What is the ONE thing EVERY young Officer must know?

Be nice to the enlisted folks, their the backbone of the service!

Technically and Tactically competent in your specific job duties; learn as much as you can on the job!

Dealing with Plt Cmdr/Plt Sgt Relationships:

Trust me. In my mind, if you fail, I fail.

Don't ever talk down to me. I have earned my place among Marines and will assist you in earning yours.

Tell me when I piss you off, it is not my intent to ever piss you off or humiliate you, but when I do I have a correction coming.

Hold me accountable, you can bet your ass I will hold you accountable.

We are a team. Never disagree with me in front of the troops. That is for behind closed doors. I will help you develop the plan, but in front of the boys, it is your plan and I am there to support you in implementing it.

Re-post from: https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/senior-ncos-psgs-what-qualities-and-actions-do-you-look-for-in-a-young-lt?urlhash=990065

I'll throw this out there, since it hasn't been said yet (at least that I saw reading through the comments) Know your troops. Unfortunately, not every NCO is squared away. Learn who to trust and who not to trust. Think for yourself, while leaning on those you trust.

I'll piggyback on that Capt Richard I P.. Learn everything you can, whenever you can, yes. But don't go into your unit with the mentality that you must know everything beforehand. Your Soldiers know that you're new. Surprise them with your knowledge, but do not couple it with arrogance.

NEVER START A SENTENCE WITH "Back in ROTC..." to an E-7.

Know what is truly important to your Soldiers. Some new 2LT's care a lot about if their soldiers or PSG like them. It does not matter if your Soldiers like you, the only real question is have you made them more proficient as warfighters. One 1SG put it to me, "Friendership is not Leadership" balance your orders against the common sense of your NCO's, there are times when you are going to need to do something your Platoon Sergeant doesn't think is right for the platoon - but you know must be done.

These were the most challenging times as a junior 2LT, having to make a decision that was opposite what a Senior NCO wanted to do. Fail to do something in order to maintain a relationship with an NCO and you will bear the consequences. NCO's have been at this long enough, they know if you make a decision and applied logic and empathy towards the Soldier they will forgive short-term heartache - but don't lose any sleep if they don't. Your position is to lead soldiers, not cradle them. Your soldiers will come to respect you if they work hard and more importantly, get results and not if you are popular and easy on them.

Know what is truly important to the Commander. Your Commander might be the shouting, unforgiving and vulgar type - you owe it to him to toe the line when you mess up and develop his vision for the Company. He can be the biggest a*hole you've ever met, you also need to stand up to him and give recommendations for alternate COA's if you think the current one is no good. Own the decision he makes. You don't want your NCO's to say "LT wants us to load the truck up...", "LT says we have to do this right now..." so don't be the "Commander says we will have to do...." guy.

Your ability as a 2LT to make recommendations to your commander, instead of being a yes man, will pay dividends when you are a 1LT as an XO or on a Staff.

Capt Richard I P.

I have read all the comments and agree with most of them.

The ONE thing that I think every young officer should know is that he/she is a "young officer" and, therefore, has a lot to learn and experience.

Simply pinning on that bar or epaulet does not make you automatically correct. Learn from your peers, superiors and subordinates. Ask questions, be attentive and approachable, take prudent risks, and strive to be the best you can be in any endeavor. Take care of your soldiers and they will take care of you.

In my opinion, let your NCOs groom you and show you the ropes, when it comes to training. Leadership is a organizational tool that must implement unit oriented goals. " Like the old saying goes, a hardheaded makes a soft heart." Train to lead, lead to train" FM 6-22, Army Leadership is always a good start point"
https://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm6-22.pdf

Too many one things, so I guess I will settle with this one.........Before giving an order remember you are not the one that carries it out, consider the ones who see that the mission is accomplished in the quickest and best way and bare that responsibility. Experience is the best teacher.