What helped you as a newly appointed PSG? Things you wish you would have known sooner? Any advice or tips?

2025-03-10T21:29:33-04:00

I have 5 days of experience as a squad leader and was appointed PSG this past weekend. I am excited and nervous to take on this role, but I will adapt. I have a lot to learn and am ready to put the work in to establish myself as a valuable PSG.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2025 9:59 PM

2025-03-10T21:59:22-04:00

Mentorship, advice and guidance from other PSGs and the 1SG

Response by SGM William Everroad made Mar 11 at 2025 9:24 AM

2025-03-11T09:24:54-04:00

SGT Private RallyPoint Member My first advice is always, "Do the best you can with what you know now; until you know better, then do better.

Then the usual suspects:
1. Own your Platoon, its achievements and its shortcomings. Know the measures of success (according to the CDR) and work to improve them. Celebrate the wins with your Soldiers. Take the blame for its shortcomings by understanding where you could have better prepared yourself or your leaders. Failure in training is an opportunity for growth, make this culture acceptable.
2. Empower your junior leaders. Just like the CDR should support disciplined initiative and lead through intent, so should you. Unless a task is steeped in doctrine, let the junior leaders figure the "how to get it done".
3. In the same vein, don't put your leaders in a position to fail without you. Brief, Train, Rehearse, execute. While you assess and provide feedback every step of the way.
4. The PSG is the PLT's master trainer for all tasks (warrior and MOS), skill levels 1- 4. If you are not an SME, get there. If your junior leaders are not SME (in SL 1-3) get them there.
5. If training your PLT to execute their mission is Job #1, taking care of your Soldiers is Job #1a. Understand "taking care of Soldiers" means YOU: get them fed, get them the equipment they are supposed to have, get them paid, get them leave, get them recognition, get them promoted, hold them to account for wins and shortcomings.

6. Never stop developing yourself. Read. Find out the BDE CDR's reading list. read leadership books. Your leadership style is still evolving, but inundating yourself with information will give you options and provoke thought and conversation with yourself, your peers, and your rater / senior rater / mentors.
7. take classes. Take a look at the Army Leadership Requirements Model. Build capability in communication, conflict resolution, change management.
8. Build your network. Establish positive relationships with the company and Battalion Staff, other Platoon Sergeants, CMF SMEs, base POCs. These are resources that can provide mutual aid in a pinch and generally make your life a little easier for routine BS and a connected Army is an Army that moves more efficiently.

9. Be visible. Soldiers need to an example to follow, in the absence of a good one, they will follow their favorite, and sometimes that isn't you. Make it easy for them to communicate with you and your junior leadership. If you are not accessible, you won't know about issues until they become operational corrosives.
10. Adopt a zero-tolerance policy for anything that is a detriment to the health, welfare, and safety of your Soldiers. You are the shield to their wellbeing. You must be resilient. But there is also "acceptable risk". Ensure you understand the CDR's risk assumption authority and how to mitigate as much as possible.

Response by SGT Aaron Atwood made Mar 11 at 2025 10:18 AM

2025-03-11T10:18:13-04:00

1) Value the leadership concept of delegation. As a squad leader you were in charge of x-people. Technically you're in charge of more now, but you should have less people now who answer directly to you.

2) Trust your squad leaders and provide them guidance, but also don't be afraid to tell them you don't have an answer if you don't. Same goes for anyone in said squads. Subordinates can smell when you're lying before you finished said lie.

3) Follow up with your squad leaders and any under them who have issues that stand out. You don't have to necessarily ask for details that aren't relevant, but inquiring on the general status of any issues can show that you do care (which I'm sure you already do).

4) Kind of with #2 always tell the truth no matter how politically incorrect it is. Six different units in, and I've received far more respect than disrespect for doing this.

5) Get superiors involved only as needed. As the SpecOps saying goes: if you can minimize the threat you do so. If you can't minimize the threat you call in someone/something that can.

6) Don't forget your role as a Sergeant of Soldiers, and that you were given a billet with which you can serve them even better than as a squad leader.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 11 at 2025 12:38 PM

2025-03-11T12:38:09-04:00

I would add a few point. I was in the guard for 10 years.

1. Know what is expected of you. One of the my favorite phases is "Confirm what you think and know what you don't." In the Guard people do things the Guard way. That is good to know but you are still a leader that needs to know the right. Don't burn down the barn when you find issues but try to be a solution giver rather than a problem finder.

