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I got promoted two months ago and my senior ncos are constantly telling me I need to be confident and need to get out of the SPC mentality. Any tips or advice to achieve that?
SGT
Leadership Development
Leadership
NCOs
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 177
182
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When I was a senior Specialist, I used to just take over and do things. I had a "if you want it done right, do it yourself" mentality. This carried over when I became a SGT.
Then one day at formation I had a small, but critical event in my development. In my unit we rotated guidon duties between each platoon every month. It was a new month and my platoon had forgotten the rotation. I ran up to the First Sergeant's Office, grabbed the guidon and sprinted down to the already formed up company and took my place next to the First Sergeant.
He stopped and looked at me, and specifically my 3 stripes on my chest. He yelled at me. "Damn it Squires. If you want to go back to being a Specialist we can arrange it. You are an NCO now. LEARN TO DELEGATE!" I was rescued by one of the Specialists in my section that ran up and took the guidon from me.
Later that morning, I had a talk with the First Sergeant. He told me that he keeps on seeing me do everything like I used to do and explained that one of the most important things for an NCO is to learn how to delegate, how to use your authority as an NCO to get the pieces moving to work towards accomplishing the commander's intent.
I don't know if you have an issue with this, but I suspect if you practice delegating tasks, you will start to think like an NCO. You will start to consider the larger picture an how you can lead your team by spreading the responsibility among them. I'm not saying be a bossy arm-chair quarterback; still be involved in the effort. But by splitting up tasks, knowing the capabilities of your team members, and properly delegating sub tasks, you will find that soon others will learn to expect that kind of leadership from you.
Then one day at formation I had a small, but critical event in my development. In my unit we rotated guidon duties between each platoon every month. It was a new month and my platoon had forgotten the rotation. I ran up to the First Sergeant's Office, grabbed the guidon and sprinted down to the already formed up company and took my place next to the First Sergeant.
He stopped and looked at me, and specifically my 3 stripes on my chest. He yelled at me. "Damn it Squires. If you want to go back to being a Specialist we can arrange it. You are an NCO now. LEARN TO DELEGATE!" I was rescued by one of the Specialists in my section that ran up and took the guidon from me.
Later that morning, I had a talk with the First Sergeant. He told me that he keeps on seeing me do everything like I used to do and explained that one of the most important things for an NCO is to learn how to delegate, how to use your authority as an NCO to get the pieces moving to work towards accomplishing the commander's intent.
I don't know if you have an issue with this, but I suspect if you practice delegating tasks, you will start to think like an NCO. You will start to consider the larger picture an how you can lead your team by spreading the responsibility among them. I'm not saying be a bossy arm-chair quarterback; still be involved in the effort. But by splitting up tasks, knowing the capabilities of your team members, and properly delegating sub tasks, you will find that soon others will learn to expect that kind of leadership from you.
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Capt Edward Egan
I was taught (and learned) right from the start that you can delegate duties and authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
Capt Edward Egan -
UH....27 Years Of Business Ownership, Coupled With Being A Purchasing Department Manager For FMC .... Leads Me To Say: "YOU'RE WRONG"....When I DELEGATE Authority, I Hold That Person RESPONSIBLE For It's Outcome.. ..Otherwise WHY Bother...? They NEED The Motivation To Succeed, And They NEED To Be Held Responsible For Their Actions... ~~ And I NEED The Job Done Properly. ~~ DAMN ~~ Never mind
UH....27 Years Of Business Ownership, Coupled With Being A Purchasing Department Manager For FMC .... Leads Me To Say: "YOU'RE WRONG"....When I DELEGATE Authority, I Hold That Person RESPONSIBLE For It's Outcome.. ..Otherwise WHY Bother...? They NEED The Motivation To Succeed, And They NEED To Be Held Responsible For Their Actions... ~~ And I NEED The Job Done Properly. ~~ DAMN ~~ Never mind
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Being an NCO isn't easy. If it were, Officers could do it. You have received great advice here. Advice from very respected and seasoned NCOs. The only thing I could add is something that is along the lines of SFC Boyd. Consider every aspects from your previous and current leaders. All of their great traits and all of their bad traits. Then once you've done that, mold your own style. Delegate, lead from the front, eat AFTER your Soldiers, take care of your Soldiers. Everything else will fall into place.
