Posted on Jan 18, 2015
What is the ONE thing EVERY young Officer must know?
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There's been quite a few discussions about how clueless young Lieutenants (and Ensigns) are when they hit the Operating Forces (and we often are). Here it is: your chance to publicly and permanently record the one topic you think is the most critical for us to know when we step in at your unit. With some luck, maybe those young officers will read it here and have the epiphany they need privately and everyone will be better off for it.
So hit it: let all the experience of the RP community be brought to bear: immediately after commissioning what's the ONE thing every O-1 must know ?
(Just so no one gets hurt feelings, lets say you're telling this guy here-but before his promotion and deployment in the photo-I cant find any pics from commissioning.)
So hit it: let all the experience of the RP community be brought to bear: immediately after commissioning what's the ONE thing every O-1 must know ?
(Just so no one gets hurt feelings, lets say you're telling this guy here-but before his promotion and deployment in the photo-I cant find any pics from commissioning.)
Platoon Commander
Officer
Leadership Development
Junior Officers
Edited 11 y ago
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 182
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Listen to your senior enlisted (E7,8,9) they will steer you down the right path. They have "been there, done that" and have already learned the rules of the road, made the mistakes, and suffered the penalty. Listen to they are trying to keep you on the straight and narrow.
Praise in public, censure in private.
Praise in public, censure in private.
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Suspended Profile
Just because you do not have a formal degree does not mean you are stupid or uneducated. ..... Remember junior enlisted folks are usually folks looking to better themselves and probably joined, at least in part, for the educational opportunities. Also remember the senior enlisted leadership tier has a higher percentage of personnel with post graduate degrees in it than the officer corps (at least in the AF at last report I read 2010). Also remember that not everyone is cut out for formal education but it does not define their intelligence.....as is posted above someday you many need to read a map or some other old school skill....and guess who you're gonna have to turn to.
Anyway apart from that I would say remember to always to be fair....and that every exception you make to the rules defines your future so pick and chose them carefully.
Anyway apart from that I would say remember to always to be fair....and that every exception you make to the rules defines your future so pick and chose them carefully.
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Be able to read a map!! Nothing makes a NCO more pissed than an officer that can't find his way. It also puts doubt into the minds of the enlisted. If he can't even read a map what else does he know nothing about? Just my 2 cents.
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Capt Richard I P.
SGT William Howell Point very well taken. What else is an officer for if not for map reading, planning, order writing and communicating with higher?
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sry meant to post on original.
SGT William Howell
Capt Richard I P. It is one of the most basic skills that every soldier should know how to do. You cannot complete any basic NCO course without passing a land nav course. I think it is very important that young officers have the basic skills down. Troop management will come with time.
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Understand that even thou you are an officer don't try and bullshit your soldiers into thinking you know everything some of those soldiers know more than you
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Listen to your noncom. He/She has been there for decade/s. They have a lot of knowledge the officer needs.
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The three rules for success. Number one surround yourself with exceptional people, I forget the second two...
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Team,
I was asked to report the below by Capt Richard I P. concerning teamwork as the most critical military skill that a person needs to possess.
I'm going to tweak the original response just a bit... as I feel some clarification/specificity may be need under this subject head of what every young officer (even young NCO) must know.
IMO... teamwork is the most critical military skilll a military member can have... let me explain my position.
Webster defines Teamwork as: the work done by people who work together as a team to do something... if you consider this at face value... this is the foundation of all we do in the Military.
Yes, there are several subordinate skills that you could argue make up teamwork... communication, sacrifice, sharing, language, listening, hard work, and others. While a few may be subsets of another... they still support the definition above. These skills, like many others, by themselves are very good; however, IMO the miss the mark in what we do everyday.
Much in the manner of being able to shoot a 50m target well. While that is a great thing, how about the targets at 100m, 150m, 200m, 250m, and even that 300m. Or... I can drive a M1/M2/M3 like no one ones business... great! You can't drive an engage targets... nor engage targets and drive. You get my point.
Most military elements function as teams and not as individuals. Additionally, all skills that you execute in the performance of a individual task support a collective task... which is a team task. This would further support a position that working as a member of a team, or teamwork, would be required... not to mention highly desired in all military formations. Thus teamwork is my desired skill of choice.
Furthermore, I would also submit for consideration the following:
- AR 600-100, Army Leadership states that leadership is the process of "influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization." Notice the word people... not person... this is a team... not an individual.
- ADP 6-0 Mission Command provides that the three commanders tasks are, "Build Teams (Teamwork), Drive the Operations Process (Teamwork), and Inform and Influence audiences internal and external to the formation (to build teamwork... or keep the audience off the other persons team). BTW... these are not just commanders task... they are really leaders task!
