After your commissioning ceremony at Fort Benning, you asked if I would serve as your mentor, and my reply was and is that you are mature enough and wise enough that you don't need an old guy like me pretending to help you, but that - yes - I'd be honored.

What I did then, in my mentor role, was to share some thoughts over a period that turned out to be 18 months. The thoughts are nothing extraordinary, and they are my opinion - which means they may be wrong. I said that you are smart enough to know what to disregard.

And - most importantly - I recognized you have a life: family, friends, military school, and military duties. So I didn't expect you to answer my notes - the last thing you need is a 60+ year-old pen pal. But, then again, there might be a glint of something useful coming from here.

Index

#1 Controlling Your Future
When I was a battalion commander I had a WO1 who was a good guy and a friend. Our families have stayed close over the years. Like me, he is now retired. When he was a WO1, he told me his goal was to retire as a CW4. My reply was that his goal was really a problem, because it was something that he could not control. Promotion Boards look at many records and things can happen over a career that could bring a goal like that to a screeching halt. I suggested he set goals where he had more control. In your case, I don't know if you've thought about a military goal, but you do have something near-term that you can affect, and it could be important in the long run. I think your near-term goal should be to do well at ADA Basic. Believe me, I understand about 'spring butts' and people who live in the library studying all the time. To these, I say, 'Get a life.' But on the other hand, it is possible to balance family and social time and still do well in school. There is nothing wrong with being an Honor Graduate and a lot that is right about it. You have already achieved some excellent things that support short-term and long-term success: Air Assault and Airborne schools. Do well at Basic and you won't regret it.

#2 The Language of an Officer
Think about this, and see if you agree. The concept of being an officer and a gentleman excludes the use of profanity under any circumstances. Wow, if that's a true statement then there are a lot of people who violate it. So what about officers who curse? Do they do it because it's part of their persona - their personality or character? Do they do it to appear tough? Do they do it because they don't feel they cannot get their point across without it? Do they do it to try to prove they are just 'one of the boys'? How about this as an alternative? Pick a word, almost any word, that you use only when very upset, or if you think you have to act tough, or for whatever reason might motivate you to curse. Let's try the word 'Blarney.' The dictionary gives me reason to believe Blarney comes from Ireland (the Blarney Stone) and it means smooth, flattering talk or deceptive nonsense. This may sound stupid, but if you have an occasion where words fail you and profanity is about to cross your lips, try your substitute word. Jones, that is the most Blarney excuse I have ever heard in my life." "First Squad, get your Blarney on that objective NOW." Okay, it sounds dumb, but it works. And sure enough someone will ask you what the word means (whatever word you pick) and where did it come from. You can respond that you don't think men need to curse to get their point across, and if you want, you can say your uncle used it wherever he was so mad he could hardly speak. The men will laugh, make jokes about it, make up their own words in humor, but end up respecting your position and maybe even cleaning up their language a bit.

#3 Delegating
Delegating, as a manner of leadership, is taught at all military schools. But we tend to understand the concept more in principle than in practice. Here's an easy example that shows how to get it right? when delegating. I once observed about 15 ROTC cadets practicing how to defend a position. Everyone had a great attitude and was trying to be helpful to the cadet who was the leader for the exercise. They had 15 minutes to prepare before another squad attacked them. The cadets worked with the designated leader to lay out the positions, the sectors of fire, the location of the automatic weapons, the means to cover dead space, etc. There were lots of helpful suggestions, but the suggestions and one-on-one decision-making took up all of the 15 minutes and the defenders didn't really have their act together by the time the others attacked. An alternative might have been for the leader to quickly divide his force into two teams, and to pick two team leaders. To the first team leader he could say (as he pointed), "Josh, you coordinate the defense from 12:00 o'clock to 6:00 o'clock." And to the second team leader he could say, "Sandra, you take from 6:00 to 12:00." And to both he could say, "Each of you give me one person as a reaction element. Coordinate between the two of you. And let me know anything you can't resolve. Get back with me in ten minutes and brief me on your set-up. In the first scenario, our take-charge leader was immersed with laying out the details of the defense. Even if there was more time, he would have to be plenty smart not to forget anything. In the second scenario, the leader uses the expertise of his teams and actually gets to step away from the details of the problem while his team leaders are doing their ten minutes of planning and coordination. The team leaders are getting trained, and the overall leader has time to reflect on the overall situation. He won't get caught up in the minute details; his team leaders will take care of them. When they do come to him he will appear wiser and more in control. And, odds are that his subordinates will come up with a better plan than he could have anyway, so everyone wins.

It goes without saying that delegating is not passing the buck. And you can't delegate away responsibility. Here is a good problem: You have a 60-foot flagpole to get in the ground. It will need to be set in a hole 15-feet deep for stability so 45 feet will be above ground. Your engineers have just drilled the 15-foot hole. You have your platoon. How do you get that 60-foot pole off the ground and stuck in the hole? Think about it. The answer: Tell your platoon sergeant to get the pole in the hole and to come see you just as soon as he is done because you think you then might have something else for the platoon to do. In summary, delegating is easy; you just have to suppress that "take charge" mentality that has been drilled into you in favor of an approach that better uses the skills of your subordinates and puts you in a position to reflect on their actions and potentially even improve upon their plans.

