What is the ONE thing EVERY young Officer must know?

There are several things-taking care of your people is at the top. That doesn't mean being their buddy-a typical j.o. mistake. It means seeing that their needs are met, often before yours-food shelter, gear, etc. Being MATURE is another. Sometimes the j.o.s are very young-I was a 21 y/o 2dLT long before I was in USN-you have to learn and watch and be quiet. Sr NCO's/CPO's -if you're lucky you'll get some good ones. Seek them out. Sometimes E-5s and E-6s are a LOT more willing to share knowledge and give guidance-AND HELP YOU! (I found that often). Keep your own counsel-be very careful at social gatherings and other things. You are "ON" all the time. Watch what you say about your seniors. I learned to NEVER criticize them-most were very unforgiving and very vain-even suggestions offered in the best spirit were often rebuffed. Treat everyone with respect-most will respond in kind. The others-either they're on their way out the door, or you should limit your contact with them as much as possible.

A retired Army O-6 once told me: "There are those who get ahead by pinning 'gold stars' on other people, and then there are those who get ahead by pinning 'brown stars' on other people. You need to decide which kind of person you want to be."

Probably the most important thing I can think of is to take care of your people. Hold them accountable but help them learn as they go. Get to know them a bit (family/relationship situation) and then find out what motivates them. You can be friendly but you cannot be their friend. When they have an issue do your best to help them fix it. If you can't fix it (or help them find a solution) know who to go to that can help them. If you take care of them they will take care of you. The corollary to this is realize that not all your people will have the same level of motivation. You can't save their career if they are hell bent on destroying it. You can't want them to be successful more than them and if they don't want to be successful do your best by them and then realize that sometimes they just need to fail on their own so they will learn a lesson. In 30 years of service I have had only 2 Sailors quit on me. I don't get it but it was their choice not mine. I made sure they had the tools they needed and the knowledge to implement the plan but they just wouldn't do it.

Drink the kool aid and whatever job you do....do it well.

The men respect your rank. You must earn their respect.

Listen to your NCOs. But, if you are smart enough to ask this question, you probably already know this.

Thank you for leading,
Tim

Things will not get better on their own. Senior leadership do not always make the right decisions and junior officers should voice their concerns, even in ignorance. If you are thought to be lacking in knowledge of awareness then that is a criticism of the service trailing and preparation of its officers. It should not be done with disrespect but it should be raised, especially in professional journals. Sponsor your own discussion groups and invite seniors to visit and speak, and listen. If it has to be raised in anonymity, that's a bad sign. A suppression of open discussion, especially criticisms from the 0-1 to 0-4 ranks, resulted in very serious problems in WWII for the British (armor) and Americans while the Germans and, surprisingly the French, were much tolerant of questioning and respectful dissent by juniors.

Listen and learn from the enlisted. Even the e3

Know your people before anything else. Talk with and get to know your NCO's. They need to know that you will hear them. If they learn that you support them (not talking about going easy on training!) they will have your back also. Always remember that there is always more to learn and you can get that education from your troops.
Thank the Lord if you get a good SNCO for your first go around!

It is not about you. It is about your people. If they aren't able to do their jobs, you haven't done yours.