Sage advice for a new Army leader
This coming May, I have the great privilege to commission an officer into the U.S. Army Infantry. Preferring to leave his name out of this, I'll call him Jeff. Jeff and I had lunch yesterday to get acquainted. His commander, having the foresight to know I needed to meet him, set up the lunch meeting. I always love meeting and networking with new people, especially leaders, so I was eager to meet Jeff and hear about his family and his journey into the Army. I also saw this as an opportunity to pass on some leadership lessons. I remembered vividly, my days as a young officer, hungry and anxious, so I saw it as my duty to help.
Jeff looked like an infantryman. He was a rugby player, tall and lean, with great presence. He was more at ease and confident than I expected and that impressed me. I could talk to him all day about leadership and how I saw his role, but I didn't want to overwhelm him with information and advice. Instead I carried three pearls of wisdom into our meeting.
The first was one I recalled from my first day as a new platoon leader in Fort Lewis, Washington. My new company commander met me at the battalion headquarters and took me down to meet my platoon. He told me a variety of things and gave me a lot of guidance and direction, all of which I feverishly copied in my notebook. "Rob, don't let this stuff overwhelm you. The Army is run by idiots." I smiled and probably laughed but was shocked internally by his comment. How could this officer talk bad about the senior leadership of our Army? Weren't they flawless leaders at the top? No. He was not being openly disrespectful, he was just trying to put me at ease. It worked and I used that line often, in context, with the same intent. It had the same effect on Jeff.
"You are more prepared than you may believe." This was the second pearl of wisdom I shared. I knew the Army could be harsh on Second Lieutenants. They are the ones you always see in the movies screwing things up. 'Butter bar,' is a slang term used for their rank. "Can't spell lost without LT!" These sayings chipped away at the confidence of these young leaders and I felt it my duty to counter that. I asked how long he had spent in ROTC training. Four years was his answer and I told him that counted. He would take those years and his broadening higher education into his role as a leader and it would serve him well. He had proven his cognitive skills, physical fitness, and leadership potential in ROTC so he was more ready and prepared than he may have known.
Lastly, I told him he had the right to be critical. This young man would carry the Army into the future and it needed his critical thinking to make it better. "We just lost two wars," I told him. You ought to question things. I assured him we were still an excellent Army but not perfect and if we wanted to win future wars we had some learning and adapting to do. I told Jeff not to be a recalcitrant and disobedient leader, but to approach sayings like, "we did this in Iraq and Afghanistan," with professional skepticism. The Army needed this from him.
We talked about a variety of things and he asked some thoughtful questions. As with any young leader, I offered my help as he traveled his journey. I assured him that I screwed up everything he was about to experience as an Army leader. I had a lot to share.
What pearls of wisdom can you pass on to a young leader in your profession? They are waiting for them and for you.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell