Buy into your Organization

Make it about the Soldiers, and how they are all integral to the Team and the Mission.
All the powerpoint, inspections, and reindeer games need to have a point, and that point is the mission.
Live it, love it, exemplify it.

We accept Soldiers who are compliant. When we get that, we have OK units, still more than a match for most adversaries, but OK but the standards we wish to hold ourselves to. If we wish to move beyond “OK” we need Soldiers who are committed. Not just to the Army, but the units in which they serve. We want, no NEED them to have a desire to exceed and make the unit better. We want them to have PRIDE.

There are those here much better than I at getting those results. But I strongly believe that Mission Command, the philosophy is a key. When in a otherwise boring panel discussion on the same topic, a fellow officer asked a panelist to sum up mission command in his own words. His answer still rings to this day:

“Think back over your career. Those commanders you liked to work for, who you didn’t want to disappoint, who you went the extra mile for without being asked... Those were the leaders who understood mission command.”

I can still name those leaders. I (and many of my peers) were made to feel an invaluable part of their team, and the whole team was better as a result. We received guidance, but not direction. The team was always praised publicly, coached privately. We were afforded generous latitude executing our duties, with just small adjustments made when necessary. We were also challenged. When we met those challenges, we took pride in the accomplishment. We had earned it.

I can’t give a formula, but I do know that you can’t give it away. It’s more than a uniform or ribbon. We earned it. We had a swagger knowing we were up to the challenge. The two units of which I speak are still my fondest memories of my time in service, and the best in which I’ve served.