#4 Writing
Whether in the Army or in business, good writing is a required skill. Like most skills it requires practice. Practice requires time and effort. New lieutenants tend to write poorly, and they have other things to do with their free time than make the effort to learn to write better. At some point, career officers write plans and orders, policies, regulations, white papers, speeches, and a variety of documents that are read by wide audiences that cannot tolerate sloppy effort. (Same for junior managers in business who aspire to be senior managers.) So how does one get from Point A to Point B? No good answer except to go back to putting in time and effort. A near-term goal might be to write monthly articles for the battalion newsletter or similar publication. To begin with, it might be very difficult to "sweat words on paper," but that's what even professional writers do. You just have to work at it.

#5 Know When To Do Nothing
Doing nothing is always a course of action. Of course, the Army expects officers to act. Officers act even when off duty. Consider this extract from Army Regulation 600-20, Army Command Policy:

* * *

Commanders and leaders in the Army, whether on or off duty or in a leave status, will:
(2) Take action consistent with Army regulation in any case where a soldier's conduct violates good order and military discipline.

* * *

In this regard, we spend a lot of time training officers how to act: how to get the platoon up the hill, how to get the equipment maintained, how to account for property, how to maintain discipline? In wartime, acting NOW and in the right way can be a matter of life and death. We hope that education and training pay off in those times when acting NOW is what needs to be done.

Having said that, my experience is that we have to be careful not to be provoked into action. If Amanda comes to you very upset about something or somebody, your first notion is probably to ACT. That's natural. If Sergeant Brown comes in with his hair on fire, you may also be inclined to act. Well, action may be appropriate, but do so because it is the right thing to do, not because you get caught up in Sergeant Brown's emotions. We like to write "cool under pressure" and "unflappable" in OERs because they are good traits of leaders. So what happens when Sergeant Brown comes running in all upset? Perhaps you need to have a quick mental checklist:

[ ] Is someone about to be hurt or killed?
[ ] Will property be heavily damaged?
[ ] Is a serious crime in progress?
[ ] Is there a substantial threat to good order and military discipline? (see above extract from AR 600-20)

#6 Take Care of Your People
The way we take care of soldiers is by ensuring that they are trained, fit, disciplined, motivated, fed, rested, equipped, informed, and well-led. Individually and collectively these are important. We also take care of soldiers by recognizing their accomplishments and service, and that's what this is about. We know soldiers serve for better reasons than to accumulate awards and decorations. But that doesn't mean that these aren't important. The military is pretty liberal with awards, but you would be surprised by the number of times we fail in this regard. You may have experienced this yourself from your enlisted days. Gather any group of staff sergeants and ask them if they've ever been a situation when they felt their efforts went un-rewarded and you'll get nearly a 100% response. And it won't be because these professionals are only motivated by ribbons; it will be because someone or some unit expected them to take care of their soldiers but failed to take care of them.

Let me give you an example from my brigade command days. One of my battalions awarded 20 AAMs in one month. How do you feel about that number? How was that in comparison to the units you were with? Ever stand in a battalion formation with that many awarded? My reaction was something like this: "You have over 600 men in your battalion and you have been training and maintaining all month, and you can only find one man in every 30 who was worthy of recognition?" And I sure didn't want to hear about "cheapening" the award.

Of course lieutenants can't control medals, though they can submit their people for them (more writing practice - see note #4). Lieutenants can control letters of appreciation, platoon awards, and time off. Perhaps even battalion coins (as in trying to get one for PFC Smith who did well maintaining his vehicle) and battalion certificates. Here's one most people don't think about: Getting Smith to compete for Battalion Soldier of the Month and giving him the time and support to be competitive.

Take care of your soldiers - they take care of you!

#7 Know When You Are Visible
It's distressing to find that some people - in the military and in other professions - get ahead by simply looking good. They talk-the-talk and don't walk-the-walk. These people are a mile wide and an inch deep, and we wonder how they continually get ahead. Surely they are not individuals whom we wish to emulate. However, there are occasions when we owe it to our organization to look good. Yes, we want to do those things to look good and be good every day, but let's be real - that doesn't happen. If the Brigade Commander is coming tomorrow morning, it's not unrealistic to expect that you and your people might have to stay late and come in early to make sure everything is in tiptop shape. If one of your soldiers has to see the Battalion Commander - yes, even for a field grade Article 15, it's a good idea to make sure he looks as sharp as possible, knows how to report properly and salutes smartly.

There is a story about a division parade at 9:00 a.m. To be ready for the division, there is a brigade review at 8:00. To be ready for the brigade there is a battalion review at 7:00. To be ready for the battalion, there is a company review at 6:00. Platoon at 5:00. The Squad Leaders gets their soldiers up at 4:00. On one hand it is probably not a good story about Army life. On the other, it's a good example of people knowing they'll be visible and taking appropriate action.

