - I choose us. That said, your unit can find a common enemy and develop consensus based on hate or; I would rather see consensus based on being the best -- your organization provides a unique value to its parent -- be the best at what you do. Best team in the squad, squad in the platoon, etc.
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