How do I best prepare for an assignment as a First Sergeant? What is your best advice?

CSM(P) (Join to see)
In the spirit of brevity, in order:
1. Get your unit in the field and do a hard assessment of its capabilities, limitations, and strengths of individual Soldiers.
2. Compare that assessment with the Company Commander. If you disagree in some areas, you might have caught on to something he didn't.
3. Have a nice long talk with the CO about his goals and objectives.
4. *Spend some time on this one* - formulate a plan to develop your Soldiers, NCOs, and unit to meet the CO's goals and objectives.
5. Get buy in from the CO, and bounce your plan off the CSM.
6. Get buy in from key players within the unit.
7. Lay out expectations and set high standards for performance. Set out to be the best.
8. Do things that build esprit and teamwork. Such as a cookout, unit-wide competition days, etc.
9. Determine ways to measure progress towards goals. Be prepared to make adjustments as needed.
10. Celebrate success. Recognize people who bust their hump for you in formation, with or without an accompanying award. An early release, Pass, or coin carries a lot of weight and gives others something to shoot for.
11. Never settle. If you attain your goals, set new ones. At any given time, I have three short-range, three mid-term, and three long-term goals active. When I attain one, I celebrate alone or with others (depending on what it is), then set new ones.
12. Always remember, support, and take an interest in the success of your Soldiers, even after they leave the unit. Your job is to make your unit AND the Army better. Remember that and your men will remember you.

Best of luck. It has been the toughest assignment I have ever had, but certainly the best.

The first thing you can do is stop looking so angry in your pucture! Second always listen to your PLs. They know everything. Look at random regulations everyday and ask questions about them in your morning meetings to assert your knowledge of all things. Never add cream or sugar to your coffee, if you do, let no one see you! And most importantly, walk through your company/troop/battery area and randomly do push ups in the presence of the lower enlisted soldiers.... This will build their confidence that you are capable of leading them into any fight!. Lol. Congratulations MSG, you made it and the fact that you are asking for advice lets me know you will be an awesome 1SG.

Loyalty! It's gonna be an easy assignment if you and your commander mesh. It'll be a hard one if you don't. Be loyal until he puts Soldiers in danger or is way off mark. Take time to groom him/her. They look to you for advice, but never give them personal advice. Tell them that you are the NCO and they are the officer. Don't try to do his job and don't let him do yours. Finally, watch wreck it Ralph. There's a scene in the beginning where Zangieb states that he's a bad guy. It's funny. But it relates. It's not easy to be the standard bearer. You will want to put your hands in your pockets, grown long hair, gamble and drink with the boys. But don't do it. There's always someone waiting to take your place. And if you allow your armor to crack, they'll take advantage of you. There is no book on how to be a great leader. Everyone's company is different. Your CSMs will give you advice that worked for them. But times are changing. You must be able to accept change while still maintaining the standard. One more thing. pT is great. But not all great Soldiers are great at PT. Don't let a pt score be the standard for sending troops to school. As you can see, it worked for me. But I don't agree with it. Allow those who are total soldiers schools. You will see that it will pay off in the long run.