#8 One-On-One Confrontations
We have an excellent Army, with superb soldiers. In most cases we struggle to provide them with the quality of leadership they deserve. Far from the draft Army of the 70's, we rarely encounter problems with soldier appearance, attitude, or discipline. But there may come the day when you are faced with a soldier who is completely out of control and it's just you and that soldier. Or maybe it's you and that soldier with lots of other soldiers looking on. Not something to look forward to. As you attempt to control the situation, you should try to find an NCO - any NCO. Noncommissioned officers have the responsibility and skills to bring unruly soldiers under control. One thing you should not do is to convey anything that sounds like a threat. (Keep that up and you are going to receive an Article 15!") Whoops, lieutenants don't administer Article 15s and you can't be sure the company commander will do so. That leaves you pretty impotent in the eyes of the soldiers. I've found that telling a soldier is a firm but calm voice, "You need to (stop that) (do this) or you will be responsible for the consequences" is a pretty good attention getter and not like throwing gas on an already-raging fire. Most pause; some want to know what consequences. The response, +I don't know for sure, but you can use your imagination" (while staring them in the eye). Trust me, their imagination is big enough to work for you. In the same regard, I recall the "COPS" show on TV where the 5' 11" policeman has got to cuff the 6' 6" 350 pound mean drunk and get him in the back of the squad car. The policeman says, "You are a pretty strong guy and could hurt me if you want, but you're not going to do that are you?" The drunk - somewhat flattered - says that he won't hurt the cop. Then the policeman says, "And you know I'm required to put these cuffs on you, but I won't make them so tight that they hurt." And the drunk submits, etc. I don't think that's how a lieutenant would or should talk to a belligerent and drunk soldier, but there is some merit in getting him to think and in not provoking him further.

# 9 Be Close to Your Troops
Being "close" actually has a good side and a bad side, but as long as you understand the difference, all should work well.

• The Bad Side: Most people want to be liked. Most people want to operate "friendly." However, most people are not commissioned officers in the service of their country. If a lieutenant thinks being liked is more important than being respected he or she is in the wrong profession. Lieutenants who use first names, let soldiers call them L-T, refer to soldiers by the same slang names their buddies do, e.g., "Moose" - improperly interact with subordinates and fail to gain their respect. In the same vein, there are also things that go around like, "We don't salute in the field." (My response is that saluting occurs except when under actual hostile fire or under the imminent threat of actual hostile fire. Outside, in the field, when subordinates are in constant close proximity, the rule might be, "Once in the morning does it.") Do not forget that officers have special responsibilities and authority that sets them apart from enlisted soldiers (Note that I didn't say "makes them better than enlisted soldiers" because that's not true) and that the organization as-a-whole is better off when the lines are clear and not crossed.
• The Good Side: This deals with the need for a lieutenant to be close to his or her subordinates as they perform their duties in order to provide the requisite leadership to get the job done. Yes, a good Platoon Sergeant can get most tasks or missions accomplished without the “help” of the Platoon Leader, especially a Platoon Leader who is new to the Army and new to his or her responsibilities. But that doesn’t absolve a Platoon Leader from being with his or her troops. A Platoon Leader, on site, can mentally ask himself or herself questions such as:
  • Is the worksite secure?
  • Are there any unsafe or potentially unsafe practices that need to be corrected?
  • Does the platoon have the right supplies and equipment to get the job done?
  • Is equipment reasonably available that can expedite completion?
  • Is higher headquarters (usually a company headquarters) being advised of the progress of the work?
    And a Platoon Leader, on site, and without interrupting the flow of work, can also find ways to communicate with his or her soldiers - what better time to talk to a soldier than when he or she is performing a task that he or she is good at and probably more than willing to share his or her knowledge with you? A win-win. What a great way to build a professional relationship and - thanks to the soldier - to get smarter on the task being performed.

#10 Inspections
"Anything not inspected is neglected." We have all heard that. Many fine units are that way because they do check, double-check and check again. Good officers (and NCOs) are good inspectors. To begin with, they don't have "lazy eyes." Lazy eyes are when you look at something without seeing it - as in something out of place, dirty, broken, or disorderly. We all want to be known as someone who "doesn't miss a thing." Looking - and seeing - are actually components of situational awareness, a trait essential in most environments to protect yourself, your friends and family, and your unit. You have to train yourself to be observant for things not quite right. You can ask a simple question like, "What's with this (chair) (generator) (field pack)?" and wait for an answer. You'll be amazed at what comes out. Human nature is also such that people will think you know more than you do. Often people will (1) "come clean" with the facts right away, and (2) be amazed how smart you are.

Officers are always inspecting, though mostly as part of some other activity, like going from the Orderly Room to the Motor Pool.

Officers don't have to know everything to inspect (NCOs are in the know). A good inspecting technique, in the presence of an NCO, is to say to a soldier something like, "Tell me about your (generator) (machine gun) (vehicle), and let the soldier do so. You'll probably learn something. If the soldier pauses or stumbles, you can ask the NCO something like, "Is that what you say?" or "What else should I know?" The risk is that you might be fed a line, but that's unlikely. Most soldiers and NCOs are just waiting to show off their knowledge and skills. If you are perhaps asked a question back, you can honesty reply that you're not sure and ask the NCO or soldier to look up the answer and show you "so we'll all be smarter."

