What can I do at my level to fix a toxic environment?

2021-08-29T11:45:09-04:00

I have been trying my unit for little over 2 months now and the moral and work environment is so low. My main concern is the health and welfare of my soldiers first. Most of then have already talked to me about going to IG because they feel that the unit doesn't care about them as humans. This unit is by far the worst I have seen with a fraternization problem, disregards to profiles and other regulations, time taken from family members because of poor planning or organization. I can't stop a soldier from going to IG but I also feel like I can't properly help the soldiers. I know some time you have to suck it up but when something is wrong I cant just sit back if there is a way to fix it.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Aug 29 at 2021 11:58 AM

2021-08-29T11:58:14-04:00

RP serves many needs, but soliciting answers to questions such as this must be at the top of the list. Thank you for reminding us.
I had a couple of minor incidents as a butter bar and was ill equipped to handle them. We spent a helluva lot of time in OCS learning weapons and tactics, but little about leadership. Those were lessons that would come with experience (usually the consequences of mistakes) and observing others. The fact that you've come here looking for answers gives me the impression that you haven't had any luck garnering wisdom and support from your superiors (or that you've hidden the problem from them - don't!)
Toxicity grows in quiet. You must acknowledge it and deal with it openly and honestly. "What we have here is a failure to communicate" is oft quoted from the movie Cool Hand Luke because it is so relevant.
There's little more I can offer without knowing more, however I will offer one last comment that may or may not apply. Your job as a leader is to provide your subordinates with the training, equipment, and clear direction they need to perform their mission effectively. They will work for you just as hard as you work for them. If they perceive that you are failing in your duty, the result may be perceived as a toxic environment

Response by SFC Robert Walton made Aug 29 at 2021 12:46 PM

2021-08-29T12:46:34-04:00

If you think you have found Toxic leadership then by now you should know where and at what level that is happening at. That is the level you would need to work on to stop the problems that exist. Now i must tell you at this point i am a person that is hard to believe Toxic Leadership exist. Now if you truely have a issue of Toxic Leadership you will generally find a lack of communications at some level in the COC that is the hill you have to climb.
Examples is TEAM LEADER /SQD LEADER This level is pretty easy to fix by talking to those individual Leaders and if you get a lot of flak go to the Platoon SGT and have a chat. If it is a the Platoon Level Then you have to approach the Platoon SGT if that becomes a stopper then get the Platoon leader involved on and on up the COC. Now if you find that it seems you are fighting a loosing battle you may just want to let the Soldiers go to the IG.

Now with that said it has been misfortune to find out a large part of what has the Nick-Name (toxic leadership) is in fact A communication problem between the Soldiers and The Leadership that does not Garner IG level involvement. It does require communications between the most junior leaders and the next level of the COC. Some times it is just a lack of a posted Training schedule. Good luck and Tread Wisely.

Response by SSG Brian G. made Aug 29 at 2021 12:57 PM

2021-08-29T12:57:05-04:00

You fix what you can, as you can. But realize, take it to heart that you cannot fix the entire situation. Take care of your soldiers. Listen to them, show that you care and take the steps that you normally would were it any other unit. You make sure that you are part of the solution rather than the problem.

If there is fraternization you do your best to make sure that it is not happening with any of your soldiers. If a soldier under you has a profile you make sure that they know how to handle that situation and to speak up when the boundaries of it are stepped over. You do your best as far as planning going but understand you cannot fix the entire unit. Document, document, document and have your soldiers do the same. Sometimes you don't need to stop a soldier from going to the IG, you need to encourage it.

Response by SGT Herbert Bollum made Aug 29 at 2021 1:03 PM

2021-08-29T13:03:38-04:00

It depends on how far up the chain is toxic. If only in company unit, a letter to the Battalion commander could work (when sending/taking it in be sure you show cc: to IG). I did that and got immediate results without it ever getting to the IG.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 29 at 2021 1:40 PM

2021-08-29T13:40:00-04:00

#climatesurvey

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Aug 29 at 2021 5:00 PM

2021-08-29T17:00:27-04:00

It isn't about them. It is about the unit and the mission. When your soldiers take more pride in the unit than their individual wants you will have something

Response by 1st Lt Padre Dave Poedel made Aug 29 at 2021 5:59 PM

2021-08-29T17:59:20-04:00

I am not kidding when I add: PRAY to the other excellent responses here.

