# Things Every "O" Should Know



## Marauder06 (May 11, 2009)

This thread is an offshoot of the "What Every Joe Should Know" thread (http://www.shadowspear.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18020).  What kinds of advice would you give a young officer just starting his or her career?


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## Viper1 (May 11, 2009)

I look forward to seeing the advice and input in this thread!  This stuff never gets old.  

Sponge ready, mouth shut, ears open.


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## 08steeda (May 11, 2009)

Praise in public and criticize in private!

Listen to the NCO's (especially those like CAR!)

Learn when they should look the other way!

Lead from the Front!

Don't ask anyone to do something you wouldn't do yourself! (excluding orders, I suppose)

Set the example/high water mark and be the benchmark that everyone should reach for!

Have the attitude that everyone you meet has something to teach you!

Be willing to get dirty with the troops!

Be humble and respectful! But be a leader that truly commands respect by actions, not just words!

Be strong but compassionate!

But then I was only an E-7 so what the hell do I know!


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## x SF med (May 11, 2009)

Lead by example.
PT out front.
Humility will gain respect, but be firm and fair to solidify that the respect is earned.
Every counseling session should give ways to correct the perceived shortcoming.
Respect for your rank is not the same as respect for the man.
Take advice from the experts (Senior NCOs)
Know when you are out of your lane.
Let NCOs handle NCO business.
Know when to back up your NCOs/soldiers to the Chain of Command.
You can only expect your soldiers to be soldiers if you are a soldier yourself.
Don't lead by committee.
and I second the following:
Criticize in private, Praise in public.


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## AWP (May 12, 2009)

Don't be like me.


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## x SF med (May 12, 2009)

Freefalling said:


> Don't be like me.


 
Free plays with dolls, NOT a good example at all.:doh:


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## AWP (May 12, 2009)

x SF med said:


> Free plays with dolls, NOT a good example at all.:doh:



Calling the BN S-1 a future war criminal and telling the BC that his plan is "stupid" are typically career limiting moves. Courage and Candor aren't really Army values. You can do the right thing or you can have a career, but you can't do both.


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## Marauder06 (May 12, 2009)

in no particular order:

-If you're in charge, be in charge.  If not, give the guy in charge your complete support.

-While there is such a thing as "NCO Business," everything that happens in the unit you lead is your business.  Do not abdicate your responsibility to your unit by turning a blind eye to things that you know are wrong.

-Be a student of your profession.  Read everything.

-There will come a point where the Army won't be there for you anymore.  Make sure you have something in your life that will be there for you in the long run.  If you're smart, that something will be a family.

-You're in a profession that involves people.  People issues are rarely black and white.  Learn how to tolerate a certain level of moral ambiguity in others.  The closer you get to the edge of battle, the more ambiguous "the line" becomes.  Very few things are worth falling on your sword over.  

-It's not always all about you, lieutenant.

-Sometimes you have to just say "roger sir" and shut the fuck up about it.  You don't have to like it, you just have to do it.

-Don't be that guy.


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## American-n-NZ (May 12, 2009)

These all things that more civilians need to learn from as well. I agrre with you guys completely!

As a Manager 
-I would never tell anyone to do something I hadn't or wouldn't do myself. And I always made sure I could do it better than most of my employees.

-I would come down on your dumb ass, but in my office when we were alone. A team is built by respect from both sides of the Chain of Command!:2c:


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## EverSoLost (May 12, 2009)

I dont have any direct input but I'll quote my former Brigade XO's advice to a CPT. 

"You can be right, or you can be effective; choose one because it's rare you'll do both."

I never understood why one couldn't do both, but it sounded sage.


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## 0699 (May 13, 2009)

Marauder06 said:


> -Sometimes you have to just say "roger sir" and shut the fuck up about it.  You don't have to like it, you just have to do it.



Best one.  Yes, sometimes there is room for discussion, but not everything needs to be discussed.


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## Marauder06 (May 13, 2009)

-Be wary of people who say things like "I get along with everyone."  People who "get along with everyone" do so because they never take a stand on anything important.  If you do the right thing long enough, you're going to start making enemies.  If you're successful, people will be jealous.  If you're innovative and open-minded, you will be constantly embroiled in controversy.  If you make decisions, there will be those who will disagree with them.

But if you don't take a stand on important things, do the right thing, strive for success, be open-minded and innovative, and act decisively, you will be worthless as an officer.


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## x SF med (May 13, 2009)

Sometimes I barely get along with myself - so, I have no idea what you're talking about when you say "I get along with everybody". 

Now, "I can work with anybody"  is different - set boundaries, set parameters and set expectations - and this is doable.


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## Poetic_Mind (May 13, 2009)

Thank you guys for posting the aforementioned advice... I find it valuable as I get ready to start ROTC next fall.


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## RetPara (May 14, 2009)

a. Choose your battles wisely.  There is a time to fight to the end, and a time to run like hell.  Wisdom is knowing the difference.

b. Learn the basics, the small things.  Every task can be broken down into its component parts.  Losing sights of those small things leads to failure.

c.  If you don't know ask.  Ask; what don't I know about this.


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## amlove21 (May 14, 2009)

- Pick up first, put down last. 
- A caveat to the "let NCOs handle NCO shit"- true, and then be there when the NCO needs a hammer. 
- Be humble, sit back and watch until you get your feet under you and some bigger rank on the uni- then stand up and start wrecking shit for your men. By wrecking shit i mean make a difference- and I also mean you arent going to make everyone happy. 
- If you are going to be MY advocate and MY leader- you had better be on point. I WILL NOT make excuses for you to my men.


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## arizonaguide (May 14, 2009)

Marauder06 said:


> But if you don't take a stand on important things, do the right thing, strive for success, be open-minded and innovative, and act decisively, you will be worthless as an officer.


 


amlove21 said:


> If you are going to be MY advocate and MY leader- you had better be on point. I WILL NOT make excuses for you to my men.


 
What they said.
Be accountable both UP and DOWN the chain of command.

NO EXCUSES. When things get FU, do NOT make excuses UP the chain on why it was Private Snuffy's fault. You sit in the Big Chair. It's you.

However, just because you sit in the Big Chair, does not (no matter what you may have heard in OTS, or ring you have on your finger) make you a better human being than Private Snuffy. 
Private Snuffy MAY/May NOT save *your* ass someday...based on how you act today. SURE he (we all) needs a boot in his (our) ass somedays, but make sure it's fair, not just a "your turn in the barrel" type of discipline.
Don't ever just "shoot the messenger". Accept the bad news and DO something about it. Be accountable both UP and DOWN the chain of command. 
:2c:


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## AWP (May 14, 2009)

Know how the system works. Know how to do admin tasks. On the battlefield a radio may be your weapon, but in garrison email, Word, and Powerpoint are. Wordsmithing is a skill. The more diverse your unit, the more you need to know about how it does it's job and how your people do theirs. If you lose the loyalty or respect of your men you will never regain it. Be able to interact with anyone in your unit, regardless of their age or background.


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## 104TN (May 14, 2009)

Regardless of what the regs allow don't ever write someone up for a BSM for doing admin. shit.

Make sure your troops are getting counseled often, thoroughly, and fairly. 

If you're in garrison and don't have training or recovery operations going on let your guys go every now and then. The ones with families want to be with them and the ones without them could still benefit from the time off. 

Reward performance and initiative (awards, schools, promotions, special duty assignments).

Chapter your turds.

If you're SDO you belong at your post. Not home with your cell on.


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## Viper1 (May 14, 2009)

Good stuff all!! Keep it coming`


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## Marauder06 (May 14, 2009)

-When you're asking for something from someone, and you get what you want, STOP TALKING.  The only thing you're going to accomplish by continuing to flap your gums is to talk yourself out of whatever it is you just got permission to do.  Once you get that north-south head nod, say "thank you" and GO AWAY.


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## RetPara (May 15, 2009)

Don't wear pink boxers with I love NY on them unless you specialize as a SIGINT officer.


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## car (May 15, 2009)

08steeda said:


> Praise in public and criticize in private!
> 
> Listen to the NCO's (especially those like CAR!)
> 
> ...



I agree with everything posted here, (especially the part about listening to me ;) ) and everything else I've read here.



