The Crux of Leadership

January 9, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Top Posts

Ask any NCO who has worn the diamond what his/her favorite job in the Army was and the response you’ll probably get is “First Sergeant”. Not because it was the easiest job. The myriad list of activities that a 1SG must accomplish can be mind-staggering. He or she has to monitor, inspect, mentor, establish, revamp, assess, organize, evaluate, manage, maintain, emphasize, plan, process, arrange, review, investigate, mitigate, and counsel among other things. Does that mean that the 1SG is the smartest peson on earth? To casual observers, it may seem like “Tops” possess a super-human ability to withstand high levels of stress and have all the answers. Not quite. After all, I got the job!!

The one thing I’ve noticed after about two months wearing the diamond is what a dynamic hat I wear. The first few months of a 1SG’s job are overwhelming. My day typically starts when I get out of bed at 0500 for PT. After PT, I shower at the gym and get to work by 0800. A typical day so far lasts until about 1800 (sometimes later, rarely earlier). During these past few months I’ve gone through an intensive process of assessing, identifying, revamping, and monitoring all the internal operations of my company (actually, it’s my Commander’s company entrusted to me for safekeeping).

Throughout this process, I’m forced to “drink from the firehose”. I’m fed an incredible amount of new information as I attempt to learn the workings of the company, the personalities within it, and where I fit into the whole process. The job of a 1SG is one that cannot necessarily be dictated with specified tasks. It takes a lot of trust and confidence from the commander that the 1SG understand all the implied tasks associated with his position. And while this assessment and these implied tasks are figured out, Soldiers will continue to need help with family problems, letters of indebtedness need to be addressed, Soldiers need to attend professional develop schools, unit taskings must be completed, and NCOERs must be processed timely.

But, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love taking care of Soldiers. I love trying to help solve personal problems and mentor junior Soldiers on how to take my job. One of the ironic facts of military life is that we actually groom and encourage Soldiers to take our jobs. We want them to succeed and become SGTs, 1SGs or officers themselves. We can’t hire a civilian off the street and tell him to lead a company. We have to breed our own leaders.

As a 1SG, I have four goals I’d like to achieve before I leave: increase morale, proficiency, espirit-de-corps, and discipline. If I can leave this company and improve each of these areas in some way, I will feel like I made a difference. But, one think I’m acutely aware of is that I CANNOT do it alone. I am NOTHING without my fellow NCOs who are in direct leadership positions with these Soldiers. You will not find a Sergeant Major who got where he/she is alone. Behind that star, behind this diamond, is a LONG list of Soldiers who made me look good. Because they did their jobs well and accomplished the mission, I got promoted. Now, naturally, I play a small part in my own success, but I can be the most proficient and disciplined NCO in the Army. But, if I don’t take care of my Soldiers, the mission will not get accomplished and I will fail. Our NCO creed reads, “My two basic responsibilities will always remain uppermost in my mind – accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my Soldiers.” Personally, I think it should read “the welfare of the Soldiers and the accomplishment of my mission” because you can’t accomplish the mission if you aren’t taking care of troops. Sure, some are natural leaders and will do what’s right regardless of the NCO leadership above them, but for the most part that NCO is a catalyst for their Soldiers’ successful mission accomplishment.

My greatest fear is not living up to the diamond that I wear. I know that one day I may be overwhelmed by events and drop the ball on something that may not seem important to me, but means to the world the Soldier it would have affected. It’s a constant evaluation in this position to identify the “crystal balls” and the “rubber balls”. The “crystal balls” can’t be dropped or they will shatter. The mission will fail or Soldiers will be severely affected in a negative way. The “rubber balls” will bounce back, but you’re going to have make an extra effort to go out and bring it back. What if my “rubber ball” is someone else’s “crystal ball”?

Honestly, I try not to worry about it and just do the best job I know how. If I can say that I have a strong personality trait it’s that I don’t repeat mistakes. I make a LOT of mistakes, but I learn from each one. I’m sort of a perfectionist when it comes to my military service. No one can “punish” me more than I punish myself whenever I screw something up. And I’m having fun. I love being busy. The time goes by faster and that means I can retire sooner!! With retirement comes my next dream job – working the drive-thru window of my local Taco Bell!!

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