Commander and 1SG

First off, congratulations sir.  I had four Company Commanders while I was a 1SG.  Each one brought something different to the table.  Some of the best traits were patience, patience, patience...  Patience with everything.  Take time to assess your unit before implementing any changes.  See what works and what does not.  Lean on your 1SG to give you the "no sh@t" about your unit.  He/she is there to assist you and to provide you with the facts...good or bad.  One thing that I remember very fondly is that behind closed doors is the time for you and your 1SG to discuss, argue, agree to disagree, etc., but once the door opens, the two of you are on the same the sheet of music.  You are a uniformed front for the unit.  Some of the best experiences of my career were when I was a 1SG.  The relationship between a CO CDR and a 1SG is one, that is fostered correctly, will last a career, and even longer.  Again sir, congratulations and good luck!!!

<p>Seems like everyone has covered the normal "property" and other aspects of command, so I'll just toss in my two cents as to my philosophy while in command:</p><p><br></p><p>In every decision you make - from UCMJ to who gets selected for waivers and tuition assistance-&nbsp;be sure that you can look your Soldiers - all of them - in the eye and articulate why you made the decision you did. 99.9% of the time you won't need to say why - heck, you never have to say why - but you had sure as hell have a reason for the decisions you make.&nbsp; Soldiers cannot question their leaders' decisions (typically), so it is imperative that the leaders question their own decisions first.&nbsp; </p><p><br></p><p>Listen to your 1SG.&nbsp; Listen to your Senior NCOs.&nbsp; Listen to your Junior NCOs. Listen to your Soldiers.&nbsp; Listen to your Commander.&nbsp; Listen to everyone, but never, ever cede the responsibility and ownership of a decision to any of them.&nbsp; Every decision you make is YOUR decision that YOU make - not because anyone told you to, or someone else thought it was the best idea.&nbsp; It's your Command - take charge and be the Commander.</p><p><br></p><p>When you screw up - and you will screw up - admit it, do what you can to fix it, and move on.&nbsp; Your Soldiers will respect you if you can admit when you're wrong much more than putting on the "I'm always right" attitude.</p><p><br></p><p>Take care of your Soldiers.&nbsp; We always say mission first, Soldiers always, but often we include all the stupid random BS that comes throughout the day as part of the mission.&nbsp; It's not.&nbsp; You have an actual mission - and scrubbing floors isn't part of it.&nbsp; You still have to do those other things, like scrubbing floors, but don't take away your Soldier's off-duty time to do it.&nbsp; There is MORE than enough time in the day to get that done.&nbsp; If your NCOs don't use their Soldiers' time wisely, then the NCOs should take care of the after-hours crap without the Soldiers.</p><p><br></p><p>Meetings.&nbsp; Never, ever, plan a meeting that requires your NCOs to attend after 1600 unless there is some serious stuff going on.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because your NCOs are going to hold the Soldiers sitting around until after that meeting in case anything important comes up - and so you Soldiers are going to be sitting there until 1730 or 1800 for your stupid meeting to be over and so their Platoon Sergeants and Squad Leaders can put out some important, but not time sensitive, information at 1830.&nbsp; Don't steal your Soldiers time.&nbsp; Protect their time. Protect their FAMILY time.</p><p><br></p><p>Don't make your NCOs wait for you to come back to release the company if you have a 1600 or later meeting with the BN Commander.&nbsp; Same reasons as above - don't screw your Soldiers.&nbsp; </p><p><br></p><p>Get your crap done during the duty day.</p><p><br></p><p>Don't be a dick.</p>

Sir, I'll be brief as my Battle MSG Stankovich has covered the basics.&nbsp; If at all possible attend the local CDR/1SG course together, the benefits are huge.&nbsp; You'll learn more about each other by observation in the class and discussions over lunch than you can learn in a month.&nbsp; Prepare to spend a lot of time with your 1SG, not all of it enjoyable.&nbsp; Some of it will be recalls for a "joe" doing something his Mom would be proud of. Some will be Red Cross message delivery, way unpleasant.&nbsp; Some will be ART 15 readings, which for me is some of the worst, because I always felt that I failed that Soldier somehow, irrational perhaps, but real for me.&nbsp; Some times you'll be on top of the world, your company will have just won some event, sports day,&nbsp;unit competition whatever and the pride, knowing that those are your Soldiers, is immeasurable.&nbsp; Overall Sir, it will probably be the best time in your&nbsp;career, even though sometimes you may want to throw things, and do.&nbsp; You will have, with your Battle Buddy, the opportunity to impact lives of young (and not so&nbsp;young) Soldiers in a way you will never have again.&nbsp; Best of luck Sir, and the best trait of&nbsp;any of my commanders, five of them, has been listening.&nbsp; Lastly Sir, congratulations, and make&nbsp;it fun!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;