> ...be there when the NCO needs a hammer.


 especially rings true. Don't know how many times I've told LTs, "Just stand by, sir. I'll holler when I need you. Met with a Reserve SGM today about an issue. The boss is standing by for me to tell him what the SGM and I decided is the best course of action....I'm pretty sure he's gonna do what I recommend.

I think the theme that has worked its way out in this thread is "letting NCOs do their jobs." As an officer, you can't/shouldn't be a SME. That's our job. Your job is make take input, come up with a plan (with input), make decisions, and then let us go about our business of taking care of business.


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## Marauder06 (May 17, 2009)

RetPara said:


> Don't wear pink boxers with I love NY on them unless you specialize as a SIGINT officer.



lol

Points for both crossthreading, and making fun of Freefalling.

/////

Don't try to fake it.  If you're not the smartest, fastest, funiest, most technically knowlegable... whatever person in your unit, don't try to be.  Soldiers will see right through that.  There is one thing that you can always be though, in whatever unit you lead- the hardest working.


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## AWP (May 17, 2009)

I saw one today in action, it seems so easy yet I watch too many O's do it.

You are taught how to salute, don't make one up. Your enlisted deserve a proper salute. Your "high speed" little wave with your forearm parallel to your torso looks like ass and so does anything else. Do it right, you embarass yourself and the officer corps with that garbage.


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## car (May 17, 2009)

Freefalling said:


> I saw one today in action, it seems so easy yet I watch too many O's do it.
> 
> You are taught how to salute, don't make one up. Your enlisted deserve a proper salute. Your "high speed" little wave with your forearm parallel to your torso looks like ass and so does anything else. Do it right, you embarass yourself and the officer corps with that garbage.



Don't get me started.........


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## JJ sloan (May 17, 2009)

Freefalling said:


> Calling the BN S-1 a future war criminal and telling the BC that his plan is "stupid" are typically career limiting moves. Courage and Candor aren't really Army values. *You can do the right thing or you can have a career, but you can't do both.*



So true.


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## JustAnotherJ (May 17, 2009)

gripes go up the chain...never  down.
don't  be a whiney bitch either


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## Diamondback 2/2 (May 17, 2009)

I am not an officer, but these are things that I respect and hope to see in officers.


-	Always do the right thing, no matter who it will hurt in the end. Turning a blind eye or sweeping something under the rug will always bite you in the ass. Joe will be the first to rat you out.

-	When in charge of a mission or task, develop your plan, allow NCO’s to help refine the plan and then issue your orders to the NCO leaders. Allow the NCO’s to lead their soldiers and avoid on spot corrections (save it for the AAR). 

-	Know your job and every soldier’s job under your command; you can’t lead someone in their duties, if you do not know what those duties are.

-	Leading from the front, doesn’t mean you always need to be in front of your soldiers. Allow your soldiers to take point and reward them for good performances.

-	Never argue with other leaders in front of your soldiers, take it behind closed doors and always maintain the moral high ground. No need to cuss or degrade anyone, it will only make you look like a jerk.

-	Officers are responsible for everything that goes on in their unit, if a soldier fucks up in your command, then you have fucked up as well. Don’t pass the buck or allow someone to burn alone, every person officer to enlisted is responsible and shares the punishment.

-	Keep every thing you possibly can (good or bad) with in your command, the last thing you want or need is someone else giving orders to your unit. Everything goes through you and only goes forward with your approval (remember you’re responsible).

-	Your soldiers are taken care of first; you do not eat or sleep until they have. You do not get the better kit or the better MRE, you insure every single soldier under your command is taken care first.


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## Marauder06 (May 17, 2009)

J.A.B. said:


> ...<your last post>.



Excellent comments.  Rep.


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## x SF med (May 18, 2009)

Excellent post JAB, what you said applies to NCOs as well.  rep given.


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## HeloMedic1171 (May 18, 2009)

Don't try and "sell" me a shit sandwich, or convince me it really tastes good.  I'm enlisted, not stupid.  just tell me it has to get done despite how shitty it sounds, and It'll get done.  trying to get me to like it will cause me to like YOU a lot less.


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## 275ANGER! (May 18, 2009)

Have a sense of humor :)


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## LibraryLady (May 18, 2009)

275ANGER! said:


> Have a sense of humor :)



And if you don't, accept that others do.

Either way, remember that humor comes in many forms.

LL


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## car (May 18, 2009)

JAB - everything you said was spot on, but these are really important - especially the last one.



> - Keep every thing you possibly can (*good or bad*) within your command, the last thing you want or need is someone else giving orders to your unit. Everything goes through you and only goes forward with your approval (remember you’re responsible).
> 
> - Your soldiers are taken care of first; you do not eat or sleep until they have. You do not get the better kit or the better MRE, you insure every single soldier under your command is taken care first.



Well said, brother.


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## Viper1 (May 18, 2009)

I'm loving this thread.  keep it up please!


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## HeloMedic1171 (May 21, 2009)

You're not a PVT, so don't act like one.  clean your weapon, show up on time, and for fuck's sake, get a haircut once in a while.


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## moobob (May 22, 2009)

Speak out your mouth, not your ass.


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## Marauder06 (Jun 1, 2009)

Unless you're filing a discrimination-based complaint, the Inspector General's office is almost completely useless.  If you need to "go big" on behalf of your Soldiers (or for yourself) file a Congressional.


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## Marauder06 (Jun 19, 2009)

-If you can't summarize your company-level command philosophy in one page, you probably think too highly of yourself. One page; anything more than that can be covered in subsequent policy letters.

-Changing the date and the signature block on things like range OPORDS and policy letters is not only acceptable, but highly encouraged.  Don't spend time re-inventing the wheel if someone else already done it for you.

-In the admin hierarchy, your policy letters for things like training, maintenance, and PT should ALWAYS come before your policies on things like EO, sexual harrassment, and the promotion of diversity.  Where are your priorities?


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## HeloMedic1171 (Jun 20, 2009)

do not second guess your NCOs as a collective....  and do not insult them by asking a PFC or PV2 for verification of what they told you.  NCOs get paid to lead, and to help YOU; use that to your advantage for the greater good.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 12, 2009)

I don't need you to tell me what a good job you're doing.  If you're doing well, my sergeant major will tell me.  Your boss will tell me.  Your first sergeant and your platoon sergeants will tell me.  I'll see it in your organizational statistics- AWOL/UCMJ rates, APFT and weapons qualifications scores, property inventories, maintenance readiness reports.  I'll hear it on organizational runs and in unit-level sporting events.  I'll see it in the way your Soldiers look, act, and sound.  

And I'll hear it from the most important critic of all- your Soldiers.

Save the self-promoting cheerleading for your OER support form and do your job- 1) accomplishing the mission and 2) taking care of troops.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 26, 2009)

*"out of the box"*

Don't talk to me about "out of the box" until you first understand what's "in" that box.  A lot of people a lot smarter than you, with a whole lot more time in uniform than you've got, spent a lot of time and effort into building that box for you, and putting tools in it for you to use (doctrine, SOPs, etc.).  

Too often, "I think outside the box" means, "I'm not smart enough to understand the art and science of modern warfare, so I'm going to go off and do my own thing."  That kind of thinking makes everyone else's job harder.  I want you to use initiative and come up with creative ways to accomplish the mission, but I want you to have the knowledge base to ensure you're not wasting your time or jeopardizing your Soldiers by re-inventing the wheel.


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## Teufel (Jul 26, 2009)

Marauder06 said:


> Don't talk to me about "out of the box" until you first understand what's "in" that box.  A lot of people a lot smarter than you, with a whole lot more time in uniform than you've got, spent a lot of time and effort into building that box for you, and putting tools in it for you to use (doctrine, SOPs, etc.).
> 
> Too often, "I think outside the box" means, "I'm not smart enough to understand the art and science of modern warfare, so I'm going to go off and do my own thing."  That kind of thinking makes everyone else's job harder.  I want you to use initiative and come up with creative ways to accomplish the mission, but I want you to have the knowledge base to ensure you're not wasting your time or jeopardizing your Soldiers by re-inventing the wheel.



First of all, let me say that I agree with you 100%.  Some officers get a lot of people killed because they do use some "creative" tactics; but upon close analysis, those tactics are clearly unsound or just simply stupid.  

I am a huge believer in out of the box thinking, but it takes a long time to get someone to the point where he is capable of doing so.  The problem i have seen is that most officers don't get enough time to really learn small unit tactics.  A lot of young platoon commanders are lucky to get a year and a combat deployment before they are forced elsewhere.  

