What are some tips and tricks for time management as a National Guard/Reserve Company Commander?

2016-08-05T20:12:42-04:00

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 5 at 2016 8:21 PM

2016-08-05T20:21:31-04:00

Be prepared to spend a lot of your time unpaid.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 5 at 2016 8:24 PM

2016-08-05T20:24:53-04:00

I'm always looking for tips and tricks make sure my "part time job" doesn't interfere to heavily with my full time job and become a better commander. A few things I already do ensure company training plans and OPORDS are done at least 5-6 months as well as the routine risk assessments CONOPS for particular trailing events etc...Checking military e-mail/DPRO etc 2-3 times a week and staying available for routine things like items that require signature a are a must for any Reserve/National Guard Leader. Of course we have the metrics of personal readiness, equipment readiness and training METL for our focus when looking at anything. What strategies/tips or tricks have you used to maximize your effectiveness as a Company Commander in the Guard/Reserve and ensure your "part time command" remains an effective machine. Remember its may be "part time command" but its full time responsibility. Thanks in advance for all your input. All is welcome

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Aug 5 at 2016 10:55 PM

2016-08-05T22:55:41-04:00

- Make sure you legally delegate maximum amount of signing authority to your AGR staff, to the level they are able to handle it. I had a Chief Warrant Officer on AGR, and after I delegated signing authority, he was able to take care of a lot of administrative requirements that were unnecessarily coming to me otherwise.
- Ensure your personal computer is CAC friendly and ready to go. I use a Mac, and before we changed to PDF signature pages I had to have a second computer that I used only for the NG so I could quickly sign documents.
- Push down NCOER Rater / Senior Rater delegation as much as possible to empower your Soldiers to be the Rater / Senior Raters whenever possible. When I started as Company Commander I had over 70 NCOERs a year to do because the previous Company Commander was the Senior Rater for all of them. That is not sustainable.
- Develop and invest in your AGR staff. Having a highly capable AGR leader was probably the difference for me between succeeding and drowning on the job. If you don't have the right AGR leader in place, consider discussing with your State getting you who you need. You never know until you ask.
- Promote as much initiative among your key leaders as possible. If you find yourself chasing them for information at the start of each drill, turn the table around and make sure they know you expect them to push that information up to you.

Otherwise, there are really no tricks. It's a tough role to balance, but very rewarding.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Aug 5 at 2016 11:40 PM

2016-08-05T23:40:35-04:00

I had the triple whammy. Full time job, reserve job, and 2 year masters program. I have no memory of anything my wife and I did '87-88. That said, if we had kids then vs. later, I have no idea how I'd do it. Looking back, it starts with your orientation to life, getting the priorities in the correct order, and if married, having a spouse that sacrifices along with you. I couldn't have done it without mine. So yes delegate like heck, etc. are good pointers the crew has put out. I'll add that the biggest time saver is living by the 80/20 rule as your baseline and only go up from 80 to address some oddity that becomes important enough. You'll find that being shrewd yet strategic on your efforts will help move the Command along with better mission performance. You're never just a civilian or just a MIL You're both so don't spend energy trying to force things apart that should be getting along. Have a home office and MIL business hours schedule. Do something every day and make sure some quality weekend time is with the family. If you get in a routine vs. see everything as an insurmountable pile, you'll be much easier to get along with.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 6 at 2016 12:35 AM

2016-08-06T00:35:05-04:00

Not necessarily time management but ...
1. One weekend a month two weeks a year only applies if you want to fail as a commander.
2. Manage your AGRs. DO NOT Micromanage BUT do not let them try to rollover you unless you want to fail as a commander. In short ... Trust but verify.
3. Talk to your BN S3 and S4. If they're happy, then the BN Commander is happy. Or you can choose not to in which case you will likely fail as a commander.
4. Make sure your METL makes sense and wasn't some POS thrown together because of a deadline.

Too many really but those are the ones that come to mind. Best of luck MAJ Private RallyPoint Member.

Response by MSG Pat Colby made Aug 6 at 2016 10:12 AM

2016-08-06T10:12:46-04:00

~ Please don't re-invent the wheel, Sir. Figure out what format your higher HQ's wants for their reports and have your AGR's provide you with the same info/format before each Drill.
~Keep your training meetings short. Don't fall into the trap of over-meeting. You don't need a meeting prior to the meeting, then the meeting and a meeting to discuss what was talked about during the meeting.
~ Most CDR's get their Key players together on an evening a few days before drill, make sure you keep it short. Keeping your folks there until midnight is just going to piss people off. Most everyone has to work in the morning.
~ Your AGR's have families and lives too. Just because they are your FTUS doesn't mean they are at your beck and call 24/7. Abuse them and they will make your job twice as hard as it should be.
~ Make sure you understand the challenges and impositions your AGR's are facing from Higher HQ's. Each section (S-1/3/4) has different suspense's and different "crisis times" for stuff. Don't make them try and put 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag.

Good Luck Sir and have some fun!

"Leadership is not a popularity contest but you don't have to be a jerk about shit."

Response by CPT Gary Jugenheimer made Aug 6 at 2016 11:03 AM

2016-08-06T11:03:00-04:00

Personally CPT Foster I believe the first question you need to address is your passion and desire to succeed in the NG/Reserve as an officer.....once you have confirmed that you are serious about your future as on officer you now have a focus that will help you to keep on track as to what is necessary and what might not be so necessary to your success and the success of others under your command.....you will find that not 100% of those in your unit share the same desire of success and will be a hindrance in your efforts to perform the assigned mission....you need a frank discussion with your AGR to determine his/her level of commitment to the unit's success and work with them so that both of you continue to gain respect and trust for each other and work together......once you have established your role, you can now begin to organize and plan to be in agreement with the mission and plans of the Battalion and it's leadership.....if you do not keep abreast of the demands and wishes of those above you, you will not be able to successfully have your unit contribute as part of that larger unit.....being a leader is difficult under any circumstance, but when the commander is unable to clearly define the mission to those in his/her command and define what is expected the mission will fail....you are not alone, fortunately you have senior NCO's and others that will help you if you ask for it and show them that their help is appreciated and their ideas are implemented....just to talk with no positive result or action will quickly be recognized as lip service and you will lose respect and trust......I believe that if you apply some of the aforementioned ideas you will be better able to organize your time and find that the job is less difficult than you might have assumed.....there are no quick solutions to anything worthwhile....we all have to find our own way, but please remember....there are many that want to help and contribute and these are the people you should seek out....best wishes and success in your search....reaching out in this forum is an indication of your desire to succeed!

Response by LTC Tim Ellis made Aug 10 at 2016 9:57 AM

2016-08-10T09:57:03-04:00

all good advice from previous posts, especially maximum utilization of your AGRs and NCOs in the unit. A technique that paid dividends was to take some time during the month to spend at the armory with your AGR staff, take care of most if not all admin stuff so you can spend time on the weekend commanding the unit and mentoring. I also met with my PLs on Friday night to review the training plans/OPORDs, get briefbacks and do some table top rehearsals. Best of luck to you in your command, it's a great opportunity and a time I look back on fondly.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 15 at 2016 3:55 PM

2016-08-15T15:55:41-04:00

Great comments from all. I didn't have any AGRs or even a UA so make sure you prioritize. This is what one of my mentor's told me once. "There are too many things to do to get all of them done. It's your job to decide what doesn't get done."