What in your Opinion is the most important thing Leaders can do to help prevent soldiers losing "interest" and motivation in the Army?

2015-05-14T16:21:38-04:00

Response by SFC Joseph James made May 14 at 2015 4:28 PM

2015-05-14T16:28:04-04:00

Best thing is to give them purpose and to know that they are making a huge impact in the world. By serving you are continuing a line of Patriot that sacrificed for something greater than all of us! America! Oh, and the uniform you wear is not just clothes but rite of passage to one of the greatest organizations in all the world!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 4:30 PM

2015-05-14T16:30:44-04:00

Take some time to teach Soldiers subjects and impart information that will help better the Soldier.

Response by CW2 Joseph Evans made May 14 at 2015 4:32 PM

2015-05-14T16:32:09-04:00

Train....
Seriously, train the way you are supposed to fight.
Establish realistic and consistent training. Use the land, the resources, the expertise.
Bored Soldiers are a bad sign.
Mowing lawns, mopping latrines, area beautification, end that stuff, or at least minimize it... They don't want to leave the service with the only skills they can honestly claim are janitorial and lawn care.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 4:32 PM

2015-05-14T16:32:22-04:00

I have no idea, because I didn't experience it. Notice the (V).

Sorry I can't help ya with this one.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 4:34 PM

2015-05-14T16:34:06-04:00

First and foremost, leaders need to be teammates. Your title and rank are obvious, so lead within the team, give young leaders and soldiers ownership. Individuals follow bosses and bosses can come and go, however, teams win and teams accomplish things together. So, I say, in anything you are doing as a leader had better reflect your team's interests and benefit of the team.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 4:39 PM

2015-05-14T16:39:23-04:00

Provide realistic tough training!!

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made May 14 at 2015 4:44 PM

2015-05-14T16:44:36-04:00

Treat the soldiers with dignity and respect. Love and fight for them. The hard part is having a good time as a unit. For Christmas we would have a casual dinner together for the company in a hotel with really good door prizes. We had karaoke gong which was hilarious. The gongmiester has to be good. I use to get lots of certificates for two free dinners to pass on to the soldiers.

Response by SFC Michael Jackson, MBA made May 14 at 2015 4:51 PM

2015-05-14T16:51:47-04:00

Expectation management:
1. First of all, be straight-forward to begin with as to what army life is about and realistic as to what's expected of Soldiers, both the beautiful and the ugly
2. Leaders need to assess why Soldiers' joined in the first and what their goals are. Everyone is different. Once we know what's important to the Soldiers, support them in achieving their goals. Coach, teach, mentor
To prevent the lost of interest, we have to know what "interest" the Soldier

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 4:53 PM

2015-05-14T16:53:50-04:00

Get to know what their real interest is and what they want in life (long term achievements). from there, show them how the Army can help them get there. Army as a profession is to defend our country; beyond that are countless benefits that should be an incentive for many to stay. i.e college, leadership experience, becoming a man/women that others (including family) can look up too as a role model.

Response by SPC Todd Hanson made May 14 at 2015 5:03 PM

2015-05-14T17:03:06-04:00

Better time management. IE post/division run starts at 0600 and soldiers are standing in formation at 0300

Response by MSG Brad Sand made May 14 at 2015 5:09 PM

2015-05-14T17:09:12-04:00

Keep them actively doing something...stay on the hurry up and avoid the wait. We are the ARMY...or at least the military...and if we are doing what we joined to do, when and how could we loose interest? The only time someone is going to be disinterested is when they are sitting around doing nothing.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 5:16 PM

2015-05-14T17:16:37-04:00

Remind your soldiers of the impact they are making on the unit and how their work greatly contributes to the overall mission of the unit.

This can't just be a blanket statement either. Give them examples of how their work contributed to the mission. If they received kudos from other leaders make sure the word gets to them.

Response by SPC Fred Krauer made May 14 at 2015 5:20 PM

2015-05-14T17:20:03-04:00

SSD'S of course! They are so exciting and soldiers learn so much from them by copying and pasting the question into Google.

Really though... I recommend all leadership read "The One Minute Manager". You can get it for free here.
http://classes.sdc.wsu.edu/classes/cstm301/articles.htm

When leading people, it helps to remember they are just people.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 5:30 PM

2015-05-14T17:30:49-04:00

Leaders can start showing that they are no better than the subordinates. . Show that we once were where they were and we did the same things they did. Leaders can stop acting as if just because they made the next rank that they are somehow exempt from putting in quality time with the Soldier/ Warriors. A leader leads from the front continuously..