That being said, I try to promote out of the box thinking from my Marines.  Too often I see guys hide behind doctrine and SOPs and that will also get people killed.  There is no doctrine or SOP that will cover every situation.  Doctrine and SOPs are generic by necessity.  Leaders need to read the situation at hand and make the best decision based on the information at hand.  The best leaders (at every level) will do this quickly and intuitively while their soldiers.  The best answer might be something that is not found in doctrine or may even be counter to doctrine or SOPs.  

One of my team leaders was moving to a target site during the battle of Fallujah when he saw a fire team of Marines rush into a house, only to get chewed up as they attempted to make entry into the open door way.  The squad leader, some sergeant, grabs another fire team and they make a similarly catastrophic attempt at entry.  The sergeant, God bless his heart, was yelling for "more bodies!!!!" so he could make another attempt at entry when my team leader stopped him (TL is a SSgt).  TL takes his point man, strips off as much of his gear as he can and scales the side of the building.  Now, this is doctrinely sound, as a top down clear is preferred to a bottom up clear, but to do it with two guys is crazy.  To spider man up the side of a building during the battle of Fallujah is f*cking nuts.  He makes entry through a window and clears the second story.  As he attempts to assault down the stairs, he is repelled by an intense amount of fire.  He looks around and seeings drums of kerosene and oil the enemy was stockpiling in their strongpoint for cooking, heat etc.  He drops the drums down the stairs accompanied by three or four grenades, effectively hibachi-ing the enemy squad reinforced downstairs and forcing the burning insurgents out the front door to the friendly arms of the badly wounded squad who was more than happy to take them out of their misery.

Now I am not saying that all officers are capable of doing this.  I try to promote this behavior and I ground it by telling them to run their "great ideas" through their platoon sergeant, team leaders etc.  Interested to hear some other perspectives on this.


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## HeloMedic1171 (Jul 26, 2009)

Marauder06 said:


> Don't talk to me about "out of the box" until you first understand what's "in" that box.  A lot of people a lot smarter than you, with a whole lot more time in uniform than you've got, spent a lot of time and effort into building that box for you, and putting tools in it for you to use (doctrine, SOPs, etc.).
> 
> Too often, "I think outside the box" means, "I'm not smart enough to understand the art and science of modern warfare, so I'm going to go off and do my own thing."  That kind of thinking makes everyone else's job harder.  I want you to use initiative and come up with creative ways to accomplish the mission, but I want you to have the knowledge base to ensure you're not wasting your time or jeopardizing your Soldiers by re-inventing the wheel.



fuck yes.  and telling your privates and junior NCOs "think outside the box" when they have no time "in the box" (double entendre on purpose) is a recipe for disaster.  if nothing else, trust in your Senior NCOs.  they'll lead you to success 90% of the time or better.



Teufel said:


> First of all, let me say that I agree with you 100%.  Some officers get a lot of people killed because they do use some "creative" tactics; but upon close analysis, those tactics are clearly unsound or just simply stupid.
> 
> I am a huge believer in out of the box thinking...  Interested to hear some other perspectives on this.



I think your story is a great example of doing what you can with the cards you're dealt.  stupid?  maybe.  but if it's stupid, but works....

In 3rd ID, we called that "AUDacity."  (in reference to Audie L. Murphy, one of our most famous "Alums".)  throwing aside doctrine when doctrine doesn't apply or can't be applied effectively, to get the mission accomplished in the most expedient manner.  that's what "thinking outside the box" really means.  not, "I don't get it, so I'm just gonna wing it."  THAT shit gets people killed, and keeps guys like me busy for a LOOOOng time, unnecessarily.  

great posts, gentlemen.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2009)

Teufel said:


> ... your last post.



Excellent post. Rep.



> I am a huge believer in out of the box thinking, but it takes a long time to get someone to the point where he is capable of doing so. The problem i have seen is that most officers don't get enough time to really learn small unit tactics. A lot of young platoon commanders are lucky to get a year and a combat deployment before they are forced elsewhere.



That's the trick, isn't it, to know where "the book" stops being useful, and when improvisation and innovation are required?

Generally speaking, I think the farther down the experience ladder you are, the less you need to be doing "out of the box" stuff.  Doctrine and common training are useful to establish the baseline "OPORD" for you to "FRAGO" off of when things start going downhill.


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## Teufel (Jul 27, 2009)

Marauder06 said:


> Excellent post. Rep.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Again absolutely right.  No one comes out of IOBC as Rommel.  Not even Rommel.
Entry level schools provide leaders with a baseline for success.  It's not exactly an equation but it is may as well be.  Do this when this happens and you will be successful most of the time.  Maintain a high level of discipline, be aggressive and conduct challenging and realistic training.  I think the book will make you into an above average combat leader.  If you follow everything to the letter, you will do well in the military.  Not great but certainly above average.  Not everyone is capable of moving beyond that.   

You can look at it this way.  Warfare is not complicated.  I didn't say it was easily but it is deceptively simple.  We make it seem more complicated than it needs to be a lot of times.  Think about it.  There are four ways to be attacked: contact front, rear, left and right (thanks to the Air Force we don't have to worry about above so much).  Yeah there is terrain, and defilade and a lot of factors but at the end of the day, front, rear, left and right.  If you are smart and you understand terrain you can predict where an attack is going to come from.  Where would you like to be if you were going to attack someone?  Yep, that is where they are at.  You didn't take ten minutes to think about that before you stepped out on this patrol?  Yep, yer screwed.

You take contact and then what? Gain fire superiority and quickly do something aggressive and violent and fight your way to a decision point!  This is where I see a lot of guys screw things up.  The role of an officer is to get his Marines or soldiers to the last 300 yds.  You use supporting arms and CAS to suppress the enemy long enough for your guys to get within 300 yds.  You can do all sorts of cool maneuvers until then but at the 300 yd line you are pretty much out of the fight.  The best way to control a unit within the last 300 yds is to accept that you have no control and trust in your NCOs.  A good officer can prepare for the close fight by using SOPs, IA drills and tactical decision games that will train his men to recognize his commander's intent for several generic but common situations.  This is how you push command and control to the lowest level and are able to control the uncontrollable... I think I will call it maneuver warfare!  

The aim of every military unit in history has been to find the enemy, fix them in place and conduct a flanking attack.  Modern warfare is no different.  The only difference here is most of our contacts nowadays are on the receiving end of an ambush which puts us at a severe disadvantage.  Both figuratively and literally, most battles are now initiated and resolved within the last 300 yards.  Once fire superiority has been achieved, a unit will fight it's way to a decision point.  This decision point is simply who will flank and who will fix.  Not complicated.  Again, a simple understanding of terrain will help facilitate this decision making.  Even better if team 1 realizes that they are the least engaged unit and assumes the flanking attack because that is what they knew had to happen based on commanders' intent.  At some point every attack will turn into a frontal assault, which is the simplest form of attack.  The success or defeat of even the most  complicated operations in WWII eventually hinged on a private with a rifle.  Or more aptly a sergeant with a handful of armed privates.  We think we have mastered this decentralized command and control system but while we talk about "strategic corporals", I have seen a lot more "UAV leadership" from battalion commanders trying to control the minutia from UAV feed.  Which works great if anyone was wondering.  Ditto JLENs leadership.  

So what's the secret?  If the leaders on both sides of the fight are equally competent tactically it is not enough to be doctrinally sound.  We may not have to worry about this as much in the modern fight but we will eventually fight a competent uniformed military again.  Doctrine does not help you when you are fighting a Hannibal or Stonewall Jackson because they have mastered doctrine and have progressed beyond it.  

What is beyond doctrine?  Doctrine is a very useful framework of tactics and formations but the greatest combat leaders have surpassed the tangible factors of war and understand the intangible elements of battle.  Napoleon once said the moral is to the physical as three is to one.  The enemy falls prey to the same human factors that we do and the best leaders will strive to impose the maximum amount of fear, confusion and panic upon them.  This may mean doing something unexpected.  Unexpected usually means tactically inappropriate.  Why would Hannibal cross the Alps when he knew he would take heavy cold weather casualties?  Why would Scipio Africanus cross the med and attack Carthage when Hannibal was right outside the gates of Rome?  Why would Admiral Sprague assault a large Japanese battle group with a handful of escort carriers and destroyers?  In all these cases a leader made a bold and extremely risky decision that had tremendous gains.  Decision making like this though requires mastery of doctrine and tactics, a claim most young officers cannot make (in public anyway!)


