6 Important Lessons From My First 6 Months As A Company Commander

West Village NY

08 September, 2021

11:41 PM

Description

Every lieutenant has a list of things they will implement when they assume command. It is universally accepted. We wait for the moment when we can take over and make that company the best in the Army. That's what lieutenants do. First, they absorb everything around them, good and bad. Then, they keep this knowledge handy for when it's time to implement it. According to Shalom Lamm, reality hits. We don the captain's bars and accept the guiding. But, then, we are the top dog. We get rid of all the plans, write policy memos, and formulate initial counseling techniques. We create our checklist with all the things we promised to do and all the changes we will make. Yet, we are bright-eyed and optimistic and believe in the inherent goodness of our soldiers. After a few months, you realize the harsh reality of the situation: it is not what was expected. Never. One, you do not have much power as a company leader to alter the training schedule. Second, you already know a lot about the training schedule. It includes the ranges, mandatory briefings, and physical fitness tests. Add in the collective training events, briefings for battalion or brigade, family day, safety stand-downs, and the like. Finally, you have little time left to do leader development, team building, and other essential tasks.Second, you are hit with the realization that the Army has reduced your essence down to one thing: A signature. Everything is signed. Your signature is only a living one. The speed at which you can enter your PIN to create a digital signature in PDF format will determine how much authority you have to bind or loose. Everyone wants a piece, and they want it now. You can delegate it as many times as you like, but there will always be an email in the inbox and a soldier at the door with a clipboard.There are also the soldiers. The 90% of soldiers in your unit are great people who are an honor and who will motivate you. You have to wonder if there is something else in the water, as the 10% remaining will make the worst mistakes, cause the most trouble and be the most elaborate liars you'll ever meet. Sometimes, they can do all three simultaneously. These soldiers will make sure that you only have the time to eat occasionally and go to the toilet if you do not have enough time.Then there's the higher, which can send down short suspense items, quick changes to training schedules, and always sure to happen at the most inopportune time. The call from the battalion command can make your pulse quicken, and you start to wonder if any of your soldiers were in trouble or if you completely missed a requirement.When you look back at your list of things you wanted, you will find that they were specific to the unit you were in at that time. You will soon realize that not all companies work the same. Each company will have its strengths and weaknesses, so you'll need to adapt your plans accordingly.You can also add to this the family readiness group meetings and engineer project planning meetings. Equipment breakdowns and random accidents are all part of the problem. A command can be a difficult and exhausting task. It was not what you thought. It all comes back to why you chose this job so many years ago when you get the information you need and then stand beside the company guiding. A commander is not God. We can not make every change we want. It's not what we expected. It is, however, one of the most rewarding, challenging, and exciting episodes in my life at six months.