Of course, when inspecting, one never asks a question where the answer could get a soldier in trouble. Don't say, "Did you shine those boots today, soldier?" Say, "those boots don't have enough shine for me" or something like that.

With a little practice, your soldiers might even say, "There goes Lieutenant Blank, he doesn't miss a thing." What a compliment.

#11 Seek Four Extra Duties
They are: Dining Facility Officer, Supply Officer, Publications Officer, Ammunition Officer.

No, not in your first days as a Platoon Leader. No, not all at once. But these are the systems, along with the Personnel System, that make the Army go at unit level. Yes, there are other systems like the Medical System; the Morale-Welfare System; the Education Systems for NCOs, Warrant Officers and Officers; the Facilities Management System; the Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System; the Finance and Resource Management System; the Safety System; the Transportation System; the Training Developments System; and the Combat Developments System. You'll learn a bit about these in various Army schools; perhaps you'll even specialize in one of them. But the five I've highlighted "make a difference" at the unit level. If you reach Captain without being proficient in all five, you'll not do well as a Company Commander. If you reach Major and are not a semi-expert in the five, you'll do a big disservice to some battalion.

#12 Training Thoughts
Thought Number 1: The Role of NCOs in Planning Training.
We all hear that "NCOs run a platoon, the lieutenant commands it;" good advice as a means of instructing new lieutenants on their unit leadership role. And there is the standard story that goes like this: your platoon has been tasked to erect a 60 foot flag pole and you have the flag pole and a truck-mounted auger. How do you get the flag pole raised in place? The answer goes something like this: You explain the task to your Platoon Sergeant and identify the materials and equipment available, then ask for questions. After answering any questions, you express confidence in the NCO and explain you'll be back periodically to check on the progress - A good lesson on letting NCOs do their job.
But there is another lesson for platoon, and even company, battalion, and brigade commanders: At some point you may know exactly how to get that 60 foot flagpole in the ground, but that doesn't mean you don't need NCOs in your planning process. A very good CSM once told me, "If you want your NCOs in on the execution, then you need to involve them in the planning." Nuf said.

Thought Number 2: Planning for Training.
Most soldiers really liked their initial entry training (IET). The program was physically demanding and mentally challenging. Every day was filled with activities. Of course, that's how it should be. But then IET has highly trained Drill Instructors and Training NCOs and a carefully developed regimen that is fully resourced with training land, equipment, supplies, and ammunition.

So what happens when that highly motivated soldier, who has a superb foundation for essential skills and knowledge, goes to a unit and joins his or her fellow troopers in maintenance training in the motor pool - usually boring and 180^o out of his or her IET experiences. And we wonder why they get into problems with alcohol or drugs or other off-duty mischief.

A lieutenant doesn't have that much control over unit resources, and has to trust that the people in the chain of command understand the Army Training Systems and how to make the resources available: it's tough to qualify if the range hasn't been reserved or the ammunition forecasted and ordered or the medics aren't available.

So, lieutenants have to be proactive within their unit to plan well in advance and to see that resources have been planned, programmed, and - ultimately - provided.

Lieutenants also have to have a wealth of fall-back plans. Sometimes these fallback training activities are generated when other plans fall through, or because some training has ended early, or when some other opportunity arises. Lieutenants think in terms of collective training; their NCOs think in terms of individual training. You should make sure your NCOs always have that "hip pocket" training available. Need some ideas? Visit your local Training and Audiovisual Support Center - take your NCOs along for some joint professional development. The people there have been in the business for many years and are just looking for some unit to show an interest in what they do. Your visit will be very rewarding.

Thought Number 3: Keeping It Interesting.
A good teacher engages his or her students, asking thought-provoking questions, making students see both sides of issues, creating games to make learning interesting. A good lieutenant engages his or her platoon. Soldiers like to be challenged they grew up in a world of competition. They're smart and thrive in demanding environments. The Chinese proverb, "The more you sweat in training the less you bleed in war," is true. So make'em sweat. But make the sweat interesting.

Here is an example: For mine warfare training, draw anti-handling devices and training simulators to booby trap your training mines. First squad and second squad would each split away from each other place their mines. Then the squads would switch places and locate, disarm, and extract the other squad's work. Make white crosses available, and any soldier activation or booby trap gets to his name on a cross. It goes without saying that you should forst run this exercise concept through your NCOs and Company Commander to identify any safety concerns.

#13 Taking Over
One thing I always told my troops when taking over a command was that I was open to good ideas to make this (platoon) (company) (battalion) (brigade) better. But I also said that if someone wanted to bring me a good idea that had been raised before, to let me know in advance. Sometimes people have agendas and you don't want to be part of their agenda. You don't want to have Sergeant Brown lay a good idea on you that you run to your boss with only to find out that the "good idea" has already been tried - and rejected.