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## Marauder06 (Sep 16, 2009)

If you're an O1 on your first day on the job at I don't know maybe some forward location, don't report in to your new boss wearing a "secret squirrel" novelty patch on your ACUs.  If you do, don't wonder why your first day in the organization and the last day in the organization are the same day.

Yes, this really happened.


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## car (Sep 16, 2009)

I'm chuckling, way down deep, in my belly.......I already have the visual.....;)

Heh heh heh heh :)


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## Marauder06 (Sep 16, 2009)

I was telling Free... a bunch of my guys followed the O1 into my office after they saw the patch, they told me later they were thinking, "This is going to be good, wait 'til the boss sees THAT shit..." ;)


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## moobob (Sep 16, 2009)

I'm not even going to begin to think of what he was thinking... wow.


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## HeloMedic1171 (Sep 17, 2009)

despite what you may have learned in Ranger School. a blown-out and structurally unstable Iraqi Ammo bunker is NOT always a good place to set up an OP. 

If you ask your 1SG an honest question, don't be surprised if he gives you an honest answer.


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## Sicarii (Oct 5, 2009)

*Truths and Imperatives...*

SOF Truths
*Humans are more important than Hardware. *(This has been echoed in most of the previous posts...)
*Quality is better than Quantity.* (Not only in personnel but in training events.  Once your guys get it they get it.  Move on and improve the next skill...)
*Special Operations Forces cannot be mass produced.* (You may not start as a young "O" in SOF, but if you are here asking questions you will likely end up here.  Take a look around every where you are and see why this one rings true...)
*Competent Special Operations Forces cannot be created after emergencies occur.* (This doesn't only apply to SOF.  Competence is required everywhere in our military.  Where ever you end up ensure you are a catalyst for it...)
*Most special operations require non-SOF assistance.* (Most not all...  but, in SOF units not everybody is an Operator (that was COL Collins point when he wrote these...))

These imperatives are not getting add-ins take'em to heart and ponder them though.  Again, more and more in the COIN environment we see today these apply outside "SOF" and with the conventional forces...

*SOF Imperatives*

Understand the operational environment
Recognize political implications
Facilitate interagency activities
Engage the threat discriminately
Consider long-term effects
Ensure legitimacy and credibility of Special Operations
Anticipate and control psychological effects
Apply capabilities indirectly
Develop multiple options
Ensure long-term sustainment
Provide sufficient intelligence
Balance security and synchronization


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## archade (Oct 27, 2009)

Does anyone knows "The fighter soldier" from Major W.A.S. Dunlop?

There are 40 principles for a "leader". I think it could apply for an O. 

I got a french translate so I need a few time to shift it in bad english unless someone got the book in its house.;)
:2c:


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## rv808 (Oct 30, 2009)

Take care of your retiring Soldiers.  Regardless of how much work there is to do, or how short handed you are....it is very important they get their ACAP classes, physicals and transition classes EARLIER than later.


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## JAFO (Nov 20, 2009)

Freefalling said:


> I'm not a stalker, I'm a cav scout on the information superhighway..


 
Hey that's not funny....nothing wrong with being a 19D.
:uhh:


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## Marauder06 (Jan 16, 2010)

Just because you "can" do something doesn't mean you "should."  This came to mind during a discussion about officers having moustaches but is applicable in a number of other situations as well.


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## Marauder06 (Mar 9, 2010)

Avoid needless data calls and excess work for your subordinates by not asking questions you really don't care about.  For example, don't ask what tribe Abu Shi'thead is from unless you need the information to help you make a decision.  Your subordinates will spend all kinds of time looking up the answer because it was important enough to you to ask about, and that's time they could be spending doing something that actually means something to you.  

This is more important the more senior in rank you get, I can't count the number of times I've seen a needless staff spin-ex in response to a completely meaningless question asked by a GO...


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## x SF med (Mar 9, 2010)

I thought I had to look up something on his cousin  U'ra Shi'itehead  a few years ago  I believe they are part of the F'ug'mewi'ithacro'wbar Tribe. :doh:

Mara, the same thing happens in the Corporate civilian world - I've been dressed down by my immediate superiors when I ask the next level why they need a certain piece of inforamtion, and then go to my direct boss with the answer "oh, I was just wondering out loud, it's not something you need to research"  after 3 hours of work...


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## 0699 (Mar 10, 2010)

Marauder06 said:


> Avoid needless data calls and excess work for your subordinates by not asking questions you really don't care about.  For example, don't ask what tribe Abu Shi'thead is from unless you need the information to help you make a decision.  Your subordinates will spend all kinds of time looking up the answer because it was important enough to you to ask about, and that's time they could be spending doing something that actually means something to you.
> 
> This is more important the more senior in rank you get, I can't count the number of times I've seen a needless staff spin-ex in response to a completely meaningless question asked by a GO...



Along with this, set reasonable timelines for your data requests and realize that subordinate units don't sit around waiting for you to call with taskers.

I was on the division staff and got a call from MEF G-6 around 1000 one day.  They wanted a serialized inventory of all 117s in the division.  Not a problem, except they wanted that list by 1500 that day so they could compile the results for the entire MEF & send it to Systems Command.  Not sure why the list already in the EKMS system wasn't good enough, but they wanted a sight inventory on ALL PRC-117s.  I told them it'd take a couple of days (the radios were spread amongst our 17 subordinate battalions; the comm chiefs have a lot on their plates) and they could have it by the end of the week.  When they started stammering & stuttering saying "but Systems Command wants this today", I told them to give me the number for Sys Com and I'd call and let them know the timeline was BS.

Luckily the G-6 Actual agreed with me...


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## HeloMedic1171 (Mar 15, 2010)

Marauder06 said:


> This is more important the more senior in rank you get, I can't count the number of times I've seen a needless staff spin-ex in response to a completely meaningless question asked by a GO...



It's aggravating enough when it happens in response to a BC's ill-thought out question.



0699 said:


> Along with this, set reasonable timelines for your data requests and realize that subordinate units don't sit around waiting for you to call with taskers.



yup.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 28, 2010)




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## Manolito (Nov 28, 2010)

I just wanted to add listen to others. When the Ninth Infantry came to the delta their officers would not even listen to the Navy officers. When we inserted the ninth the casualties were terrible and the operation could have come out different. Our people were on that river and in those areas daily. The first thing we did when we hit a new area we looked up the operating A team for a meet and greet. saved a lot of sailors lives.
Bill


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## Marauder06 (Dec 9, 2010)

Don't be that guy.


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## Teufel (Dec 9, 2010)

I have always tried to live by three rules.

1.  Mission accomplishment comes above all else.   Mission has priority isn't just a cool t shirt slogan.  Sometimes, well oftentimes, this means sacrificing the thing that you love most: your Marines.  This is a rough business.  We don't trade in dollars and cents, we trade in blood and often times we have to pay dearly.  If you aren't comfortable with that, find another line of work.  I have seen platoons tuck in their tails and pull off the ex because they started to take casualties.  That is unacceptable.  Take care of your wounded, insert a new magazine and take the hill.

2.  Let no man call you a coward.  Follow me isn't just a cool t shirt slogan.  The first life you risk or sacrifice may well be your own.  Go see how many platoon commanders from 3rd Battalion 5th Marines are in Walter Reed or Arlington right now.  When things get crazy someone has to remain sane and get the train back on the tracks.  Officers are responsible for getting their Marines from the line of departure to the last three hundred yards through proper planning and fire support.  Once his unit is within the last three hundred yards, the NCOs will take over the fight and will drive their teams.  When something goes wrong, you are pinned down and you lose comms, guess who needs to get up and make something happen?  Suck it up, buttercup!  This is why you get all that extra pay right?

3. Never put your Marines before your self.  The mission comes above all else, but the men come right after.  Often times we as officers can become too focused on the numerous demands that higher places on us.  Take care of your Marines and they will take care of you.   Our military system isn't perfect and officers exist to right wrongs when they occur.  Most times you have to rock the boat because some other officer probably screwed things up in the first place.  If you are doing something or not doing something because you are afraid of hurting your fitness report or some other selfish reason you have no backbone and you should do us all a favor and go away.


