What’s your most problematic issue with your soldiers?

2018-11-20T12:13:45-05:00

I know we all have problems when dealing with soldiers, PT usually comes to mind but I would like to know as leaders what issue you all deal with the most. For me it’s forms, I even made a form binder. I have almost every form my soldiers and I use daily with the instructions on how to fill them out. I would like to know what’s everybody’s else’s issue are and how you have over came them?

Response by SGT Mark Estes made Nov 20 at 2018 12:14 PM

2018-11-20T12:14:52-05:00

That’s what my biggest issue was SFC Private RallyPoint Member what a pain:)

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2018 12:43 PM

2018-11-20T12:43:29-05:00

Not asking for help. I had one Airmen get in almost $100k in debt trading stocks. He made a bad trade lost a bunch then thought he could make it back with some quick turn around trades. Got a $20k credit card, lost more. Got another credit card, maxed that out. Got a third card. Maxed that out too. The bills for those cards came due and he was over $60k in debt and now paying 24% interest on all of it. He had to file bankruptcy, lost his security clearance, got discharged from the military. If he had only come to us and said "I just lost $5k trading stocks I don't know what to do" we could have helped him. The Air Force has programs like the Falcon loan, we could have gotten him advanced pay, put him on some form of payment plan. We could have saved him credit, his career, and his future.

Get to know your people, let them know they can trust you. Your might be the difference that keeps someone from screwing up their life at 18.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2018 1:38 PM

2018-11-20T13:38:49-05:00

Service Members, that only enlisted or commissioned out of personal need, without one ounce of patriotism. And can’t even try to fake patriotism, for the good of the uniform.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2018 7:34 PM

2018-11-20T19:34:24-05:00

Definitely pt now, but when I was in korea I had 34 soldiers in my squad. At that being a buck E5, just keeping track made life miserable. Also my E4s didnt want to step up as they all planned to ets.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Nov 23 at 2018 11:05 AM

2018-11-23T11:05:26-05:00

SFC Private RallyPoint Member I always found at a macro level four problems:
1. As Capt Private RallyPoint Member said, they dont ask for help until they are in way over their heads or their blip has already hit the command radar.
2. They don't know the words to ask for what it is they are trying to do. They google random crap or talk to Barracks lawyers. If they had the right terminology, they could find the regulation and ask better questions. They ask for a "reg" and well intentioned people start citing Field Manuals...
3. They would rather ask random faceless people on the internet than have a one on one conversation with their unit leaders.
4. Junior first line leaders are hit or miss for solid, regulation based advice. I see it on here all the time. A Sergeant that doesn't know there is a pregnancy related chapter as an example.

Edit: sorry forgot to offer a solution:
1. Take bad news well. It does not mean giving a pass for substandard behavior, but you have to set conditions where people will not wince at the thought of coming to you for help. There was a long failure chain that preceded Saddam Hussein being pulled out of that spider hole in Tikrit looking like Ron Jeremy after a bender. It started with not taking bad news well, so generals and others didn't tell him.
2. Junior leaders need to be coached to research and elevate if they don't know how to proceed. You learn how by solving the problems and doing research.
3. Use the regulatory and doctrinal terminology and use it correctly.
4. The Army relies on systems, processes, and procedure to achieve central control and decentralized execution. GEN Milley and SMA Dailey don't weigh in on individual training and soldier issues in Automotive Section, 2d Platoon, Maintenance Troop, Support Squadron, 11th ACR. That is why they have a Section Sergeant. Platoon Sergeant, Platoon Leader et al up to the FORSCOM Command Group to use regulations, exisiting authorities, delegation, processes, forms, and disciplined initiative of leaders to solve problems.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 23 at 2018 8:19 PM

2018-11-23T20:19:10-05:00

I had a soldier who decided he was going to sell cocaine and marijuana on base so...yea definitely my worst one.

Response by LTC Trent Klug made Nov 23 at 2018 9:18 PM

2018-11-23T21:18:46-05:00

Mine is/was having soldiers (in the National Guard) who apparently do/did fine living their lives for about 27 days of the month and then went to complete mental incompetents the day before, and the two days of drill. I never knew MSGs and SSGs could go from 60 to 0 in mere minutes.
Active duty. it was dealing with financial issues. but that was when things were different, 1984 to 1992.

Response by 1LT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 20 at 2019 11:34 PM

2019-04-20T23:34:06-04:00

Not reaching out when they need help. My unit has buried 8 Soldiers in 2 years from suicide. I try to reach out and get told "I'm fine ma'am, stop asking."

Response by SFC George Smith made Apr 21 at 2019 12:22 AM

2019-04-21T00:22:56-04:00

Preconceived attitudes and Notions the troops showed up with...