#14 Lieutenants and Money
The only thing worse than lieutenants driving Corvettes is lieutenants who are dead broke. I wish I knew all the times I saw small collections being made for some thing or another, and when the collector got to the lieutenant the lieutenant would pull out a wallet completely empty of cash. So how in the heck were all those Corvette payments being made? $%#$^&*! Well, to be a bit more serious, officers are gentlemen, and gentlemen - even in these days of plastic - don't walk around with completely empty wallets. So find a way to keep some money in your wallet that will be there when you need it. No, I'm not talking about a lot of money, $20 is okay and $50 is better. And not a twenty or fifty dollar bill because the only thing worse than not having two bucks to contribute for flowers for Sergeant Jones' wife who just had a baby is to have to ask, "Can you break a twenty?" The way I do this is that I use a compartment in my wallet for this 'emergency' money. I guess that I have to admit I hide it from myself. (I didn't hide it from my wife because she knew exactly where it was because I told her.) It's just that I knew it was for emergencies. When my regular wallet holdings got low, but before I got into the emergency money, I visited an ATM and replenished.

#15 Lieutenants and Money - More
Want to be a millionaire? No problem. Begin investing $100 a month from age 25 to 65, and at age 65 - assuming you get a not-unreasonable 12% rate of return on your money - you'll have $1,176,477. Check a time-value-of-money table if in doubt. Well, no one that I know was ever in the military for the money, but that's probably a good reason to well manage the money you do get. There are lots of smart people who have different strategies for money management and investing; stocks, bonds, real estate, mutual funds, etc. They may disagree on the investment vehicle, but they all agree that regularly setting aside money for an IRA is a good idea. Find a financial planner or do the research on your own, but get involved with a regular saving program as at least one component of good money management.

#16 Lieutenants and Money - Even More
I'm of the opinion that gentlemen are not tight with their money. I'm not saying gentlemen throw cash around, but they probably tip well, don't have to be asked to contribute to flower funds, and do contribute a share appropriate to their wealth as compared to the other - less wealthy - people being asked to donate. Officers do not throw their money around, but they understand that their position causes certain obligations that others do not have. Being thrifty is a virtue, but being generous is a virtue of gentlemen. Officers don't necessarily contribute to every person on a street corner with a 'Will Work for Food' sign, but they don't need to be asked to buy Girl Scout cookies or raffle tickets for community charities.

#17 Dealing with Sad News
Life has its good times, but it also has its sad times. What do you say to Sergeant Jones when you learn his son was in a bad automobile accident? Sometimes we feel awkward and at a loss for words. My approach was to get to (in this case) Jones as soon as possible and say, 'I heard about your son and I'm very sorry. I hope everything is (resolved) (going as well as possible) under the circumstances.' Then I gave Jones a chance to speak. Then I listened. At some point I asked, 'Is there anything I can do to help'? You will be surprised at how well this works during tough times. Hope this does not come across as a bit of a 'formula' and maybe a bit insincere. I think not, but it depends on you. I do know I am sincere when I enquire, and this worked for me. Still does.

#18 Counseling
We talk a lot about counseling; we practice it rarely, and then mostly in a role where a 'counseling' is equivalent to a 'warning.' ['I counseled Sergeant Jones.' 'I'm putting a counseling letter in your file.'] Actually, counseling can be a very good tool. I understand footlocker counseling, but prefer a more formal arrangement. That way each party can be prepared in advance with his or her thoughts. (It also emphasizes the superior-subordinate relationship.) I always tell the people I'm about to counsel to come in with three wishes. I say that they can wish for world peace or for millions of dollars, or they can wish for something I might be able to help with. I was continually amazed at the wishes, because there are so many I could grant. This activity always started the session on the right foot, and most people looked forward to being able to submit wishes. Naturally I always used the 'sandwich' approach, noting strengths at the beginning and end of each session, and putting the area needing improvement into the middle. It's fair to say that there were few surprises; most of us know our weaknesses. I made a note of the dates, and tried to get something in writing the day before. The day of counseling I updated my notes and went from there. I provided the counselee a copy of my notes and of whatever we came up with during our session. In all fairness, people were apprehensive at first (because of the negative connotation of counseling) but always very appreciative after going through the process a few times. Many (with years and years and years of service) told me that was the first counseling they had ever had.

#19 Be a Student of Good Leadership
The Army teaches leadership. It has a field manual on the subject. You've been a student of the subject for most of your military life. Now comes the practice. You are going to be exposed to many good leaders, and will probably be present at more than a few 'teachable moments.' Watch and learn. Keep a record of the tools and techniques used by the people you admire. What makes them what they are? (Also make notes on what not to do.)

