Posted on Nov 12, 2014
Should Candor be part of the Army Values? Would the Army benefit from it?
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There are certain leaders whom we can be candid with and there's others who does not like to hear that someone else has a better plan/idea. Can we also take it if subordinate, two/three rank down, be candid with us and show no hard feelings or repercussion towards that individual.
Leadership
Values
Honesty
Posted 10 y ago
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Sir - Candor is part of the Army Values. Candor is found under Personal Courage.
ADRP 6-22 Army Leadership
Sir - Candor is part of the Army Values. Candor is found under Personal Courage.
ADRP 6-22 Army Leadership
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CSM (Join to see) I understand that but I guess I should have been more clear, should it be a stand-alone value. As leaders, self-development is very important but not many us actually take the time to read it some of the manuals, FMs, Regs, etc. so it is rarely mentioned at the company level. ADRP 6-22 talks about how "candor and integrity must always be the hallmark of a strategic leader to earn general trust." We have leaders who treats every Soldier the same, in fairness and impartiality, that's perfect but when it comes to everything else, each Soldier treated differently. I would ask, do Soldiers not have the personal courage to use candor? Do leaders not encouraging it? or are Soldiers being reprimanded for using candor?
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Sir - below is a comment that I made on another post. It could be the same for officers but I think officers are more likely to just hold their tongue for fear of reprisal come evaluation time. The excerpt is below.
I disagree with you just a little. I think that a lot of NCOs open their mouth without thinking first. They fail to identify the issue, discuss the issue, and recommend a solution or different course of action. They just open their mouths and say "that's stupid" or something to that effect. That automatically gets dismissed as whining, even if the NCO is right he/she has failed to explain why "it's stupid".
I am a pretty candid guy, I call it how I see it but, I am always prepared to deliver it properly. Candor is extremely important, especially for NCOs because we have the experience. Chances are we have done "that" before and we know it does or does not work. When we advise our officer counterparts they are counting on that candid advice from us, we need to ensure that we give them that.
Sir - below is a comment that I made on another post. It could be the same for officers but I think officers are more likely to just hold their tongue for fear of reprisal come evaluation time. The excerpt is below.
I disagree with you just a little. I think that a lot of NCOs open their mouth without thinking first. They fail to identify the issue, discuss the issue, and recommend a solution or different course of action. They just open their mouths and say "that's stupid" or something to that effect. That automatically gets dismissed as whining, even if the NCO is right he/she has failed to explain why "it's stupid".
I am a pretty candid guy, I call it how I see it but, I am always prepared to deliver it properly. Candor is extremely important, especially for NCOs because we have the experience. Chances are we have done "that" before and we know it does or does not work. When we advise our officer counterparts they are counting on that candid advice from us, we need to ensure that we give them that.
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CSM, I do agree with your statement, I have seen it numerous. I myself is a BLUF and candid person but I know many Officers who worry more about evaluations than their Soldiers and again you are right on that most NCOs actually do speak up and a lot of times they get shut down and are perceived as "complainers" when sometimes the solution to the "complex" problem is very simple.
CSM, I do agree with your statement, I have seen it numerous. I myself is a BLUF and candid person but I know many Officers who worry more about evaluations than their Soldiers and again you are right on that most NCOs actually do speak up and a lot of times they get shut down and are perceived as "complainers" when sometimes the solution to the "complex" problem is very simple.
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Well, it's a double edged sword. There's a red flag in what you wrote: "someone else has a better plan/idea." Interesting. And what exactly makes you think that you have a better idea/plan. This is the problem. Someone falls in love with their own thought and assumes it's phenomenal because he/she thought of it.
Frankly, I think it depends on the approach, timing, and audience. If you sharp-shoot a fully developed plan in front of the whole staff when input was not requested, you are pretty much guaranteeing that you will be ignored or worse. I find that most people are fairly reasonable and open during the initial planning phases especially when you ask questions like, "did you consider...?" or "could we try...?" rather than trying to cram your brainchild down someone else's throat.
I have seen it time and again where people think they are being side-stepped or belittled because of their rank. Unlikely. It generally has to do with how you handle the situation. I have run into some Prima Donnas at all different ranks, don't get me wrong, but I would say they are in the minority. Look, no one wants to hear that they are off track. If you consider that fact before making your remarks, you might find better reception.
Frankly, I think it depends on the approach, timing, and audience. If you sharp-shoot a fully developed plan in front of the whole staff when input was not requested, you are pretty much guaranteeing that you will be ignored or worse. I find that most people are fairly reasonable and open during the initial planning phases especially when you ask questions like, "did you consider...?" or "could we try...?" rather than trying to cram your brainchild down someone else's throat.
I have seen it time and again where people think they are being side-stepped or belittled because of their rank. Unlikely. It generally has to do with how you handle the situation. I have run into some Prima Donnas at all different ranks, don't get me wrong, but I would say they are in the minority. Look, no one wants to hear that they are off track. If you consider that fact before making your remarks, you might find better reception.
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This is just an idea, I am not saying that I have a better for anything. This is a discussion forum, and I don't think people/Soldiers having ideas is the problem, I think the problem stems from leaders who believe that their plan/idea is the end all be all. Remember, almost everything we are doing now has been done before. I believe that great ideas can come from subordinates and junior leaders. You are assuming that a person with an idea doesn't know how to use candor and be tactful when presenting it. Why would an idea, presented to the whole staff, be welcome if we are an organization that fosters candor? I actually think that your thinking is totally wrong, I believe that we should welcome new ideas, and yes sometimes, we should shoot them down but listening to them helps create a better climate. No one is perfect and being "off track" can help a team/plt/co brainstorm new ideas.
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You are misunderstanding me and I was vague. What I am trying to do is disagree with what seems to be your blanket assessment that "leaders believe their ideas to be the end all be all." I am trying to say if your input was not well received there can be many reasons: 1) it's not the amazing input you think it is; 2) your input was presented at a time when input couldn't be put to use (if you are on a flight to Dallas, suggesting going to Hawaii instead might be a great idea, but you cannot change the fact that you are already on a flight to Dallas); 3) it was not presented in a way that represented candor or tact on your part; 4) it was presented to someone who had no ability to react to the input (like complaining to the cashier about the price of milk). Yes, it is possible that a junior person presented a great idea at the right time to the right person with the utmost tact, and it was shot down, but from what I have seen that is the .01% scenario. Often, as a junior person, he or she is unable to judge that one of these issues is at play and they assume incorrectly that seniors believe junior input isn't worth listening to rather than trying to figure out *why* their remarks are being set aside. Being "off track" is only helpful when you take the time to figure out where you missed the mark. Ask for a meeting one on one; use the open door policy. You may have encountered that .01% leader, and if so, I'm sorry. But chances are, this take on events falls into the same category as other stuff that comes from assuming...
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Candor has it's place. However, in many military situations candor is wasted. For example, an NCO sees an excellent moment to provide on-the-spot training and instructs his unit personnel to change the tire on a vehicle. Having one of the unit personnel being candid and saying: "it'd be a lot quicker if we just went back to the motor pool and got another vehicle and let this one be hauled back in for repair." While the comment may be candid..and on rare occasions correct..it's not the proper response.
There's a time and place for just about everything......but it's a rare commodity in the military.
There's a time and place for just about everything......but it's a rare commodity in the military.
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Not every task requires alternate solution. This situation has plenty of variables that could play into the two decisions, variables such as time, dispatch, driver, mission, etc. I do agree that not every situations permits time for alternate solution, but ultimate the success/failure of the mission will fall on the PL or CO
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