Response by SPC Aisha Umar made Aug 29 at 2021 9:48 PM

2021-08-29T21:48:07-04:00

There is a way to fix it. It’s by demanding that the people around live up to certain values. If you ignore the little things they will get bigger. Check out my podcast and try to apply them to your circumstances. Look into hordan Peterson as well, he has some good answers. Subscribe and help spread the word.
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Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 29 at 2021 10:17 PM

2021-08-29T22:17:02-04:00

You take care of your troops. You take the bullshit sabot rounds coming their way. If they want to go to IG, let them.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 29 at 2021 10:24 PM

2021-08-29T22:24:07-04:00

You can fix moral issues at your level - as in your squad/section but for overall unit issues, you have to have it come from the top down. If your senior leaders aren't stepping up to fix the issues, then it may take trips to the IG to get them fixed if senior leaders won't do their jobs.

Response by SSG Dale London made Aug 30 at 2021 7:14 AM

2021-08-30T07:14:49-04:00

Depending on how high the rot goes, you could try talking to either the BN CSM (risky) or the chaplain (less risky but with limited scope).
In either case, as a conscientious NCO your biggest challenge will be resisting the temptation to sink to the level of those around you and stop caring because nobody else does. The second biggest challenge will be to resist the temptation to side with your troops in anything and everything. Just because you are in a toxic environment it does not mean that you are not responsible for the good order and discipline of your subordinates. Disrespect, insubordination and insolence will be rife but you cannot allow infractions like these to pass without response.
This is when being a good NCO can really suck: when you feel a troop is justified in expressing dissatisfaction but you have to crack down because he expressed it in a way that crosses the line.
As a Non-Commissioned Officer in the US Army you have a responsibility to your troops, yes. But you also have a responsibility to your Unit and your Nation. Remember what you swore to defend and why the army exists at all. Then act accordingly. Yours is the face you have to look at in the mirror every morning. If you find yourself avoiding your own eyes, you are in serious trouble.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Aug 30 at 2021 10:08 AM

2021-08-30T10:08:57-04:00

First step is to identify the real problems. Soldiers like to complain about things, but that doesn't mean it isn't something that needs solutions. Here would be my approach. You have been there a bit, long enough to see how they perform, so I would sit down in a face to face counselling session with each soldier and tell them your expectations, what you have seen has their strong points and weaknesses, and to get their opinion of what is wrong, both personally and professionally, and what they think should be done. Make sure they understand that counselling is not punitive. I assume that your people are E-4 or below and that the UCMJ is Article 15. That should be in their local file if it has been under two years, I would read those just to have a bit of background. I would talk to my Platoon Sgt, First Sgt. and CSM about the situation and their opinion of problems and solutions.
That's the easy part. Then you need to list what is under your control and what isn't, and prioritize the things that need fixed. Pay, Promotion and Family issues should be at the top of the list. You can't fix a pay problem, but you can make sure that soldier gets to finance and make sure his problem is fixed, if he hasn't promoted, get with the readiness NCO and find out why. If they need schools, again, hit the Readiness NCO up and get them scheduled.
We each have to develop our method of leading, but make sure they understand the mission, make sure that they have been trained to actually perform it, then inspect or evaluate when it's done. If they don't know their jobs, then it's your job to teach them. You don't have to be a hard ass to be strict, but it is easier in the long run to enforce the rules as long as they are enforced evenly across the board.

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Aug 30 at 2021 11:22 AM

2021-08-30T11:22:22-04:00

There are a few things to point out.

1) Your job is *not* to stop a Soldier from going to IG. Remember that the IG's purpose is to make sure that regs are being followed. That's it. If you have a shitty Commander, but they are shitty BY THE BOOKS, IG does nothing. If the Commander is NOT going by the books (e.g. violating profiles) then this will be pointed out for correction - to the Commander AND his/her boss. No one should fear IG. Your job, as far as IG goes is to give Soldiers free access, and to make sure YOU are not hemmed up, by always doing the right thing.

2) Be the change you wish to see. If you want Soldiers to be treated with respect, do it. If you want Soldiers' morale to go up, do team building exercises. Etc. In a company of horribly unmotivated Soldiers, the team that is MILDLY motivated are superstars. And they will soon realize it and feel it, which will start a positive spiral where they become more motivated, making them stand out more, motivating them more, etc.