• I knew a battalion commander who really practiced 'management by walking around.' He spent almost no time in his office, but was out talking with lots of soldiers and NCOs, and so he always was in the know about how they felt and what they wanted. It surely kept me as a staff officer on my toes.
• I've seen 'screamers.' These were commanders who threw fits when things went awry. They'd even throw things. Not my style and I'm not sure I agreed with what they did, but it worked for them. I think the people who worked for the screamers knew that a bit of acting was involved, but they surely did their best not to set the boss off. (I suspect if someone is not a natural screamer it would be hard to adopt this style.)
• I've seen commanders who spent lots of time building consensus on what to do and how to do it; I've seen others who were 'ready, fire, aim' and who cares what people thought. An NCO once told me, 'If you want your NCOs in on the execution, they ought to be in on the planning.' I agree and personally like the idea of getting people to share your vision and intent. Once soldiers buy in, they often have even better ways of achieving your objectives than you had thought of.
• Approachability. I've known commanders who distanced themselves from the troops. I've also know officers (mainly lieutenants and sometimes some staff officers) who tried to be just one of the troops. Neither of those ends of the spectrum work. Check out leaders for their approachability and see what works for them and what might work for you.
• Centralized vs. decentralized. How is authority delegated? How are programs conducted? We all hear about 'power down.' I agree that authority can be delegated, and that this helps builds good leader. Some activities, as a matter of resources, are better managed centrally. For example, each company may have so many machine gunners to train, but it is probably more effective for the battalion to schedule a machine gun range and - with company participation - conduct applicable concurrent training.

A number of my previous notes also refer to Leadership (#3 Delegating; #6 Taking Care of Your People; #10 Inspecting). I couldn't replicate the great deal of information on leadership in this short note - but perhaps there may be a few things of interest here.

#20 Professional Organizations
Professionals participate (not just pay dues to) professional organizations. The expenses of membership(s) are viewed as integral to the profession, not a cost that competes with gas for the Corvette or with 'going out with the boys' entertainment. An ADA officer at Fort Carson, for example, may be a member of AUSA, some ADA Regimental Association, perhaps a Division association, perhaps a Ranger association.

I would like to see every soldier's pay have a provision for automatically allotting funds to professional organizations. The suggested amount would be modest, and according to rank. If a lieutenant had a $15 per month professional allotment suggestion, he or she could decide how to distribute that amount, with unspecified distributions going the Old Soldiers' Home. A PFC's suggested deduction might be $3 per month. And going back to #4, writing articles for professional journals is always a good idea.

While a battalion commander at Fort Campbell and a Brigade commander in Germany, I invited corporate members to visit some of my training, such as weapons qualification. They even came out one night when were bridging the Main River at midnight in Germany. Those invites didn't really cost me anything in terms of money, but build tremendous good will. Normallycorporate members are just asked to pay dues and show up for luncheons.

#21 Carrying the GreenBook
I carried a green notebook in my pocket for most of my Army career. Ended up with a boxful of them that Bonnie has been trying to get me to discard for years now. In the books I made my daily notes. In the back pages of each, I wrote down contacts, phone numbers, and good quotes and sayings. (Today, lieutenants probably have Palm Pilots with downloaded e-mail and good video games.) Regardless, people often said I had a good memory. I didn't - I had a good habit of writing things down so I could go back to them. Good leaders - in the military and outside - need some way to capture information so they can act on it. During the first Gulf War, the Army Component's 21st Support Command boss (a 2-star) had daily stand-up meetings with the staff. He would go around the room. Staff members talked from index cards. If they raised an issue that needed to be addressed he took the card. He always had a large handful of cards he was reading and passing to others for action. Yes, this worked for him. My feeling is that it's good business to have ways to record information so it can be acted upon. Find a system that works for you.

#22 Act on Your Own Authority
The word comes down. It's not good. The Battalion Commander isn't satisfied with the state of maintenance. We will have to work this weekend. Duty starts 0800 Saturday and ends at 1500. Be prepared for a similar schedule for Sunday if there is no significant progress. Only personnel excused are those with already approved leaves or passes.

You call the platoon together and speak to them:

Scenario #1: 'The Battalion CO is unhappy with the state of maintenance so we will all have to work this weekend. I'm sorry if you've made other plans, but I'll try to take care of you someplace down the road. Duty starts 0800 Saturday and ends at 1500. Be prepared for a similar schedule for Sunday if there is no significant progress. Only personnel excused are those with already approved leaves or passes.'

Scenario #2: 'I'm going to ask you to work this weekend to get our maintenance at its best possible level. I'm sorry if you've made other plans, but I'll try to take care of you someplace down the road. Duty starts 0800 Saturday and ends at 1500. Be prepared for a similar schedule for Sunday if there is no significant progress. Only personnel excused are those with already approved leaves or passes.'

(Besides, the troops aren't stupid. In the scenario above it will take them just a short time to figure out who really put them in the motor pool, and they'll respect the way you handled it. If a troop asks, 'Why didn't you just tell us the Battalion Commander is the one who is making us work this weekend'? your reply is, 'You don't work for the Battalion Commander, you work for me.')

#23 It Only Takes a Nickel More to Go First Class
This is a follow-on to an earlier 'Training Thought' of about the same subject. Initial Entry Training for soldiers is a lot of things, but it is also big business. In the Army, TRADOC and its training centers and service schools have sizeable resources committed to produce MOS-qualified soldiers. The trainers are excellent. There are great ranges with the needed training ammunition. Simulations are used where warranted. The days are filled with activity. And then the soldier gets to his or her unit where the resources are not properly planned or managed and training is nothing like the IET experience. How about a company going through daily physical training with the same old exercises when the unit has a Tae Kwon Do Black Belt who could lead some kick boxing drills? Is there a difference between a day at the range and a day at the range where the squads compete against each other (five top scores per squad) for the prize of bragging rights, a squad certificate (home-made off a computer and printer with card stock), and a few extra hours time off? How about 'the same old route' for the morning run versus a different route each day, sometimes including the obstacle course, or going cross country, or crawling through culverts, or some other challenging barrier? Do these things cost a lot to do? No, they only require a 'go first class' attitude.

#24 Soldiers and Faith
We've all heard 'there are no atheists in foxholes' (which reminds me of a war story about my very unreligious driver who was screaming for God as we got mortared - must have worked because he was only lightly wounded). I'm not talking about that; I'm talking about the everyday faith demonstrated by great leaders such as George Washington and George Patton. This is not a 'get religion' speech; but I am saying that husbands, fathers, and soldiers who do find a need for strength and comfort and inner peace beyond what is available to mortals and available through an active practice of religion are very often much better husbands, fathers, and soldiers than their counterparts who only profess a religion but don't practice it.

#25 Home Town News Releases
Any Army needs the support of its nation. We saw in Vietnam what can happen when the United States military had to overcome not only the enemy on the battlefield, but the politics of protest. One way you can help in this major endeavor is by supporting the Hometown News Release Program (DD Form 2266). More than 500,000 releases are mailed annually to 10,000-plus daily and weekly newspapers across the country, promoting the accomplishments of more than 150,000 military personnel. You owe it to your soldiers to get their name in print, and you owe it to your Army to keep its accomplishments in the news.

#26 Vote
I have heard of military leaders who say they don't vote. I guess that is their attempt to acknowledge that the Army's Commander-in-Chief is the President, regardless of the President's politics. In my opinion that is a terrible rationale. You owe it to your country to get informed on the political issues of the day and vote. Yes, there are restrictions on political activity by military personnel, as there should be. But register to vote and get your soldiers registered also. Then, on Election Day, exercise one of the great freedoms of the United States.

#27 Small Things for Unit Esprit
When I was in a Boy Scout troop in Texas, we did a lot of camping and other things and generally had a good time. When we got a new Scout Leader, we continued to do about the same type of good things, but there was a slight difference. After we'd go on a camping trip, for example, he'd make up a poster board with a drawing or something that would remind us of the trip and list all the names of the scouts who participated. He mounted these poster boards around the walls of the Scout Hut. I remember that it wasn't too long before there were a number of posters that had my name on them. I felt special; and - collectively - the scout troop began to feel special.

Today, with digital cameras and color printers it doesn't take much to make a nice record of various unit activities. The unit that takes the time and effort to capture its history will benefit in terms of morale and esprit, and its members will have valuable keepsakes to recall the good times.

(As a Brigade Commander, I had decals made for all our major exercises; it was good to see the inside of APCs with the various decals stuck on the walls.)

#28 Career and Family
A military career is hard on families for many reasons that you know well. Many times the family has to give way to the soldier as the call of duty mandates long hours and absences. This requires soldiers to work at being good family members, both as a spouse and as a parent.

A man gets his feeling of worth and value from his job; a woman gets her feeling of worth and value from her husband, and to some extend from the children. A man has to work to make a woman feel valued. Marriage is work. Fatherhood is work.

A couple of thoughts and suggestions. (1) Never underestimate the power of flowers. A small bunch is around $4; a small bunch delivered to the wife for no particular reason except 'I love you' is the best $4 you'll ever spend. (2) When I was a busy company commander, Bonnie and I would hire a baby sitter for every Wednesday night. We never really had plans; most times it turned out to be dinner and then a movie. That time together almost made up for most of the rest of the week when my duties consumed almost all my time and energy. We still plan "dates" that are weekends together.

#29 Is It Worth Doing? Is It Too Much Work?
Have you ever made a suggestion to someone, and - as you were speaking - felt that their body language was saying that they had too much to do to seriously consider your proposal? Well, I don't think we should ever be in the position of not being receptive to good ideas. If someone has taken the time to think through an idea, then we should take time to listen. [Of course there are two sidebars to this. First is the case where the idea has not been thought through and you mission becomes one of turning the person around and getting them to get in the habit of doing more thinking before speaking. Second is that sometimes we just get to the 'good idea cut-off point' where we don't have the time or resources to make further changes to a plan or an activity (noting that a fair plan executed well most often beats a brilliant plan executed poorly).]

Now back to listening to an idea. If we judged all suggestions and new ideas against our activity level, we'd always be too busy to even think about doing anything new, and we'd always be guilty of doing things because 'this is the way we've always done it.' That last phrase is the mark of a dying organization.

