What do you look for in a Command Sergeant Major?

CSM Carl Cunningham — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 19:54:29 -0400

I am interested in hearing from junior NCO's and Soldiers in what they expect from a CSM. How often do you expect to see them? What level of involvement do you expect to see? For Senior NCO's: How much involvement do you like to see, and it what areas would you like to see them involved in? Please state what type of unit you are from to give context to the involvement.

Response by CPT Scott Jewett made Jul 7 at 2019 9:55 PM

CPT Scott Jewett — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 21:55:16 -0400

I loved seeing my senior leadership around my AO. It showed me that they cared about my companies training and the Soldiers with in the company. Both as an Officer and an Enlisted I valued my CSM opinion. I however got lucky that as a PL my 1SG was my CSM as a Company Commander so we already had a great working relationship. I have also had senior leadership that I hardly saw and I didn’t care for that. Made me wonder if they never checked on training how they could verify personally that the BC training objectives were being met.

Response by CW4 Craig Urban made Jul 8 at 2019 9:20 AM

CW4 Craig Urban — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 09:20:51 -0400

Take care of the that PFC. Mentor him and if he wants to go to OCS give him or her the guidance.

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Jul 8 at 2019 12:23 PM

SFC Casey O'Mally — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 12:23:12 -0400

The two absolute biggest things I wanted from a CSM were consistency and follow thru. If you say maintenance is a priority, then I expect motor monday to be sacrosanct and you to be out there personally PMCSing (or supervisong the PMCS) of you vehicle. Every week. If you say that we are going to enforce tobacco rules, that means you don't dip, and you don't let your 1SGs dip, either - and you corrwct the BDE CSM when he brings his spit bottle to your BN. Every day.
If you say families are a priority, then you hold Commanders and 1SGs to their training schedules (to include your staff!) and get Soldiers home to their family. Every day.
Etc.

My biggest fristrations with CSMs always came, in one way or another, from a violation of one of those two basic tenets. Hypocrisy is a morale killer, and inconsistency is a major stressor for ALL subordinates.

Response by SGT Chris Stephens made Jul 8 at 2019 12:35 PM

SGT Chris Stephens — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 12:35:46 -0400

It was stated in another post, but if there is a directive put out by the commander, then the CSM and other senior NCOs should follow it as well. I can't tell you the number of times where I've seen CSMs and 1SGs have their own set of rules while requiring everyone else to follow another set of rules. If there's a no tobacco rule, then you shouldn't dip or smoke.

Response by SSG Jose M. Hernandezsanchez made Jul 9 at 2019 10:01 AM

SSG Jose M. Hernandezsanchez — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 10:01:59 -0400

My number one thing I always talked about is to care about your Soldiers. That means go visit them at their units, or even while deployed. I know sometimes is difficult to go and visit them in areas or locations are not easy to access. I say this because we all know about sensing sessions when Soldiers are hesitant to express their concerns, why? Because they barely see the leadership. Even the NCO Creed says it in black and white, "I know my Soldiers, I will always place their needs above my own". The only way to know your Soldiers is by spending time with them, talk to them, even correcting them. If you don't do that as a leader, you're just a picture on the wall. This is why I made it my mission to go see the guys at other FOBs while on deployments, and they will remember that.

Response by CW2 Michael Bodnar made Jul 9 at 2019 12:56 PM

CW2 Michael Bodnar — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 12:56:52 -0400

CSM Carl Cunningham Thank you for posting this and asking the hard questions. When I was an NCO, I valued input from my CSM. He would often come around pulling the NCO's aside to see what they were working on and then he would dive in and assist us with what we were doing. He would often hold impromptu NCOPD sessions while we were working. He expressed the importance of leadership and gave us history lessons of great leaders before our time. From a Warrant's perspective, don't discount what we have to offer and what we bring to the table. Remember, we came from the NCO ranks and we see both sides of the playing field. Keep the Warrants close to you because the troops come to us for council and advice on many different topics. It also helps to see that everyone, including senior leadership, is held to the same standards. Far to many times have I seen SGM's and CSM's disappearing for long periods of time only to show up at the last second. Show your troops that you're willing to work just as hard as they do to get the job done. Be that approachable leader and that father figure some of these young troops need. Lastly, be that sounding voice for your troops. If something seems crazy, bring it up to the boss especially if it affects the soldiers at the lowest levels. I hope that helps you out.