3) Serenity prayer: accept the things you cannot change, change the things you can, and know the difference. As a SGT, what you can fix is small. But fix what you can. Help your team understand this, too. As a junior Soldier and even a junior leader, one of my biggest frustrations was my inability to fix problems that were out of my sphere of influence. I was banging my head against a brick wall and pissed off that I was having headaches. Understand which walls are brick (useless to fight), which are glass (can be broken through, but not without substantial risk) and which have a door (fully within your ability to fix). If you understand this, and can help your Soldiers understand this, it will *not* magically make the shitty stuff less shitty. But it *will* allow you to focus on solveable problems to make *those* leas shitty, which is still an overall improvement.

4) Remember that everyone has a boss. And almost all of those bosses have an open door policy. Use it wisely and sparingly. But do not be afraid to use it if it is the only way to get results.

5) Personal story time: I got two article 15s as a young Soldier. The first one saw me re-assigned to the A&T Platoon. Technically Ammo and Trans, but commonly refered to as Ass and Trash. Mostly fat-bodies, PT failures, and UCMJs. We had one dynamic NCO who refused to let us be Ass and Trash, made us meet standards, and, most importantly, GAVE A FUCK. He "fixed" many a "broken" Soldier. Shortly after I left that Platoon, fully "rehabilitated" and back on the line, I was the Division Soldier of the Year. And I went on to make SFC, do 20 years, and retire. Never underestimate how much of a difference one good NCO can make in a world of shit.

6) Personal story time, part 2: After that, I got my stripes, became a team leader, and then a squad leader. My squad was the misfits of the Company. The ones who did *not* want to go get drunk at the strip club every weekend or own a personal arsenal or spend every waking moment at the gym. I mean, it was hard to even call them Infantrymen, really. But they had a squad leader who trained them hard, believed in them, and, most importantly, focused on who they were and what they *could* do, rather than what they *didn't* do. When the BN ran a squad competition, we were the top organic squad in the BN (we came in 2nd, because two platoons combined and picked the top 8 to compete as their "squad" out of their pool of about 55). If you can find and capitalize on strengths, even a bunch of misfits can shine.

Response by SSG Bill McCoy made Aug 30 at 2021 1:26 PM

2021-08-30T13:26:16-04:00

You may have already tried, but the first route I'd take is to consult, buddy-up and try to solve at lease SOME of the issues at you and your peer's level. Fraternization was NOT a big deal when I was in the Army, unlike my Navy days. It was a bit of a shock but somehow everything gelled except with one unit's Provost Marshal whose leadership was abysmal ... no, it was non-existent.
Anyhow, if you can get your peers on board, even one or two, an work to end the fraternization which in today's Army breeds conflicts and issues such as perceived favortism. Failing that, you can help YOUR subordinates by being as fair as possible, as firm as practical and BACK THEM UP when they have legitimate issues. My mantra was, "Shit rolls downhill ... and my job is to spread it evenly and give everyone an equal bucket full." It was also discarding a lot of shit, never letting it soil my troops or affect their morale. If someone has concerns that are really not an issue, but just his/her perception of things, try to convince them of what's actual fact versus BS.
Stand up for your soldiers ... that alone goes a long way for the moral of YOUR subordinates. Hopefully, other NCO's will take notice that you can raise the morale of your soldiers and follow your lead. It's very tough as a buck sergeant, especially if your immediate supervisor is part of the problem with fraternizing and morale issues. You'll probably encounter that one or two subordinates whose relationship with your supervisor undermines your efforts. Follow Regs and unit SOP's to the letter and DOCUMENT everything that you can. Still, if your supervisor is part of the problem, you'll have to work all the harder to get him/her on board.
Finally, don't encourage anyone going to the IG, but IF they do, be prepared to do the right thing either in supporting them, or refuting their claims. Remember, the IG's primary purpose is to review complaints and determie if their chain of command FOLLOWS REGULATIONS.

Response by GySgt Charles O'Connell made Sep 1 at 2021 10:58 AM

2021-09-01T10:58:12-04:00

Lead by example.

Response by SPC Steven Depuy made Sep 1 at 2021 11:15 AM

2021-09-01T11:15:24-04:00

Not sure what would and would not work. When I was part of HHC 1st Bde, 3AD 76-78, while not the same thing, from a racial point of view, we all got along, spent time together after hours. In 78, I went to CSC 2/32, and it was a different world. The whites, blacks, hispanics all hung together, and there was little interaction after hours between the races. I assume there was history with that, and new people coming in just did what those there already did? I would assume you just try to do the right thing for a period of time and hope over time you can change the culture?