When I was the S3 of a battalion in Germany I was just full of plans for training in maneuver areas, bridging, demolition training, platoon evaluations, etc. Of course all these cost in terms of funds as in supplies, fuel, and repair parts. But I wasn't thinking about these things, I was thinking about what training it would take to make us the best combat engineer battalion possible. One day I heard the XO and the Battalion Commander talking about a shortage of funds, and I interjected myself into the conversation and volunteered we could cut back on the training tempo. They both immediately said that I was doing the right thing, and to let them worry about the funds. I guess it worked out because we never cut back on training.

So the point of all this is that good leaders are willing to listen to good ideas, and judge an idea based on its merit rather than superfluous reasons such as existing workload or resources. If an idea is good, then perhaps a re-ordering of priorities will free the resources to bring that good idea to fruition.

#30 Managing Your Task List - Doing the Right Things
I am an advocate of lists; it's part of my personality profile. See #22 - Carrying the Green Book. One you make a list you should really organize into A Tasks, B Tasks, and C Tasks. An A Task is something important that is really mission critical and/or time sensitive. C Tasks are those that should be accomplished at some point. For those who make lists, and even for those who don't, the challenge is to be working on the A Tasks. Of course most A Tasks are hard to accomplish and perhaps very time consuming. Some people would rather let the A Tasks drag on and go do the C tasks because they tend to be easier. As leaders and managers, we ask these two questions: Are we doing the right things? Are we doing things right? Yes, we need to get to the B and C tasks, but if we want to be doing the right things we want to be working on the A Tasks.

#31 When to Say Yes and Who Can Say No
We all get approached by people and organizations asking us to do things. This is not about things that are required, but things that are not required. Someone asks to borrow something. Someone asks for assistance. Someone asks for some of your resources. This happens all the time in organizations; sometimes you can help and sometimes you can't. In general, however, good organizations are mostly in the help mode. Units that consistently are no help ... well, their reputation isn't enhanced by this attitude. Tell your subordinates that, within reason, they all have the "power" to say yes, but that you reserve the right to say "no." In this way you won't learn after-the-fact that your unit has said no to something that might have been easily accomplished had the request gone to you. Another polite way of saying this is that you don't want your unit's reputation tarnished by subordinates who might make decisions based on limited information.

#32 Making Hard Decisions
Anyone can make easy decisions; it's leaders who get to make the hard ones. I would always recommend - if time allows - getting advice from friends and mentors; many times they have found themselves with similar decisions and they can share their experience. Another way, which is the point of this note, is to ask yourself what are the extremes at each end of the decision? For example, if you have a training proposal that could be dangerous even after all reasonable precautiuons have been exercised, an extreme in one direction could be serious injury or death. The other end of the spectrum would be to not do the training or do some lesser version of it and have troops that might be unprepared to perform the task in combat. Another example might be in some type of personal conduct involving more than normal quantities of alcohol. On one hand you might risk some unintended serious incident that could result from the use of alcohol. On the other hand you might not be perceived as "one of the boys" and get to enjoy the commeraderie of the social occasion or be labeled as a prude.

#33 Who's Got The Monkey?
There is an article originally published in the November–December 1974 issue of Harvard Business Review that has been one of the publication’s two best-selling reprints ever. The premise of the article is that managers - too often - get caught up doing the work of subordinates and then wonder why they are running out of time while their subordinates are running out of work. Everyone lieutenant should read this article and the commentary on it. In the context of this article, a "monkey" is a task or other requirement that needs to be accomplished.

Stephen R. Covey says, “Get control over the timing and content of what you do” is appropriate advice for managing time. The first order of business is for the manager to enlarge his or her discretionary time by eliminating subordinate-imposed time. The second is for the manager to use a portion of this newfound discretionary time to see to it that each subordinate actually has the initiative and applies it. The third is for the manager to use another portion of the increased discretionary time to get and keep control of the timing and content of both boss-imposed and system-imposed time. All these steps will increase the manager’s leverage and enable the value of each hour spent in managing management time to multiply without theoretical limit.

Here is an example: You are working at a desk or supervising maintenance or otherwise performing your duties and a subordinate approaches you with a problem that he or she is having trouble handling. After the subordinate expresses his or her problem and concerns, you say something like, "Okay, let me see what I can do." (Or, if the problem is something on paper, you say, "leave it here and I'll take a look at it."

So here are the questions: Q: Who had the monkey after the subordinate left you? If what happened was that you, as usual, just collected a monkey, then haven't you just taken work off a subordinate and added to your workload? Be careful not to collect monkeys from subordinates - help them but don’t do their job for them - your plate will be full enough already.

#34 Time for a Bit of Management
We all strive to be good leaders, and that includes being a good manager. Here’s a situation that should never happen because your NCOs will hopefully handle it, but it’s good for illustration.

SITUATION: You arrive at your platoon’s location on a mission that requires a fair amount of earth to be moved; e.g., preparing a defensive position for the maneuver unit you are supporting.
SITUATION 1A: 20 men with shovels are digging like mad on a task they might finish by sunset, but getting a front loader on the scene would get the job done four hours earlier.
SITUATION 1B: 20 men with shovels are taking an extended break, doing nothing, while waiting for a front loader to show up, but if they all got to work with their shovels the job would surely be done by sunset, even if the loader never arrives.