What is the most significant thing you learned as a Commander?

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 19:52:44 -0400

I’ve asked this question to my previous leadership in preparation for my Command time, but I’m interested to hear from the RallyPoint crew.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2019 7:54 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 19:54:14 -0400

I learned that the commander has no real authority. Only purpose in the role is for blame.

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made Oct 24 at 2019 9:18 PM

LtCol Robert Quinter — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 21:18:13 -0400

If you take care of your people and keep your seniors up the line out of their business, your people will take care of you and make you look good

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 25 at 2019 2:07 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 14:07:37 -0400

Trust in your NCO's. Praise in public scold in private and try to be understanding to the younger Service members. I got lucky and had a very strong NCOIC I passed along what needed to be done and let the job get done . Supported the decisions they made and it made my 2 years fly by.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 26 at 2019 2:03 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 26 Oct 2019 14:03:18 -0400

Lay down on the couch and brainstorm your Commander's philosophy. Treat folks with dignity and respect for them, love the troops, have some fun, be a proponent of professional and personal growth, listen to the NCOs and if they have another COA input and the end result is equal then give them the power to change things which will give them buy in, use your TLPs, write simple and coherent OPORDs. We always gave soldiers comp time for working on the weekends which made it easy to find volunteers. If you want ideas to have fun, just ask me.

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Oct 26 at 2019 2:17 PM

SFC Casey O'Mally — Sat, 26 Oct 2019 14:17:21 -0400

Wasn't a Commander, but I played 1SG a number of times and spent plenty of time as a PSG. Number one thing I taught my LTs (and stressed to my CDR as a 1SG) is that a Commander COMMANDS. For both good and ill. You have the authority, use it. If you don't someone else WILL, and you will still be held accountable.

Response by LCDR Joshua Gillespie made Oct 28 at 2019 9:55 AM

LCDR Joshua Gillespie — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 09:55:59 -0400

Sounds trite... but take your time. There's always pressure; from higher, from peers, from subordinates. Most of the time, people remember the results... not how fast you move to failure. You certainly can't afford to be lethargic... but sometimes, taking an extra heartbeat to consider your options gets you further down the road more consistently, and professionally.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Oct 28 at 2019 12:00 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 12:00:23 -0400

Good advice already. I’ll add: Know where the bucks stop. Some stop at your NCO, some with your Ops Boss, some with your Skipper and SEL. Don’t ignore what is truly on your plate and don’t piss on another plate. Your authority either under lower case or Capital Command has limits. Stay within them, lest you create an up line problem. Second item. Make sure you are disposing of the dirt bags early. Make it happen. Good CoCs will jump in and support you if you’re properly doing your duty.

Response by CDR Keith Schnier made Oct 30 at 2019 4:58 PM

CDR Keith Schnier — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 16:58:02 -0400

Treat everyone in your command with respect.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2019 6:49 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 18:49:01 -0400

An often forgotten piece of commanding - your Soldiers have family members. You should have an FRG already going when you take command, but in either case, get some training as soon as possible (heck, before the change of command) from Army Community Service. Cranky family members lead to cranky Soldiers, which leads to even more problems.

Response by CDR Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2019 8:45 AM

CDR Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 08:45:22 -0400

You don’t know .. what you don’t know about. Meet with troops frequently to find out what’s going on with them and their buddies informally. It can save you from embarrassment when your boss asks you what’s up with snuffy and what have you done about it as a leader