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## 0699 (Dec 10, 2010)

Teufel said:


> I have always tried to live by three rules.
> 
> ...
> 3. Never put your Marines before your self. The mission comes above all else, but the men come right after. Often times we as officers can become too focused on the numerous demands that higher places on us. Take care of your Marines and they will take care of you. Our military system isn't perfect and officers exist to right wrongs when they occur. Most times you have to rock the boat because some other officer probably screwed things up in the first place. If you are doing something or not doing something because you are afraid of hurting your fitness report or some other selfish reason you have no backbone and you should do us all a favor and go away.



You're one of those officers that doesn't eat chow until after your Marines have eaten, aren't you?


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## Marauder06 (Dec 13, 2010)

This is a repost of something I posted in another thread.

You know what "zero tolerance" is? It's a leadership crutch. It's a tool for the indecisive and for those too weak-willed to judge a situation on its own merits. "Zero tolerance" gives functionaries a shield to hide behind so they don't have to make a tough call. Having a "zero tolerance" policy on something is a hell of a lot cleaner than having to exercise some leadership or put some thought into a case and its appropriate punishment.

Matters of extenuation and mitigation matter- or at least they should. In all my time in command, I never had a zero tolerance policy on anything. Even in cases when a guy wanted to "plead guilty," I heard the whole thing out before I made a decision. Then again, I never had to worry about getting my ass sued off because Johnny got kicked out of school because he's a thug, but Suzy made an honest mistake and got to stay like they do in schools these days.

Any kind of absolutism is bad. Absolutism in leadership is a sign of weakness.


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## Etype (Dec 13, 2010)

Marauder06 said:


> You know what "zero tolerance" is? It's a leadership crutch.


'One size fits all' rules.
Institutional solutions for individual situations.
These seem to be the achillies heel of any organization bigger than about 3 people.


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## Marauder06 (Dec 13, 2010)

Etype said:


> 'One size fits all' rules.
> Institutional solutions for individual situations.
> These seem to be the achillies heel of any organization bigger than about 3 people.



Yes.

It's important to have standards, but it's likewise essential to not have inflexible standards.

If my commanders had a "zero defects" mentality when I was coming up through the officers' corps, I never would have made it past O2 (when I was an O1 I had a platoon sergeant to mitigate my mistakes- when I was an O2 I was on my own).  Some leaders forget they were young and dumb once too.  By all means enforce standards, it's a fundamental function of leadership.  But don't limit your options or abrogate your leadership responsibilities by a "zero tolerance" mindset.


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## ben (Feb 2, 2011)

Just got done reading through this entire thread and it is great. Thanks for the advice guys and keep it coming.


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## sfmike (Feb 4, 2011)

I was on my 2nd tour in RVN and a sergeant (E-5), acting as the Platoon Leader.  New replacements arrived at the FSB and the field first sgt gave me two for my platoon.  There was a sharp looking dude named Diggs and a scruffy looking guy named McShane.  I assigned Diggs to the 3rd squad and McShane to be the assistant gunner on an M60.

After three days of humping the bush,  we were in a Fire Support Base.  The CO called for all of the platoon leaders for assignments of Ambush Patrols.  Two of the Platoon Leaders were officers and the other two were experienced sergeants.  When I got to the company CP, the captain said,  what are you doing here?”  I replied that he had called for all of the platoon leaders.  The CO asked me where LT McShane was?  I didn’t even know that McShane was an officer.  When I got back to my platoon, I pulled McShane aside and asked him if he was a 2LT.  McShane confessed and when I asked him why he hadn’t told me that he was commissioned, McShane said that his father had been an Infantry Company Commander in WWII, and he told his son that when he got to his first unit, to listen to his sergeant and do whatever the sergeant said.

McShane ended up as a great PL who led the platoon for the rest of his year and was awarded a silver star.


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## Marauder06 (Feb 4, 2011)

lol, great story ;)


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## ben (Feb 4, 2011)

I have heard to listen to your NCOs, but that seems a little far. Funny stuff though.


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## HeloMedic1171 (Feb 7, 2011)

badass story.


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## Marauder06 (Mar 6, 2011)

Who Packed Your Parachute?

http://www.authorstream.com/Present...0-packing-parachute-education-ppt-powerpoint/


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## ArcticOneSix (May 5, 2011)

The intial top six that have saved me so fa.

1. Get dirty with your soldiers. Busting your ass and working as hard as them or harder makes you one of them (or as close as possible). 
2. Take criticism, give well constructed criticism
3. you’re not an NCO, let them do their job. Trust them. 
4. DBALB…don’t be a little bitch. 
5. Listen twice as much as you talk ( all your education hasn’t taught you shit). 
6. Put an NCO between you and a problem but keep yourself knowledgeable about it. 
7. Know the basics.


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## Cochise (May 7, 2011)

Great story, sfmike!


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## RAGE275 (May 11, 2011)

ArcticOneSix said:


> The intial top six that have saved me so fa.
> 
> 1. Get dirty with your soldiers. Busting your ass and working as hard as them or harder makes you one of them (or as close as possible).
> 2. Take criticism, give well constructed criticism
> ...


My favorite part of this post, is that this list is of the *Initial top SIX* that have saved him so far.

Then, I count to seven...

Just busting your balls sir, but it is cool that "O"s like you can acknowledge the valuable knowledge and skill that your NCO's possess.


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## Cochise (May 12, 2011)

Extremely ironic, RAGE275.  I was just having a "discussion" with my Chief regarding this exact same topic.  Well said.


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## RAGE275 (May 12, 2011)

Cochise said:


> Extremely ironic, RAGE275. I was just having a "discussion" with my Chief regarding this exact same topic. Well said.


Well really, how many 2lt's do you know or even CPT's (Army) that could give a shit less what their NCO's have to say. You look at Company leadership and the mistakes they make in combat and it's no surprise. It's the same for an NCO though, it's our job to maintain that professional relationship as a mentor and leader. Get dirty with your joes, but your team leaders are responsible for HOW they girl dirty and WHY they're doing so. Never take anything personal, constructive criticism  is just that, be humble, and if joe smells some "butt hurt", respect is hard to come by after that.

*STAND UP FOR YOUR DUDES* You all know that sometimes, you're told to do some bullshit, and it's retarded. Don't be afraid to stand up and say fuck that, we're doing this, Sir. You guys will respect you regardless of what you're ordering them to do, but if they know that it's not coming from you, and it's either preventable OR there's an easier, commonsensical approach to accomplishing something, do it your way. (Of course with the in put from your NCO's.)

Keep abreast, of every issue your guys may have. Make sure your open door policy is known.

Know, I'm not an officer OBVIOUSLY, but, those are things I've noticed in my career that "O"s really could of benefited from keeping in mind.

Just my .02


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## ArcticOneSix (May 12, 2011)

Did I mention I went to school in texas? Counting isn't our strong point.

Rage, good point. Many guys are push overs and don't even stand up for themselves. I  have several stories that my former PSG and SLs tell everyone who will listen about me getting into an arguments with a 1SG about standards and their misinterpretation of the right one. That said, you have to be a rock stand fast if you're in the right.

Accepting input is good too. I did a mission where we've been building an ice bridge up north for 2 months this past winter. There wasn't an established approach to it, so anyone who had a good idea could input ideas. We'd think about them and try them out, many time they would have the best ideas that saved time and effort. It was bad ass!


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## RAGE275 (May 12, 2011)

ArcticOneSix said:


> Did I mention I went to school in texas? Counting isn't our strong point.
> 
> Rage, good point. Many guys are push overs and don't even stand up for themselves. I have several stories that my former PSG and SLs tell everyone who will listen about me getting into an arguments with a 1SG about standards and their misinterpretation of the right one. That said, you have to be a rock stand fast if you're in the right.
> 
> Accepting input is good too. I did a mission where we've been building an ice bridge up north for 2 months this past winter. There wasn't an established approach to it, so anyone who had a good idea could input ideas. We'd think about them and try them out, many time they would have the best ideas that saved time and effort. It was bad ass!


And see, that's how it should be. That would be very appreciated by the enlisted side. And shit got done easy after that I bet. The biggest thing is common sense, leaders don't have to think like the lowest common denominator. That's what team leaders are for.

So, the bridge... Was made of... Ice?