Response by SFC Terry Murphy made May 14 at 2015 5:44 PM

2015-05-14T17:44:42-04:00

Don't waste their time, and don't think they are stupid. I remember when I was a young enlist soldier., every night was the same thing. Sit around waiting for the Plt Sgt to have his meeting with the 1SG. Then wait for the Plt Sgt to have his meeting with the squad leader. Now it is 1830 or so and we get the word, "PT at 0600, normal uniform after that". When I became a SFC I would send my guys home before the meeting. When asked why I would tell the 1SG I had everyone's phone number, if there was anything they needed to know before 0600, I would call them. Well actually, I would call the squad leaders, who would call the team leaders. Very seldom did I make any phone calls. The soldiers appreciated that I cared about their family life and didn't waste their time. And they were smart enough to realize when their time was being wasted.

Response by SGT John Wesley made May 14 at 2015 5:55 PM

2015-05-14T17:55:27-04:00

Motivate them by acknowledging their successes versus only pointing out the negatives.

Response by 1SG Kenneth Talkington Sr made May 14 at 2015 5:59 PM

2015-05-14T17:59:25-04:00

You have to keep them occupied with worthwhile training. The different areas on which to train are only limited by your imagination. Make it worthwhile, interesting and challenging.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 7:20 PM

2015-05-14T19:20:04-04:00

Train hard to do your job excellently.
Reward outstanding performance.
Correct non-hackers.
Hold yourself to the highest standards, and let your Soldiers know what they are.
Take interest in their goals and give them the opportunity to attain them.
Follow up with them when they PCS, and continue to be a positive influence throughout their career.

If that doesn't work, nothing will.

Response by BG David Fleming III made May 14 at 2015 8:34 PM

2015-05-14T20:34:04-04:00

Be consistent in your guidance and dishing out punishment for infractions. Nothing causes soldiers to losses interest more than disparity by race, sex, or rank!

Response by SGT David T. made May 14 at 2015 9:13 PM

2015-05-14T21:13:14-04:00

Taking care of Soldiers and developing them is key but one should not reasonably expect that even if you do that all will stay. Even if they decide that they want to leave the army, be supportive and help them because it just might inspire then to rejoin the team as a civilian employee. Having the supporting civilians understand the hardships and challenges of being a Soldier will help them help the warfighter more effectively.

Response by 1SG Cameron M. Wesson made May 14 at 2015 11:35 PM

2015-05-14T23:35:03-04:00

Lead by good example, encourage them to grow, involve them in planning, empower them to make decision, make events meaningfully as possible, and keep them informed of what the hell is going on.

It worked on me... and worked for me....

My 2 cents

Response by PV2 Violet Case made May 15 at 2015 1:59 AM

2015-05-15T01:59:41-04:00

When I was in basic I always like to follow the Sargent's that were out in the actual war zones to train me. So a leader who would go right out and be in the front of his men spoke to me what kind of leader he was. If he would go out in the front and be a part of the action then so would I to follow not many really want to get shot up so would lead out careful with training and experience in live war.

Response by CPT Steven Buckles made May 15 at 2015 7:30 AM

2015-05-15T07:30:36-04:00

Agree with the others--more frequent realistic training opportunities. I've been out for a long time but the day to day mundane necessary stuff could be made more tolerable if there were frequent 'adventures' into the world of doing what they are expected to do out in the field.

Response by SGT Mark Sullivan made May 15 at 2015 10:49 AM

2015-05-15T10:49:47-04:00

Show your troops that you give damn about them. As a leader and part of a team knowing your troops is just as important as leading them. The best feeling I ever had as a section sergeant, was that my soldiers gave a damn about me, because I gave a damn about them. Lead them by example, show them you're willing to sacrifice with them, not apart from them. And that you have integrity enough to do what's right, no matter the consequences.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2015 2:16 PM

2015-05-15T14:16:00-04:00

In my opinion I feel that the training should be more realistic. I mean we allow civilians to enter service and only ask them to achieve a minimum of 50% on each event during the APFT. We have also allowed them to leave BCT with permanent profiles for THS (tiny heart syndrome) instead of valid injuries. Long gone are the days of good realistic training and we have adapted to the video game recruit. Defending our Nation is not a game, we don't get spare lives or cheat codes.

Response by SSG VNicia Young made May 15 at 2015 4:48 PM

2015-05-15T16:48:19-04:00

In my unit we have people who works very hard and never get awarded or we have soldiers that will bust the butts to get a job done and then NCO will take credit for it, not even thanking the soldier. As well as NCO that would show favoritism. I say treat all soldiers the same regardless of sex, race, etc. as well as acknowledge a soldier when he or she has done a good job. Support your soldiers have lunch together once a week or have a week end together once a month, show your soldiers that there are some great NCOs and that they have support and someone to come talk to when things are rocky.

Response by COL Terry Schooler made May 15 at 2015 8:07 PM

2015-05-15T20:07:56-04:00

Let them do their jobs. If a guy enlists to be an air traffic controller, and he only gets to do it in training, it won't be long before he's off to the FAA. Same with any other MOS. A leader needs to make sure that the Soldiers in his charge have the opportunity to do the job for which they enlisted.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 16 at 2015 1:18 AM

2015-05-16T01:18:57-04:00

The most influential motivation I have found is if you gain their respect in you as a person they will do whatever you want. I have come across NCO's that will tell soldiers what to do and if joe ask why, it's because I said so. If you just take the time to get out there with your soldiers, even if it's every once in a while, that will make a lasting impact on them. Next is to genuinely care about them. Not because you have to, but because you care. Earn their respect as a person and joes will want to follow you. I have talked to soldiers getting out and the number one reason is because no one took the time to give 2 craps about me. Well this backs up what was stated before. Earn their respect and genuinely care about their well being.

