What are the most important qualities to becoming a successful Army Officer?

Cadet PVT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 21:42:07 -0400

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 7 at 2016 10:52 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 22:52:02 -0400

Cadet PVT Private RallyPoint Member Great question! As an NCO, I appreciated officers that would listen and learn from their NCO's and Staff NCO's. Good officers will look out for the welfare of their men. A rule that applies to everyone is to learn from your mistakes. You will make mistakes, just don't make the same mistake twice.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Sep 7 at 2016 10:58 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 22:58:50 -0400

The wisdom to listen to the NCOs who learned things the hard way, the ability to balance the politics of officer life with the welfare of your troops, and a supply officer that knows where the excess property is stashed come inventory time.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2016 10:56 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 10:56:15 -0400

To understand that while your position puts you in a place of authority, as a new Officer all you know is what you have learned in school. Trust in that senior NCOs and Officers will mentor you into the Officer you want to be. Never be so arrogant to think that you cannot learn from an enlisted Soldier and don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2016 11:43 AM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 11:43:58 -0400

Having and listening to a couple of good NCOs

Response by MAJ Mark Wilson made Sep 8 at 2016 1:02 PM

MAJ Mark Wilson — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 13:02:50 -0400

The ability to learn and be humble. All of these NCOs on here are dead on. I had a Platoon Sergeant tell me when I was a young 2LT "Sir, you are down here for a year, maybe two (at platoon level), some of us are down here our whole careers." Ever seen a platoon function without a PL? I have, quite well. The NCO hated all the meetings, but they got it done. Knowledge is critical, but practical application is where it is at. You gotta be able to tell the difference between someone you need to seek advice from and not to seek advice from. Learn from your mistakes and those around you. Stay out of the RED.

Response by ENS Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2016 10:15 PM

ENS Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 22:15:20 -0400

#1 - Always speak with confidence.

Prepare as much as you can. Stick by your word and by your decisions, but be humble enough to admit when you're wrong. Show interest in those you command and speak with your troops everyday. Never get too busy to give your troops some of your time. Make time to PT - it is important. If you can't cut it, how do you think your troops view you as a leader? Keep your composure - you are a professional always. There is never any reason to lose your temper. Rodger up to your mistakes and the mistakes of your troops - when your E1 makes a mistake and goes directly against what you said, it is still your responsibility. Once you learn to accept what may initially seem "unfair" life will be easier. Look out for your troops and be a supporter of liberty! There's no real reason to have your troops doing nothing all day or making them do something just to do something. Do not go toe to toe with Senior NCOs - you may out rank them, but they know a lot more than you. If your SNCO is telling you that your decision or idea is a bad one, figure out why. There's probably good reason they disagree with you. Always remember that YOU give commands. "You guys need to do this because the COL told me we needed to get it done." - WRONG move. Even when giving orders you don't agree with, they are YOUR orders - not the orders of your COL. When you must discipline someone, do so fairly and with a SNCO present. Your SNCO should discipline your troops, but if it gets to your level, remember the above.

You will have good days. You will have bad days. You will have REALLY bad days. You, as the OIC, need to keep it professional, stay strong, and be a leader in the face of your troops. You can break down, you can scream, you can lose it - but do so behind a closed door.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 9 at 2016 3:08 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 15:08:12 -0400

Seek out and carefully consider the advice of your NCOs. But do not automatically defer to their position. You must come to your own conclusions and make your own decisions. You are the Platoon Leader, not the Platoon Mascot. You must have the courage to go with what you believe is the best course of action even if it doesn't match your NCOs. When things go badly, no one will want to hear "but SFC X said this". You are the one responsible for everything your Platoon does and fails to do.

You will never learn to evaluate options and make tough decisions if you simply do everything your NCOs recommend. Plus, the truth is that while there are great NCOs, there are also average ones and poor ones. Just take a look at this forum and all the threads about standards not being enforced by NCOs, NCOs failing PT tests, soldiers not knowing how to do basic tasks, etc to see that you very well may not be walking into a perfect situation. Often your NCOs will test you to see if you are willing to uphold standards or let things slide.

I learned a great deal from my first PLT SGt and squad leaders, most of whom were VN vets. But there were certainly times when I had to hold their feet to the fire as well, and some I had to discipline.

So listen, seek advice, but go with what your head and gut tell you is best. And sometimes you will be wrong. Then own it, and learn from your mistake. Ultimately, you should never go with a decision you are not comfortable standing up to the company commander and say "yes, sir, I made that decision and felt it was the right thing to do" no matter whether the result was sucess or failure.

Response by 1SG Dave Carello made Mar 23 at 2018 9:14 AM

1SG Dave Carello — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 09:14:49 -0400

Know yourself, know your men, know your formations. Also, LISTEN to your NCO's Those are the voice of experience of the Army. The NCO's will set you up for success if you are willing to listen.