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## TLDR20 (May 12, 2011)

I think remembering how valuable time is to your joes is important. Just because you have to stay until 1900 on a Wednesday, doesn't mean your Joes should have to. One of my best friends recently graduated from USMA, and I gave hime that advice. However if they fuck up the best way to punish a dude is to take his time. Money can be made back, but time is forever. And I hated when we would have to sit around because the guy in charge was still working. Let everyone who is done with what they have to do go home.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (May 12, 2011)

Don't tell an NCO who has been in since you were 15 about the "standards" while chewing gum and wearing sun glasses in front of the formation.


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## Pistol_Pete (May 27, 2011)

I have just one bit of advice for now. This is not picking on Officers by any stretch and I have been fortunate to work with many great brothers who happen to be officers and this is the only time I ever saw something like this. I relay this experience in hopes that it will pay off to a SOF or other unit down the road.

While serving on an ODA, I observed one company commander who disappointed me in his lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity to the host nation's culture. He acted like an ignorant asshole (hate to say it - ugly American) on a deployment and not to SF standards IMO. I never said anything to him about it (no way to tell your commander he doesn't have a basic skill and do it gently). I'm not talking touchy-feeling sensitivity, but cultural awareness and sensitivity to the host nation cultural differances are CRITICAL skills and aptitudes for everyone in a SF unit, but especially amongst the leadership and ODA members. This is basic stuff and you can't disregard it without risking many problems.

It goes without saying we have all worked with excellent officers and NCO's who I looked up to and would feel fortunate just to shine their jump boots - so my one example is *not* common place. I'm not sure what the malfunction / bad fit was in this instance with this particular individual or why he got a company - but I never saw it anywhere else but this one brief time. He didn't seem to handle stress entirely well. Happens to the best of us at times.

So, this advice is not just to officers but to NCO's, wannabe's and any support unit associated with an SF unit. Learn the culture of your AO to the highest level of intelligence and expertise you can muster then try to adapt and fit your mission the best you can between two cultures that are often worlds apart. That's what sets us apart and why they send us in to do these specialized missions.


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## Marauder06 (Jun 4, 2011)

First impressions count, make sure when you make one, it's a good one.  If the first impression someone has of you is a bad one, it is very, very hard to overcome.  Be polite, punctual, professional, and prepared any time you meet someone and you should be OK.  This applies to everyone you meet or go in front of, no matter who they are or what the circumstances are.  If you go through life deciding how you're going to treat people based solely on the way they look and/or what you think they can do for you at that moment, you'll be an utter failure as an officer and quite probably as a human being.


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## sfmike (Jun 4, 2011)

So, this advice is not just to officers but to NCO's, wannabe's and any support unit associated with an SF unit. Learn the culture of your AO to the highest level of intelligence and expertise you can muster then try to adapt and fit your mission the best you can between two cultures that are often worlds apart. That's what sets us apart and why they send us in to do these specialized missions.

*I will echo Pistol Pete's advice.  I accompanied a field grade SF Officer to an ARVN General's Villa in Vung Tau.  The General had a formal dinner served in the French fassion.  As the dinner progressed, finger bowls were served to each guest to wash their hands, before the next course was served.  The SF Officer thought that he was being served some kind of soup and started eating it with his spoon.  The ARVN General and all of the other guests started eating their finger bowl contents, too because no one wanted the Ami` Officer to loose face.*

*Mike*


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## Marauder06 (Jul 19, 2011)

So a couple of days ago I was having dinner with an acquaintance, a nice young woman my wife and I are friends with. She mentioned that there were some new people in her office, including one young woman whom my acquaintance did not care for. My acquaintance starting listing all of the new girl's faults, which included her graduating from "a school no one has ever heard of before." She said, "I mean, have you ever even heard of XXX University?" me: "Why yes, it's in CITY/STATE" which might have been a clue, but she continued on with the rant, which included enumerating the problems of this particular school, which apparently is inhabited by rich, socially conservative, Bible-beating "Southerners" among other issues, if I remember correctly.

If she would have paused for breath or asked how I knew about the school, I could have told her that the reason I have heard of XXX University before is because my wife and I are both graduates; in fact, we me there and later got married at one of the chapels there on the campus. I think that because she knew I had spent several years trying to get into the teaching faculty at West Point she assumed that I must be a grad. Bad assumption.

I didn't want to let the issue overshadow an otherwise very pleasant evening so I let it go, I actually found the whole thing kind of funny, and when I told my wife the story later, she got a chuckle too. I think the only thing that could have caused her to stick her foot in her mouth more is if the new person XXX University grad in her office turned out to be a blood relative of mine ;)

Two lessons from this incident- one, try not to talk bad about people or organizations if you can avoid it. Listen while you're talking, follow up on what the other person says especially if it's something you didn't expect. Lesson two, be careful about the assumptions you choose to make about people, they will often bite you in the ass.

By the way, in case anyone is confused, no XXX University is NOT a real school.


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## Chopstick (Jul 19, 2011)

So will XXX University be making an appearance in an upcoming case study?


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## Marauder06 (Jul 19, 2011)

Chopstick said:


> So will XXX University be making an appearance in an upcoming case study?



No way, it's full of rich, socially-conservative, Bible-thumping Southerners, remember?  No one wants to read about things like that ;)


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## Chopstick (Jul 19, 2011)

Marauder06 said:


> No way, it's full of rich, socially-conservative, Bible-thumping Southerners, remember? No one wants to read about things like that ;)


Right..every University has a seedy underbelly..I dont care how rich or socially conservative you are.


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## Marauder06 (Sep 7, 2011)

*This article* was written from a civilian management perspective, but I think a lot of it carries over into the Officers' Corps.



> According to a new CareerBuilder survey, 71 percent of human resources managers say they place more emphasis on emotional intelligence — a person’s ability to control his or her emotions, sense the emotions of others and build relationships — than they do on IQ. Fifty-nine percent of employers even said they wouldn’t hire someone who had a high IQ but low EI.
> Among other reasons, hiring managers said they value EI over IQ because employees with high emotional intelligence are more likely to stay calm under pressure, solve conflict effectively and show empathy to their team members.
> “Technical competency and intelligence are important assets for every worker, but when it’s down to you and another candidate for a promotion or new job, dynamic interpersonal skills will set you apart,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “In a recovering economy, employers want people who can effectively make decisions in stressful situations and can empathize with the needs of their colleagues and clients to deliver the best results.”



I think in the military there's a bit of a stigma attached to discussions about "emotions," so call emotional intelligence "interpersonal skills" or something more palatable if you like.  Whatever you call it, I think most of us would agree that the traits that the article associates with emotional intelligence- calmness under pressure, effective conflict resolution, and empathy towards team members, are good skills for officers (or any military leaders, for that matter) to master as well.

To this list of recommendations that the article puts forth as things you should do (control over emotions, self-reflection, listening, empathize with colleagues), I'd also add something you shouldn't:  "don't gossip."  It's important to have frank discussions about things that are or might be happening in your organization, but when it goes from "relevant" to "rampantly speculative," it crosses out of being constructive and starts being destructive.  If something bad might be happening in your unit, follow it up immediately so you can squash either the perpetrator(s) of whatever it is, or the people spreading the rumors.  Few things ruin unit cohesion faster than false rumors or rulebreakers whose bad deeds are known about but are not called to account.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 20, 2012)

Bump.  This thread hasn't been updated in a while, anyone have anything to add?


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## Teufel (Jul 20, 2012)

Here is a relevant gazette article.


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## IT101 (Jul 21, 2012)

From the perspective of an "NCO" on the receiving end:
1. Please do not let your personal problems or professional ambitions get in the way of what's best for your folks.
Our CO, from when I first arrived on my ship, was constantly (as verified by our Operations Officer) volunteering for deployments/exercises, to the point that our DESRON was considering forcing him to back off. The rumors going around included that it was "less than good at home" and he was vying for promotion, which caused some of the crew to lose faith in him. Regardless of his reasoning, the family lives of the crew suffered.

2. Please do not jump to assumptions when something goes awry- get all the facts before developing a conclusion about what's going on.
Our Comms Officer was notorious for being unavailable via phone and physically tracking her down, but would storm in when the General Announcement system would incorrectly report an "outage" after one minute of down time. She was an intelligent person, but lacked EI (emotional intelligence), as mentioned previously.