Response by SGT Kristin Wiley made May 16 at 2015 9:37 PM

2015-05-16T21:37:14-04:00

"I will know my soldiers and always place their needs above my own"

How do you expect to motivate someone when you likely don't know anything more about your soldiers than the half-based assumptions the unit has decided on for that soldier? How are you going to inspire them to meet their goals and in turn the Army goals, when they likely don't trust you enough to let you know who they are?

Response by MAJ Anne McGee made May 16 at 2015 10:38 PM

2015-05-16T22:38:13-04:00

Provide training that is relevent to their MOS and the mission. Ensure they understand where they fit in the grand scheme and make it fun! When I was a Commander if I wasn't having fun then I was pretty sure my troops weren't so I would make time for fun activities. It's also important to talk to your soldiers to get their opinions and ideas for improvements.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 18 at 2015 1:50 PM

2015-05-18T13:50:33-04:00

Make sergeant's time training.. sergeant's time training. Not let's all leave early for the day.

Realistic training. That's what we want.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made May 21 at 2015 9:50 AM

2015-05-21T09:50:26-04:00

Many of our outstanding Soldiers lose interest in the Army because they are great at what they do and we constantly lean on them. They watch others that are only doing the absolute minimum get rewarded with less responsibility and more time to accomplish their own personal goals. Then we expect them to do this for a lifetime in the Army with no upward advancement. Leaders will go to great lengths to keep these young Soldiers in their formations instead of recommending them to advance to the next level or echelon for fear of their unit failing the next evaluation. As the saying goes, those who work hard are rewarded with more work.

We must identify our best and brightest and offer them new challenges and career advancement. We must mentor them to one day take our positions. By letting them go to the next level, they can expand their span of influence. They can become trainers and mentors. The other option is to stagnate them in a single role till they ETS.

Another reason is the insane amount of mandatory training that has distracted our forces from our wartime function and training. Endless taskings that force our companies and batteries into a platoon size elements. This leaving limited resources for anything larger than individual or squad training with the expectation of being able to execute collective certifications.

Lastly we need to treat our Soldiers like adults and not children. They are not our children. They are young Warriors that deserve our respect and realistic training. We can care for them by being involved without micromanaging their every move. Failure in training can result in success in battle so long as we perform our After Action Reviews. We need to involve young Soldiers in this process so they feel that they are part of something greater, and not just a pawn on the chessboard. End of my rant.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 23 at 2015 1:06 PM

2015-05-23T13:06:38-04:00

Empower them, give them clear expectations, teach them, and guide them. Hold their feet to the fire and be understanding, tough, and creative.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2015 3:40 PM

2015-07-07T15:40:57-04:00

Lead from the front. When things are tough, make sure your soldiers see that you're right there with them doing the dirty work, and you go the extra mile to make sure they are taken care of. In my opinion, to keep a soldier motivated, you need to make them want to lead soldiers of their own in the future. To do that, you need to show them what a great leader looks like.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jul 7 at 2015 3:59 PM

2015-07-07T15:59:58-04:00

Inspire soldiers with thanks, don't micro-manage them, treat them with dignity and respect, fight for them, and have some fun with them.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Dec 15 at 2015 3:37 PM

2015-12-15T15:37:34-05:00

Incorporate some fun into their careers.

Response by PVT William Bresch made Dec 29 at 2015 9:20 AM

2015-12-29T09:20:45-05:00

Learn to nurture your people and show them self worth.

Response by SSG Jess Peters made Sep 17 at 2018 4:16 AM

2018-09-17T04:16:56-04:00

Do what's right not what's popular. Sometimes NCO's need to step up to protect their men from overbearing and abusive officers. Even at the risk of your promotion chances.
Don't get into a boring routine. Daily maint. checks were insane. Go to the motor pool a do vehicle maint day after day, even when vehicles haven't moved for days or weeks.

Response by SSG Harry Outcalt made Oct 17 at 2018 3:20 AM

2018-10-17T03:20:17-04:00

Simple , Lead by example . Set the bar to the Medal of Honor , level for yourself then guide everyone else up to it , let them see for themselves what the Combat advantages are of being the best they can be. And above all Else K.I.S.S. it

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 14 at 2018 10:21 AM

2018-11-14T10:21:18-05:00

Don't let the system screw the soldiers...I see leadership doing things wrong all the time but because soldiers do not know the rules they get away with murder....so to speak....keep them engaged in learning...not just the tedious face in a book but actually hands on as well everyone learns in a different way....