What is going to set me up to be a great Sergeant?

There are many things that can be done to enhance your leadership skills.

Know the NCO Creed, seek regulations and policies that support the tenants of the creed. Seek a mentor, an NCO who is the epitome of what you want to be, at least one grade up, an SFC would even be better if available. Ensure that you know command policy through and through. Take courses on coaching and counseling. Know what resources are available that can assist your Soldiers and their Families. Whether they be MWR, Medical, Marital counseling, child care, etc. Be physically fit, seek to take train the trainer programs end hanging your delivery skills. Work on writing skills so that what you provide to your Soldiers makes sense.

Ensure you are not just sending your Soldiers off to a task, leed from the front, partake by the Be, know and do concept. It is important that Soldiers know you aren’t afraid to get your hands dirty, but remeber to pull back enough so that you can see the progress of the task at hand while continuing to guide the Soldiers to a successful end stay.

Be that NCO that you wish you had. When you hit a wall ask that mentor how to get over, under, around or through.

You already have the desire, that is more than half the battle.

SGT (Join to see) Simply asking this question indicates the advice I'm about to give is already present, and it also indicates you care about your job.

One of the biggest things you can do to be a great NCO is to care about your soldiers. Too many people see it as the stepping stone to something else they're working after and not as the responsibility that it is for soldiers.

CSM Darieus ZaGara Gave a good long list of things to study and references to be aware of, you don't need to memorize everything, just know how to get the answer.

Soldiers will know if you care about them or not.

SGT (Join to see) You will make mistakes as an NCO and in life. Learn from your mistakes and do not make the same mistake twice. Good luck Sergeant.

Follow the NCO Creed, put your people and mission before your self, take every correspondence course you can on your MOS, find a good mentor

Give as much respect to your most junior personnel as you would to the personnel most senior to you. Listen to your people. They may have an idea for a safer or more efficient way to do something. They are seeing things from a different vantage point than you. It takes away nothing from your leadership position to consider what they have to say... You are still in charge.

There is a lot of good advice other SNCOs who have been "there" have given here and I will not repeat it.
Never ask your soldiers to something you will not do yourself, cannot do yourself. There is nothing wrong about not knowing the answers when ask, but always get back to your soldiers with the answers. Help train your soldiers to their level and yours, don't try to be something you're not. Train your soldiers to find the answers. Don't always give them the answers, but guide them in their problem solving to find the answers. Counseling is an important part of leadership. Never be afraid to ask another NCO for help, we all have been there. You are not perfect and will make mistakes, we all understand this, what we don't understand is those who try to cover up those mistakes. Remember where you came from, you were once an enlisted soldier, now you are an NCO. The list goes on and on. NCO creed will guide you in the right direction.

I would suggest that you get the NCO Guide, which you can get on Amazon. The this give you a framework to work from!

SGT (Join to see) Don't let the rank go to your head (I seen that too many times). Remember where you came from, what you hated about those who were over you and don't repeat their mistakes, and, what you liked and respected about your NCO's when they were your leader. Be mindful that you cannot please everyone. For those who are jackasses, kill them with kindness! That works most of the time with my high school students, remember I said "most" not all. Don't let those few get you down. Chances are they don't get along with many of their superiors, it won't be just you. Best of luck to you!

A lot of good advice here from SNCO’s. My two cents would be take care of your troops and remember how important they are to the job or mission. Make sure you keep your ears open and listen. No problem in their lives is trivial to them. You can’t take care of everything but they will know you are in their corner when needed. But reprimand when they are in the wrong and explain the corrective actions needed. They will grow to respect and follow you. My old Gunny use to say ‘People First, Mission Always’. Good luck!

On the regulations and publications side, the Army Publishing Directorate is a free resource that people tend to overlook. I recommend TC 7-22.7 (The Noncommissioned Officer Guide) as a starting point, and of course, every AR, TC, ADP, FM, and DA Form that has been and ever will be is on there. Edit: added the link to Army pubs. https://armypubs.army.mil/