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## CDG (Jul 21, 2012)

IT101 said:


> Our CO, from when I first arrived on my ship, was constantly (as verified by our Operations Officer) volunteering for deployments/exercises, to the point that our DESRON was considering forcing him to back off. The rumors going around included that it was "less than good at home" and he was vying for promotion, which caused some of the crew to lose faith in him. Regardless of his reasoning, the family lives of the crew suffered.
> .


 
This sounds exactly like my first ship.  The DESRON commander was not so willing to ask our CO to chill out though.  Instead he came on board and congratulated us for being the most underway ship in the Atlantic Fleet. It didn't bother me all that much, as I was single with no kids.  Some of the other guys on board were not in the same situation though.  Wives were calling to complain, and there were even a few divorces reported to have been filed due to how much we were gone and the strain it had put on people's relationships.  The rumor mill about the motivating factor being the COs own lack of happiness at home was also alive and well.  That may have been an unfair judgment to make, but a lot of people were sick of being gone.  That's somewhat understandable, but only to a point.  When you volunteer for the military, you have to recognize that you are giving up your right to be as comfortable and as happy as you may want to be.  There's a lot we, as enlisted guys, don't see or know.  Hopefully a command would not needlessly keep their people away from home, but at the same time it is their prerogative to do what they feel is needed or is best for the command, DESRON, Fleet, or Navy.  It's possible both our COs just enjoyed being at sea.  I think too often the Navy is a branch that people join because it's "safe and easy".  They want all the benefits of being in the military, without having to do too much "military stuff" like deploying.  

None of this is directed at you, IT101, it's just general commentary.


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## IT101 (Jul 21, 2012)

CDG said:


> The rumor mill about the motivating factor being the COs own lack of happiness at home was also alive and well. That may have been an unfair judgment to make, but a lot of people were sick of being gone. That's somewhat understandable, but only to a point. When you volunteer for the military, you have to recognize that you are giving up your right to be as comfortable and as happy as you may want to be. There's a lot we, as enlisted guys, don't see or know. Hopefully a command would not needlessly keep their people away from home, but at the same time it is their prerogative to do what they feel is needed or is best for the command, DESRON, Fleet, or Navy. It's possible both our COs just enjoyed being at sea.


I agree with you wholeheartedly- there is a lot that goes on well above our heads. It is simply a matter of what the CO chooses to divulge, and what he or she is not allowed to put out due to it being classified or irrelevant. Which actually brings up another good point for this thread:

- In the absence of details regarding why an Officer said to do something, people will attempt to fill in the gaps with their own conclusions.

It's not right, but an inherent problem when people want to blame something or someone.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 21, 2012)

IT101 said:


> ...
> 
> - In the absence of details regarding why an Officer said to do something, people will attempt to fill in the gaps with their own conclusions.
> ...


 

That's a very good point.  I have almost always found it more useful to explain the reasoning behind a decision than to simply say "do what I said because I'm in charge."  Some decisions are self-explanatory, and others you don't have time to explain, but when you have the time, explaining the "why" helps to prevent miscommunication and mistrust, and helps better convey commander's intent.


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## 0699 (Jul 21, 2012)

IT101 said:


> From the perspective of an "NCO" on the receiving end:
> 1. Please do not let your personal problems or *professional ambitions* get in the way of what's best for your folks.
> Our CO, from when I first arrived on my ship, was constantly (as verified by our Operations Officer) volunteering for deployments/exercises, to the point that our DESRON was considering forcing him to back off. The rumors going around included that it was "less than good at home" and he was vying for promotion, which caused some of the crew to lose faith in him. Regardless of his reasoning, the family lives of the crew suffered.


 
This was pretty common in the Corps.  We'd get a new commander in and we'd go balls to the walls until we were NMC and exhausted.  The only reasoning I could ever come up with was lack of a vested unit interest by the leader.  He's going to be there 18-24 months; the only thing that was important to him was what "good" things happened under his command, not the state of the unit when he was done with it.  If he could survive his time, have several successful exercises/deployments under his belt, and maybe field some new gear (didn't matter if it was a POS), he'd get his medal, fitness report, and orders and move on to his next duty station.

Not every leader, but enough that I remember it being a problem...


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 21, 2012)

I've heard of COs at the O5 level doing the same thing (constantly volunteering for underway) because they want to get their full bird.


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## Rampart (Dec 13, 2012)

amlove21 said:


> -- If you are going to be MY advocate and MY leader- you had better be on point. I WILL NOT make excuses for you to my men.


 
So very very true......


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## Rampart (Dec 13, 2012)

As the officer you are not just the "Boss" you are the example. make sure you set the example as you want your men and women to perform it.

Be very aware that the NCOs have far more time in than you. Use their knowledge and experience wisely. 

If you fuck up, admit it and move on. Do not try and cover it up or pass the blame as you will just lose all trust and respect of those you command.

Know and accept that no one is perfect, work with it and it will not be an issue


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## propatriavigilans (Feb 26, 2013)

Good stuff in here


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## Marauder06 (May 9, 2013)

http://www.military1.com/all/article/647-dont-be-a-douche-15-rules-to-effectively-lead-a-platoon

We've received more than a handful of emails from people asking us to post our thoughts on leadership – mostly from seasoned NCOs who want us to use our powers for good instead of evil (at least every once in a while).

This is a tough one for us to write, because in some ways it starts with the position that we are qualified to teach leadership. I mean you can go to the store and literally buy hundreds of books on the topic of leadership from real war heroes that should be dead a hundred times over, general officers or sergeants major who have a lifetime of service to the nation, or even business leaders, coaches, or politicians who have made a real difference in the world. Hell, a lot of the guys that read this site have been to combat four times or more by now! Candidly, we felt that posting an article on leadership would be more than a little presumptuous.

Nevertheless, the emails have continued coming in – as a result, I posed this dilemma to one the NCOs in the Ranger Up Militia. "Why should we tread on ground that so many great leaders have already covered," I asked. "Simple," he replied, "You won’t write it with the intent of making yourself look like a big deal, which means someone might actually listen."

His logic was hard to argue with, so we drew straws and for this one you're stuck with me. I've decided to write it from a platoon leader's perspective, because no one needs more help than a 2LT, but hopefully most of my comments transcend all levels of leadership. So here goes:

*1.) Don't be a douche.*
I am dead serious. Nothing pissed me off more than watching some wannabe tough guy treat his people like sh*t and then hear someone say "that's his leadership style". NO-GO. I fully admit there are a lot of ways of running a unit, but the foundation of leadership is integrity and love for your people. You can be hard and have high standards, but you cannot treat people like their existence is to serve you, amuse you, and accelerate your career. That is not a leadership style, it's an ego trip. Get over yourself or you will find yourself getting a wood line attitude adjustment .

My first boss was a hard ass. We had the best trained unit in the Brigade because he was always pushing for additional training. On the surface of it, one would argue he was doing everything right. When one of my NCOs found out his mother was dying, the commander actually tried to convince him that he shouldn't go see her, because his guys needed him more. This was pre-9/11. He was willing to trade one of his men's last moments with his mother in order to minimize the risk that his unit might get a slightly lower grade on the training exercise. Instantly, everyone realized that all his training wasn't to take care of us at all – this guy was really just a spotlight Ranger. His actions led to my first counseling by the Battalion Commander, but that is a different story. In short, don't be a douche.

*2.) Your guys are more important than your career. *
This ties in nicely with my last point, but it is worthy of its own bullet. You’re all going to be civilians someday, no matter how much you love the military or how long you serve. Years from now, the fact that you made Colonel or Sergeant Major won't erase the fact that you threw some unsuspecting subordinate under the bus to avoid punishment, and it certainly won't remove a stupid decision you made based on pressure from above that got someone killed or injured. Every leader I've ever respected has been willing to stand in the Gates of Fire when it mattered. If you're not willing to do this for your people, be honest with yourself and quit. Join corporate America – you'll just annoy people, not get them killed, and you'll make more money. Everyone wins.

*3.) Be good at your job. *
Every day you should be working your ass off to be technically and tactically skilled (note I didn't say proficient – you need to be better than that). You should be asking questions, reading, practicing, and training. You can be a super-nice dude or dudette who loves your troops, but if you don't know how to train them, lead them, and they aren't ready for combat, you are a colossal failure. If you look deep inside, you'll know the truth of where you are in this regard. Either fix it or quit.