2. Mentor your Soldiers. Ask them what they want out of the Army. Help them find that. If they want to go to Ranger School then give find someone that can help them if you can't. If they want to run faster then maybe you can run with them. Build your team to be the team everyone wishes they have.

3. Know what you are talking about. Know the systems. You need to know what EES and ERS is. You need to know what DTMS is and how to check on your Soldiers there. If they tell you that it is not your job then you are seeing the "Guard way" and not the leader way.

4. Find a mentor that can mentor you. I remember when I was a Squad Leader in the Guard, I was in a support platoon as an infantryman. The PSG didn't really know how to mentor me. He wasn't a bad leader but you just don't know how to mentor others that may be on a different pay. Find a leader that can mentor you or build a team of mentors.

Response by SFC Jo Ann Klawitter made Mar 12 at 2025 9:32 AM

2025-03-12T09:32:03-04:00

Go for it, girl
My recruiter told me to volunteer for everything so I did

Response by SFC Jo Ann Klawitter made Mar 12 at 2025 9:34 AM

2025-03-12T09:34:42-04:00

Whatever CSM Everroad said I believe is totally right

Response by A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney made Mar 12 at 2025 12:36 PM

2025-03-12T12:36:24-04:00

A Lifetime In Business And Management Tells Me
"You'd Not Been Given That Positing Unless You'd Already Been Considered
Qualified For It". ~ And No Matter What You Do, Nor How Well You Do It,
There Will Always Be More To Learn, So Take The Position And Do Your Best,
It's All You CAN Do And All Of What's Expected OF You.

Response by SGT Ruben Lozada made Mar 12 at 2025 8:27 PM

2025-03-12T20:27:58-04:00

Good afternoon SGT Private RallyPoint Member. Excellent post. Thanks for sharing this. I don't have a solid answer as I was never a PSG. I did have the opportunity to be a TL and SL when I was active duty and reserves. Being in a PSG spot can be challenging and difficult at times, but can be done.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2025 2:28 PM

2025-03-13T14:28:45-04:00

From the officer's side I'd say this: try to form a partnership with your Platoon Leader. Get together immediately and discuss expectations and what his/her priorities are. Communicate regularly and work together. That doesn't mean you won't disagree - the PL needs your candid assessments of, well, just about everything. Do that in private and support each other in public. Your roles are complimentary, not adversarial! Good Luck!!

Response by 1SG Alan Boggs made Apr 9 at 2025 3:02 PM

2025-04-09T15:02:05-04:00

I recomend Joko Willnicks book such as The dichotomy of leadership and Leadership stradegies and tactics. The second one, Leadership Tactics and Strategy is laid out in a way that you can pick the topic you want to revisit from a menu. These are great books with lots of insights for both military and civilian leaders.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2025 11:56 AM

2025-07-29T11:56:47-04:00

Your job as a PSG is to break down the commanders METL and priority tasks specific to your platoon. This means managing people. You should not be the main workhorse doing the supporting tasks for each mission, you are the overhead supervisor who guides efforts of others doing the work and ensuring it happens on a timeline to make mission. You are responsible to develop NCOs. Teach them how to mentor junior soldiers and challenge them to grow. If you have a charismatic NCO in your formation, then challenge them to develop programs and processes that improve the platoons efficiency. If you have an administratovely savvy NCO, challenge them to take ownership of a specific soldier and mentor and coach that Soldier. By broadening everyone's experiences, you can make a more effective team. When it comes crunch time, you can rely on their expertise in their best matched tasks but when the workload slows a bit, help them become an even more valuable asset. Provide the experience to your PL. They will lead the platoon but you often have more of the system knowledge of the Army due to time and opportunity. Be that advisor to them so they focus on prioritizing tasks and planning why you manage execution. You should be close to your PL, I personally would do a weekly lunch with mine and allow us to understand each other more fully while also having time to discuss issues or future goals for the platoon. If you are unsure, be in your 1SGs hip pocket. You should be seeking to learn his responsibilities and leveraging his knowledge and experience. Once you understand their job, you can start anticipating their requests and be preparatory instead of reactionary. Do jot forget to take time to develop yourself (schools, civ ed); it is very easy to get caught up in all of the taskings and mentorship you are providing and neglect to seek your own opportunities for growth. Finally,
and maybe most importantly, you will fail and make mistakes. Own them and see them as an opportunity to grow and become better.