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LTC Philip Marlowe
MSG (Join to see) - SFC Livingston, I know, but some who read it may take it literally and I think it is important that young NCOs understand the difference between NCO / SNCO and OFFICERS; what the difference is so they simply understand. Do you recall when the Army decided to Commission Warrant Officers? I do...they went down that path kicking and screaming because they are 'technicians; the best in their fields usually and didn't want the accountability that comes with a Commission - now, Warrants can Command and are therefore accountable. Its a tough pill to swallow SFC Livingston. Example, when I had my change of Company command, the incoming commander found I had 40 blankets missing out of my supply room. BOOM, hit with a report of survey and a finding that I was accountable to buy all 40 @ $10 a piece. When I reported to my BNCDR, he simply laughed and said I had gotten 'stuck' with the 'infamous 40 blankets' that heretofore, supply Sgts had simply passed them around to ensure the incoming CDR always had 40 blankets to 'count'. My Supply Sgt made the call NOT to do that anymore (wish she'd have told me), ergo - the end result of the 'musical blankets' was when the music stopped - I paid for 40 blankets I counted, but could not explain their loss. THANK GOD...it was only blankets, I knew a MAJOR in Germany who, as the Commander of an Engineer Company, lost $2.4Million in equipment (even a bull dozer - who loses a bulldozer?) and he was forced to resign or bite a huge financial bullet. Again, simply to point out to a young SGT the 'why'. Thank you for your feedback on my post. I truly appreciate it. Vr PMarlowe
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
[~1981.96: MSG Thomas Livingston] -
" that first line was meant as a joke"
Perhaps Its As You Stated: "Presented As A Joke"But I'm Fairly Sure You Know As Well As We, "Some Officers", Regardless Of The Brass On Their Shoulders, "Don't Know, Nor Can Do SH*T"...As It Is With Many College Students,With Degrees, And I Know MANY, If Struck In The Head With A BB, The Ricochet Could Last For Hours & Never Strike Their Brain...... With Their NCO'S Running The Show, The Officers Could Remain In Their Quarters. They're Needed Less Than Bleeding Hemorrhoids
" that first line was meant as a joke"
Perhaps Its As You Stated: "Presented As A Joke"But I'm Fairly Sure You Know As Well As We, "Some Officers", Regardless Of The Brass On Their Shoulders, "Don't Know, Nor Can Do SH*T"...As It Is With Many College Students,With Degrees, And I Know MANY, If Struck In The Head With A BB, The Ricochet Could Last For Hours & Never Strike Their Brain...... With Their NCO'S Running The Show, The Officers Could Remain In Their Quarters. They're Needed Less Than Bleeding Hemorrhoids
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Find an NCO who’s leadership style you like and spend more time with them, then copy the things you like about them.
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SGT Michael Van Geertruy
This strategy works both in and out of the military. I have given the exact same advice to executives in large companies, and it works well.
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
SGT Michael Van Geertruy -
YUP... I Owned Businesses For Over 27 Years & In Other Management Positions Before And After That, EVERY DAY Of My Adult Life... Management IS "Management", No Matter Where It Is Or What You're Doing~~ Supervising People & Getting The Job Completed At Your & Their Best...
YUP... I Owned Businesses For Over 27 Years & In Other Management Positions Before And After That, EVERY DAY Of My Adult Life... Management IS "Management", No Matter Where It Is Or What You're Doing~~ Supervising People & Getting The Job Completed At Your & Their Best...
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SFC Howard Holmes
SFC Boyd, you are absolutely correct, but I also believe that a successful NCO needs to take into account the perceived poor qualities. If a young soldier is considering a career, they can evaluate what that soldier saw as poor leadership and bury it in their memory bank. They can the form those qualities and mold it into their own style. What they may discover, that when they reach a point of SSG, SFC, or higher, that their perceptions of poor leadership were distorted because as a young soldier, they weren't privy to the bigger picture.
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