*4.) It's not your platoon. *
Imagine you'd been doing a job for 12-15 years and grew so good at it that you were chosen ahead of others to lead 40 men into combat…with one caveat. You're not actually in charge – some kid young enough to be your son is in charge…and you have to train him… but he rates you. You couldn't make this shit up, right? When you're walking into that platoon, appreciate the fact that you're not the badass here. You, like your men and your platoon sergeant, have a job to do, and it is your job to do that as best you can. Acknowledge their experience and allow them to help you grow.

Towards the end of my time with my first platoon, my platoon sergeant and I were a team to be envied. We had figured out who was going to do what and we had each other's backs. He had been very "anti-PL" over the last few years (I was his fourth platoon leader), but decided to give me a chance when I shook his hand for the first time and said, "SFC Stewart – it looks like I'll be spending a year or so in your platoon. Thanks for having me." I'll give full credit to my dad, a former NCO, for that one but it was my firm intent to let him know I needed to learn and that I respected his position and sacrifice, and our men benefited as a result.

*5.) It is your platoon. *
We were at CMTC getting ready for our field problem. I was at an OPORD and my platoon sergeant had everyone in the bay cleaning equipment. Two of my new soldiers got into a fistfight over something stupid (one of them fancied himself a rapper and the other one felt his rap sucked – damn eighteen year olds). My platoon sergeant punished them by having the entire platoon outside in the mud wearing all of their recently cleaned equipment. He was smoking the ever-loving shit out of them when I rolled up on the scene. Spotting me, he made the motion to stay back (this was NCO business). So I hung low and watched from a distance so my guys couldn't see me. Just then Sergeant Major Chickenhawk rolled up – the same Sergeant Major that I hated and had recently outlawed this kind of "hazing" because it was politically expedient to do so. He grabbed my platoon sergeant by the shoulder and started digging into to him in front of my guys. I ran over and told the CSM that this was my platoon and that he could have the conversation with me. He told me that this was NCO business and I responded that my platoon sergeant was acting under my command with my permission to discipline the men. He walked me over to the battalion commander. They had me don my gear and do mud PT to "show me" how it felt. Well – you can't smoke a rock.

Yes, your platoon sergeant has more experience. Yes, he can run circles around you in a lot of areas. Yes, he should probably be in charge over you – but he isn't. You are, and anything that happens or fails to happen in your platoon is your responsibility. Furthermore, in this scenario, I had a great platoon sergeant and I agreed with him. But not all platoon sergeants are good and not all good platoon sergeants are always right – you need to trust your own judgment and execute accordingly, even if it means pissing your PSG off.

*6.) Don't lie, ever, for any reason. *
This isn't grade school. Your actions matter. If you fuck up, admit it as soon as possible, even if you think it'll hurt your career. The team cannot work on a solution until they know the truth, and this is one of the few jobs in the world where lies can get people killed. Furthermore, the military, for all its faults, is one of the few places on earth where honest mistakes are actually forgiven. Conversely, it is one of the few places where lies are extravagantly and brutally punished, and rightly so.

*7.) You make mistakes – admit them. *
Don't be that guy. Your men don't expect perfection. They expect you to strive every day for perfection. You'll be wrong a lot. Fess up, get over it, get their feedback and drive on. They will respect you infinitely more and they will trust you for it, as opposed to committing themselves over and over again to proving, quite creatively and to everyone's amusement, that you are often wrong.

*8.) Leader is not equal to BFF. *
I loved my guys. I still love my guys, even though I'm very far removed from being in command. Many good-intentioned leaders make the mistake of believing that being a great leader means never having your guys be upset with you and hanging out with them all the time. There's nothing wrong with taking your platoon out for a night on the town. There's nothing wrong with socializing with guys when you bump into them at a bar. There is something wrong with passing out on your PV2s couch at 3AM. Once you become "one of the guys", you're no longer their leader, and they need you to be in charge a lot more than they need another buddy.

*9.) You're not the smartest guy in the platoon. *
A lot of guys make the mistake of thinking that because they have achieved a certain rank, or have a certain degree; they are in some way superior to the others in their unit. In my first platoon alone, I had 7/20 privates or specialists with college degrees – one with a master's degree. One of them was literally a genius, having maxed out the MENSA (weak-ass organization, by the way) test. You're not in charge because you're the smartest or most talented or anything else – you're in charge because you signed up to be the LT. Don't act superior, because you aren't – just do your job.

*10.) You can never quit.*
You don't have to be the fastest runner, or do the most pushups, or be the best at combatives, or be the best shot, but you can never quit. The second your guys see you give up, you've lost them. Period.

*11.) You are not the focal point of your subordinates' lives.*
They don't spend their nights thinking about you, your speeches, or your goals. They have wives, kids, girlfriends, bills, friends, and problems. Acknowledge that – your men are not here to serve you. They're here to serve your country. You're here to serve them.

*12.) But your subordinates watch everything you do. *
Just because they don't live their lives around you, doesn't mean you're not important to them. If you lie, they assume it is okay. If you quit, they assume it is okay. Your actions, not your mission statements, speeches, codes, creeds, etc. will set their standard of behavior.
*13.) Get your boss's back. *
Everyone wants to be in charge…until they are there. We all think we could do a better job than our boss – sometimes it's very true and sometimes it isn't – but as long as he or she is working hard to take care of your men and complete the mission, you owe it to them to ensure they succeed. You'll be there someday, and you'll find that despite your best efforts, you are very fallible.

*14.) Have a sense of humor. *
You will be tested. When I came on board my first platoon, my guys tried to get me with every snipe hunt in the book – PRC-E8, keys to the indoor mortar range, box of grid squares – you name it. Skillfully, I held out for three weeks, until that day in the motor pool. In formation, the motor chief announced that today was the day that everyone had to turn in vehicle exhaust samples. Promptly, the motor sergeants disseminated to each platoon a vehicle exhaust sample kit, which included labels, sharpies, and garbage bags. My guys grabbed the bags, turned on their vehicles and began throwing the garbage bags around the exhaust pipe, filling it, then promptly tying the bag off and labeling it. This just didn't seem right – all the more so when they asked if I wanted to help get samples. I balked. They guilt tripped me. Finally, even though I was at least 25 percent sure I was being had, I filled a bag with exhaust and started walking to drop it off at the motor chief's office. Sure enough, they snapped about 2000 pictures of this jackass 2LT running around with a bag of exhaust.

They got their laughs and busted my balls about it. We were about to head to an 18-hour computer simulation exercise. Immediately afterwards they had a room inspection with all their gear laid out. They, of course, had done this the night before, knowing they'd be going right from the exercise to the inspection.
As all the guys moved to the simulator, all the officers got called back to the bays for the OPORD. When I came back, I asked them, "Don't you guys have an inspection tomorrow?"

"Roger, sir," they responded.

“Man, it’d suck if someone dumped everyone’s gear into one huge pile and then covered it in baby powder, wouldn’t it?” I asked.

Their faces dropped. They fucking hated me. I had gone way too far and clearly was getting back at them for the exhaust sample thing. For the rest of the exercise it was hard to get anyone to talk to me – even my platoon sergeant was edgy.

The exercise ended and we all came back to the bays – they knew they only had an hour to salvage the inspection. When they busted into their bay, they found that none of their stuff had been touched and was in perfect inspection mode.

"Sir, you are a fucking dick!" my platoon sergeant shouted.

"Why's that sergeant?" I asked.

"You said you dumped all our shit out on the floor and covered it in baby powder!"

"No, sergeant – I said it would suck if someone were to do that," I smiled.

I could take it, but I could give it back too. There would be no more fucking with this LT.

*15.) Do the right thing. *
This is the last and perhaps most important aspect of leadership. I am a big believer that in almost every single case, people know the right course of action. The bigger question is whether they have the courage to make the right decision, even when making that decision could be personally harmful. 

Decide now to always be a force of good. Don't justify away indiscretions. Don't sell out. Your life will be easier, your men will respect you more, and you’ll sleep at night. More importantly, you won't start down that slippery slope towards being one of those leaders that will do anything to get ahead. We all want to think we're the next coming of Patton or Eisenhower. 

No one thinks they are a bad leader, but it doesn't take much to get there and it happens incrementally – one little lie or moral concession at a time.


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