What should I expect on my first day of Drill as an Infantry Officer?

1LT (Join to see) I would expect to be welcomed into your unit, have a sit down with the CO and learn his expectations. Hopefully you will find out which platoon you are going to and get a chance to meet with your PSG and your Soldiers. I would also ask about upcoming training. I would go in with an open mind ready to learn and be part of the team.

Expect to listen and learn who the KEY NCOs are inside your platoon. Expect to be a physical example of fitness and standards. Look to find input, hear guidance, and understand your role as a planner, communicator, decision maker, and leader. Let others be doers and let your NCOs teach you the SOPs and technics. There are numerous ways to do things and in time you will cultivate the best set of methods to fit your platoon and people around you. This is not to say be timid. In fact, be enthusiastic, energetic, and never be shy about setting the example. Just listen to the your NCO Team, 1SG, and PSG. Neglecting the occasional bad apple of the bunch, those men will steer you in the right direction. Remember, you are a part of their unit. Relax and enjoy being an Infantryman, letting your leadership style be natural. FOLLOW ME !

I'm active duty but i assume the initial experience I had isn't that different from National guard officers. So here is what I did on my first day as a Lieutenant in my unit:

I was already given my assignment so I knew the Platoon and Company I was assigned to so I introduced myself to my CO and 1SG then we had a brief chat about inital expectations (verbally), the written one came later. The rest of the day was spent with my PSG, we went over the packets of everyone of my Soldiers. We talked about the troublemakers, the ones with potentials, the ones that are ready to take charge, the ones that try, fail but don't give up. We talked about their families and any issues they might be having that may impact their performance. The next day was spent with my Squad Leaders. I got a feel of their perspective of the Company, my Platoon and their Supervisor (1SG). I asked them what they had experienced in the past and how they could bring that to bear to the Platoon's success. I laid out my expectations of them and told them what they could expect of me. The next day was a platoon-wide formation where I introduced myself to the entire team, a somewhat condensed story of my life and what led me to the platoon. Open door policy was made known to the entire formation. For the first two weeks I was more an observer than anything else. It helped to watch the men and get a feel for them myself instead of relying solely on what was said of them. I hate micro-managing, then and now. I joined in on team and squad exercises and allowed the SPC or SGT/SSG to lead. After I had a solid base on how the Platoon worked I then worked in tandem with my PSG to mold and improve it. First days are nerve-wracking a bit. It is only normal. But there is a wealth of experience there that you can avail yourself of. You are in charge of that Platoon, this is already known. If you have to say it, then you don't and it will show. Lean on your PSG, take his advice even the ones you already know. Better to have an abundance of shared experience than to dismiss one and lead him not sharing the others. Don't micro-manage (difference between giving guidance and directing every action), give left and right limits and allow your junior leaders to self-develop and use their initiative, allow the little mistakes but correct them (that's how we all learn), deflect praise to your men when the platoon accomplishes something great, shield them from the criticisms, and finally protect them from mundane duties that take away from their collective training. They don't want you to fail. Good luck.