XBradTC

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XBradTC

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Deep Thoughts On Leadership and Leader Development.

No, not mine. I might have fairly deep thoughts on the subject, but lack an ability to articulate them very well. But I did stumble across the blog of an active Army officer who does have some serious thoughts on the matter. There are very, very few good Army blogs written by active duty folks.…

No, not mine. I might have fairly deep thoughts on the subject, but lack an ability to articulate them very well.

But I did stumble across the blog of an active Army officer who does have some serious thoughts on the matter. There are very, very few good Army blogs written by active duty folks. There used to be several, but it seems blogging in the Army is dying. So let us cherish them when we find them.

I was going to post on this piece in The Army Times, but came across this brief post instead.

I’m not sure I still have all of the Army memorabilia that I’ve acquired over the years, but I’ve still kept that note.  I keep it as a reminder that a small act, something as simple as a handwritten correspondence, can let a junior leader  know that his or her service and sacrifices are appreciated.  It probably only took him 10-15 minutes to do it, but it still resonates with me almost a decade later.

To many junior leaders the microcosm of their unit (Brigade and below) is the Army, and if we show them that we care and are committed to them, in their eyes the Army cares and is committed to them.

Read the whole thing, then, of course, start reading the whole blog. I’ve blogrolled him.

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  1. SgtBob

    About the Army Times story:
    “Every colonel who will go before the SERB this month will have been counseled by a three-star general …”

    F that. Does the Army think an E5 or E6 cares whether an 06 is counseled by a three-star? Apparently. Maybe that’s part of the disconnect.

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  2. xbradtc

    Eh, the survey was sent to folks E-5 to O-6.

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  3. MSG HARRIS, Retired

    I retired 20 years ago but I have tried to keep up with goings on. Regarding blogs dying, it appears to me that the ones who did it well were discouraged from continuing by the leadership, specifically Bn CSMs. I’m pretty sure it’s what happened to Questing Cat and a couple of others that I followed on a daily basis through Iraq and then AFPAK.

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  4. SgtBob

    When I was an E5 if someone had said, “Colonels are being counseled by three-stars,” I would have said, “What does that have to do with my fire team?” And, the quoted statement was not part of the survey, but part of a story.

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  5. crazyhorse13

    Not that my blog was all that good, but I quit doing it because;

    A. I retired

    When I was in the Army it was difficult for me to think of something to write that didn’t concern the things I was doing on a daily basis while deployed, and I really didn’t want THAT kind of trouble.

    and
    c. I was lazy

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  6. crazyhorse13

    I just took a leadership class for my post military job. A lot of what was put out was or should be common sense. Part of that was the value of handwritten notes of appreciation. As you can see it meant a great deal to the officer you mentioned.

    In regards to the Army Times story, of course a lot of Soldiers believe the Army doesn’t care about them personally. When their commanders don’t care about them what do you expect? Not all commanders are that way of course but enough exist that cause a trickle down effect resulting in Soldiers who believe that “THE ARMY” doesn’t care about them. Add to that the fact that benefits are being eroded or taken away…does anyone actually believe the resulting attitude would be anything else?

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