For those that went from enlisted to warrant/commissioned officer, what was the hardest adjustment to make?

Letting go. You must let the NCO community do their job. That was something I told myself in the mirror every day. Overall, helped a lot.

Went from 14 yrs enlisted to WO then to 02. Hardest adjustment was realizing the officer corps wasn't as brilliant as I had expected. My practical experience and technical expertise was something they would never have. I could learn the skills they had that made me able to command. Don't under rate yourself. You're a valuable asset.

You are still basically the same person inside but your role has changed and you aren’t drinking buddies anymore with the troops you used to pal around with. Some will be jealous of your success and there’s really nothing you can do about that. Your friends list is going to prune itself. Your true friends will be able to separate their personal friendship and professional relationship and in a professional setting they will respect you and observe the formalities. Remember where you came from but don’t go back there.

Being prior enlisted is a double edged sword. The troops will try to use the fact you were prior enlisted to get concessions from you. “As c’mon Sir. You remember what it was like. We don’t need to dig in. We’re just going to get up and move!” If your orders were to dig in and you cave to their suggestion, you will be the one whose head is on the chopping block... The troops tend to think about their immediate interests and don’t necessarily care if they screw you...

It’s a little lonelier as an officer because you have a heavier weight on your shoulders and you have more responsibility. That’s the flip side to having the nicer pay and benefits.

As an officer you no longer have any excuse for something not getting done, or for not knowing something. As a troop, you can sometimes plead ignorance and get away with it.

As an officer you generally have less time to socialize... and those peers you socialize with as an officer tend to want to associate with those they believe will help them get ahead. The competition amongst officers is a lot tougher and more cutthroat. I have friends that I keep up with from both sides of the fence but this day, my closest friends (and most true blue) are those from when I was prior enlisted. But that is just how it turned out for me. It may or may not be your experience.

One thing you must be careful of is reverting when you are under a lot of stress. When people are stressed they tend to do what they are comfortable and most familiar with. For me, I have a very technical background and when the troops were dropping the ball and not picking up on how to use some new system, or something isn’t working for them that needed troubleshooting and they couldn’t figure it out, I found myself jumping in. It’s good for them to know you can get dirty with them and help them but be very careful with that because if you aren’t, they’ll have you doing their jobs. LOL. It’s best to stay out of their way and only involve yourself when absolutely necessary.

I hate to sound cynical and the troops aren’t all like this, but there’s that bottom 10% that will screw your career and delight in doing so if you aren’t careful. Don’t give them a handle to shake you with. It’s best to keep everything on the up and up and above board... and above all, BE PROFESSIONAL!

It’s best to keep a professional distance. Let the troops see you as a leader amongst your peers and you will have their respect. You will not have their respect if you try to be their friend.