Posted on Dec 21, 2014
I have a lazy first line supervisor and the Command Team does nothing about it. Advice?
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Background: My first line supervisor is a 8 year E-5, after I get picked up this month hopefully; I will still have more points then her, even without attending ALC.
She consistently does not disseminate information from daily NCOIC meetings she attends and expects me and one other person on my team to have tasks completed before she ask, for example she ask "are our vehicles dispatched" and my response is usually no are they supposed to be? She will ask do you know where Maj (the OIC of our team) is today, and I am like uhhhh no.
My monthly counselings are never done and when they are she wants me to back date them. When she goes on leave, she leaves a big to do list for me to get accomplished. For example, organize our conex's which we have 4. My team is in charge of a 50 patient hospital.
But the last straw was this week, she waiting until COB to move our equipment from MED Maintenance. Never mind the fact we only have 4 Soliders on our team and I am the only one with out a permanent profile. We are in charge of a 50 patient hospital and have to move this equipment ourselves; but when it comes to moving the equipment she in not to be found. This is just one example, of the daily activities I have to go through.
I need help.......
She consistently does not disseminate information from daily NCOIC meetings she attends and expects me and one other person on my team to have tasks completed before she ask, for example she ask "are our vehicles dispatched" and my response is usually no are they supposed to be? She will ask do you know where Maj (the OIC of our team) is today, and I am like uhhhh no.
My monthly counselings are never done and when they are she wants me to back date them. When she goes on leave, she leaves a big to do list for me to get accomplished. For example, organize our conex's which we have 4. My team is in charge of a 50 patient hospital.
But the last straw was this week, she waiting until COB to move our equipment from MED Maintenance. Never mind the fact we only have 4 Soliders on our team and I am the only one with out a permanent profile. We are in charge of a 50 patient hospital and have to move this equipment ourselves; but when it comes to moving the equipment she in not to be found. This is just one example, of the daily activities I have to go through.
I need help.......
Posted in these groups: 
Leadership
Leadership
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 12
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"Back date counseling"? Sounds like a digital signature problem-solver to me.
SSG(P) (Join to see), I can assure you that if your leadership is engaged at all, they are well aware of this SGT's habits. She will get hers, in time. In the meantime, there is a job to do.
What you MUST DO, is do the right thing. She may be lazy and disengaged, but she is still a Sergeant and has the ability to make life difficult if this goes from lazy to petty. Believe me, your leaders know if you are carrying the team too.
I do see an improvement you can make. Make it a point to do the dispatches and know where your Major is without needing to respond to an inquiry. I've preached to my junior Soldiers for a very long time: Do routine things routinely (or without being asked) and while it may be your lot in life to be a vehicle driver, be excellent at it. You will be a leader soon enough. Senior leaders treasure quality Soldiers and take care of them. We know who makes our unit go. Take those two pieces of advice and I promise you that you will go far and put this individual in your rear-view mirror.
SSG(P) (Join to see), I can assure you that if your leadership is engaged at all, they are well aware of this SGT's habits. She will get hers, in time. In the meantime, there is a job to do.
What you MUST DO, is do the right thing. She may be lazy and disengaged, but she is still a Sergeant and has the ability to make life difficult if this goes from lazy to petty. Believe me, your leaders know if you are carrying the team too.
I do see an improvement you can make. Make it a point to do the dispatches and know where your Major is without needing to respond to an inquiry. I've preached to my junior Soldiers for a very long time: Do routine things routinely (or without being asked) and while it may be your lot in life to be a vehicle driver, be excellent at it. You will be a leader soon enough. Senior leaders treasure quality Soldiers and take care of them. We know who makes our unit go. Take those two pieces of advice and I promise you that you will go far and put this individual in your rear-view mirror.
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SPC Daniel Edwards
1SG (Join to see) & SSG(P) (Join to see), just a thought: what if the Major does not inform anyone when he/she leaves? Is it still her responsibility to know that the Major stepped out? Just curious for when/if I ever get in the same situation.
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1SG (Join to see)
Yes, SPC Daniel Edwards, it is always a Soldier's responsibility to know the whereabouts of their team members.
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SGT (Join to see)
SSG(P) (Join to see) Once I became a senior line medic and started being involved more with the company level senior leadership, including being at meetings, my view of said leadership radically changed. To echo what 1SG (Join to see) has said if you excel at your job and are carrying your team it will be noticed. You may not think it's noticed because you're not privy to those conversations, but I promise you that it is. Anticipate routine tasks and excel at your job and you'll find your career moving forward while this poor NCOs career continues to stagnate.
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CW3 (Join to see)
1SG (Join to see) - It is not a junior Soldier's responsibility to keep track of officers.
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I always enjoyed working for people like this, they were a great example of what NOT to do. Id address the next higher up, write a list of all the incidents you can think of. Dates, times, witnesses etc. It may come across as petty, but if you have facts and can state them accordingly it is more effective than trying to remember them on the spot and helps you to not come across as just complaining. On the other hand, the system is usually pretty good at finding these people and Karma is always right around the corner. Just take care of yourself, ensure you are doing what is right and even though they may be "stupid" instructions, they are instructions. Take care of you and stay out of trouble. But I would surely address my next higher. If you do get picked up, maybe the COC is waiting for someone to replace her. Wouldn't be the first time I have seen someone work for someone they actually outranked. Just remember all the things you are complaining about and ensure you do not posses those same traits when you have Soldiers under you... Good luck.
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TSgt Joshua Copeland
I have to concur with SSG (Join to see) , document everything and bring it to the Sgt's supervisor.
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SSG(P) (Join to see) this may not be the answer you want to hear...but tell the chain of command. If they ignore it then do your job and pray for PCS as soon as you can. It is not in your control. We all have seen this and seen people stay in and promoted that should not have been. Learn from this. Ensure that if you ever are in charge you do not pass them onto others, promote, or ignore. Instead become a better leader and be prepared to do the paperwork necessary to document and process these Soldiers (leaders or not) out of the service if they will not do their share. You can try to change them and develop them, but always ALWAYS ALWAYS document so that if you fail you can process them out.
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