Lastly, I am not discounting any other mission essential skill. They are all required and all important... except the IG... as I still don't know there real purpose is??? (just joking); however, the question was "What is the most important military skill"... my answer of Teamwork is my attempt to answer a closed ended question... and would submit that a young leader needs to master this skill sooner than later.
After 32 years kicking around it has been my experience that if a person cannot function as a member of a team in the military... this failure can result in outcomes that are worse than a person not as proficient in anyone of several other military skills.... fire/shooting, maneuver/IMT, problem solving, land nav, first aid, etc...
This even ran true last month while I was at MIT participating in their Executive Education Program. We had a few members that did not function on our teams very well... and the professors and staff had to address those issues with the students... it was even a specific subject when talking about building High Performance Teams. The point of the discussion was that no matter how good a person is as an individual... with their KSAs... unless they can function on a team... they are of limited value... and can actually hurt the team.
Sorry for being long winded... and sorry if I didn't answer the question that you were trying to get resolution.
Best Regards
Cam
I was asked to report the below by Capt Richard I P. concerning teamwork as the most critical military skill that a person needs to possess.
I'm going to tweak the original response just a bit... as I feel some clarification/specificity may be need under this subject head of what every young officer (even young NCO) must know.
IMO... teamwork is the most critical military skilll a military member can have... let me explain my position.
Webster defines Teamwork as: the work done by people who work together as a team to do something... if you consider this at face value... this is the foundation of all we do in the Military.
Yes, there are several subordinate skills that you could argue make up teamwork... communication, sacrifice, sharing, language, listening, hard work, and others. While a few may be subsets of another... they still support the definition above. These skills, like many others, by themselves are very good; however, IMO the miss the mark in what we do everyday.
Much in the manner of being able to shoot a 50m target well. While that is a great thing, how about the targets at 100m, 150m, 200m, 250m, and even that 300m. Or... I can drive a M1/M2/M3 like no one ones business... great! You can't drive an engage targets... nor engage targets and drive. You get my point.
Most military elements function as teams and not as individuals. Additionally, all skills that you execute in the performance of a individual task support a collective task... which is a team task. This would further support a position that working as a member of a team, or teamwork, would be required... not to mention highly desired in all military formations. Thus teamwork is my desired skill of choice.
Furthermore, I would also submit for consideration the following:
- AR 600-100, Army Leadership states that leadership is the process of "influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization." Notice the word people... not person... this is a team... not an individual.
- ADP 6-0 Mission Command provides that the three commanders tasks are, "Build Teams (Teamwork), Drive the Operations Process (Teamwork), and Inform and Influence audiences internal and external to the formation (to build teamwork... or keep the audience off the other persons team). BTW... these are not just commanders task... they are really leaders task!
Lastly, I am not discounting any other mission essential skill. They are all required and all important... except the IG... as I still don't know there real purpose is??? (just joking); however, the question was "What is the most important military skill"... my answer of Teamwork is my attempt to answer a closed ended question... and would submit that a young leader needs to master this skill sooner than later.
After 32 years kicking around it has been my experience that if a person cannot function as a member of a team in the military... this failure can result in outcomes that are worse than a person not as proficient in anyone of several other military skills.... fire/shooting, maneuver/IMT, problem solving, land nav, first aid, etc...
This even ran true last month while I was at MIT participating in their Executive Education Program. We had a few members that did not function on our teams very well... and the professors and staff had to address those issues with the students... it was even a specific subject when talking about building High Performance Teams. The point of the discussion was that no matter how good a person is as an individual... with their KSAs... unless they can function on a team... they are of limited value... and can actually hurt the team.
Sorry for being long winded... and sorry if I didn't answer the question that you were trying to get resolution.
Best Regards
Cam
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Capt Richard I P.
1SG Cameron M. Wesson Thanks for re-posting under this topic also, I think its great for young leaders to have it here to reference!
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1SG Cameron M. Wesson
Capt Richard I P. Richard! I'm honored that you thought enough of my post to consider it worth for the team!
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Best advice I can give, trust and utilize your NCOs. Pick up common sense as quickly as possible.
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-You can, and will, learn something (how to be, know, do...or not) from everyone you work with and for.
When in charge, take charge! That said, I agree that new officers should listen to their SNCOs up until those SNCO lose that trust.
- As much as paperwork sucks, learn how to write effectively. Your Soldiers and NCOs will be depending (to a certain degree) on your ability to write awards and NCOERs.
When in charge, take charge! That said, I agree that new officers should listen to their SNCOs up until those SNCO lose that trust.
- As much as paperwork sucks, learn how to write effectively. Your Soldiers and NCOs will be depending (to a certain degree) on your ability to write awards and NCOERs.
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