Leadership_Stidues_Essay

Abstract Within the first semester of studies at the United States Sergeants Major Academy, there were three essential modules, which were covered; the C100 or Foundations module, the C200 Military Strategic Environment, and the L100, Developing Organizations and Leaders. To ensure a better understanding of the material four questions were asked and this paper will focus on the responses to those questions as a Sergeants Major in the United States Army Reserve. Each question refers to a specific aspect of the respective areas of instruction; such as critical thinking and problem solving as a Sergeants Major, military strategic environment and the contemporary operating environment, the main idea of developing organizations and leaders as a Sergeants Major, and developing a program to improve the resiliency of Soldiers and organizations. By providing written answers to these questions, this author will be able to show a better grasp of the material learned. It will also help this author with returning to his assigned organization and provide a more effective mentorship program to those with whom he serves. How many times have you gone to a military school and upon return were asked, “How did it go' What did you learn' What do I need to be better prepared'” This author is already anticipating these questions, among others, upon his return from attending the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA). Generally speaking, people do not like to go into situations blindly. In the military, we perform a task called intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB). This is where we gather as much information as possible and then decide on a plan to achieve success. During the first semester of studies at USASMA, modules called “Foundations”, “Military Strategic Environment”, and “Developing Organizations and Leaders” were covered. To better prepare them and get a better grasp of the concepts within those modules this author will answer four questions. These questions will refer to specific aspects of the respective areas of instruction; such as critical thinking and problem solving as a Sergeants Major, military strategic environment and the contemporary operating environment, the main idea of developing organizations and leaders as a Sergeants Major, and developing a program to improve the resiliency of Soldiers and organizations. The answers to these questions will be presented from the view of a United States Army Reserve (USAR) Sergeants Major. This author will first address the question, “What is the premise of critical thinking, problem solving as a Sergeants Major'” Essentially the premise of critical thinking and problem solving is “how to think” rather than “what to do”. As tactical leaders, we often take the information we have on hand and make decisions based on experience and other quick references. This is mostly due to the time constraints of the tactical environment. As a USAR Sergeants Major, there will still be limits on how much time is available. USAR Soldiers are not available on a daily basis. When they are available, there are other mandatory events they must participate in as well, further limiting their accessibility to the problem solving process. With a better grasp of the processes involved in critical thinking and problem solving, how to think, the Sergeants Major will have more to contribute in the military decision making process. He will be able to provide gauges used in evaluating options. This is important in keeping the process within a reasonable scope while developing potential solutions. The second question to be addressed is, “What is the correlation between the Military Strategic Environment (MSE) and the Contemporary Operating Environment (COE)' To understand how the MSE and the COE are mutually related a clear understanding of each is needed. The National Security Strategy (NSS) determines how the military fits into the implementation of our nations hard and soft power in a complex global environment. The MSE deals with the concepts on how to best apply military assets to support the NSS. Whether it is a show of force, peacekeeping operations, or humanitarian aid to other nations after a natural disaster, the MSE has to take into consideration the COE in the planning process. The COE includes the Soldiers and the environments in which they have to perform. It can range from garrison operations to active engagement with a variety of combatants. It can also Non-Government Agencies (NGA) that Soldiers need to be prepared to deal with in order to have a successful mission. As a Reserve Sergeants Major, it is important to know Soldiers today are better educated and well informed than in the past. They understand more of the second, third, and fourth order effects than in the past. They are also aware of how the environment is constantly evolving and will bring different concepts to consider. These Reserve Soldiers also bring different skills sets to the fight, since their civilian jobs typically have nothing to do with their military jobs. With this awareness, a Reserve Sergeants Major can refer to those different skill sets during a real world deployment in support of the MSE. “What is the main idea (theme) of developing organizations and leaders as a Sergeants Major” is the third question this author will address. The Army is changing and Sergeants Majors need to be at the front of developing younger leaders to meet that change. By understanding how different leadership styles of individuals as well as command groups can affect soldiers, both positively and or negatively, a better method of mentorship can be created. As these leaders are developed, the organization will also change. Of course, as a Sergeants Major working to develop the organization while growing new leaders, will only support both processes. As the new leader is groomed, they will not have to fight the system in order to be effective. The organization will grow with them and together they will succeed. This concept is not foreign to the USAR either. It may be a harder task for the Sergeants Major, as the units needing guidance to evolve with the Army are not around the corner. However, with video teleconferencing (VTC), e-mails, and unit visits it is possible to develop both leaders and the organization. The last question addressed by this author is, “As a Sergeants Major, how can you develop a program that begins to improve resiliency of your soldiers and organization'” In order to develop a resiliency building program for the Reserve Soldiers and their Organizations, this author has to determine a clear definition of resiliency. According to FM 6-22, it is defined as “showing tendency to receive quickly from setbacks, shock, injuries, adversity, and stress while maintaining a mission and organizational focus" (FM 6-22, p 5-1). In other words, it is the ability to develop a means to overcome any obstacle or challenge while remaining steadfast in pursuit of success. Hence, we learn from our mistakes or failures and do not give up on the pursuit of a desired outcome. As a USAR Sergeants Major, this author must consider the health and physical fitness aspects as important ingredients. This is not as easy of a task, especially with the compounded difficulty of interacting with the Soldiers and organization only two days a month and their other civilian job’s time constraints. It becomes easy to lose sight of the importance of staying healthy and in shape. When someone becomes ill or injured, he or she are more susceptible to outside stressors and lower their resiliency, thus when a Reserve Soldier sees the leadership able to maintain a positive level of fitness, the Soldier’s confidence in the organizational leadership increases. Additionally, the distance between units makes it a difficult for younger soldiers to see a Sergeants Major demonstrate the importance of staying healthy. The Sergeants Major can, however, go through the leadership and help them develop their Individual Development Plans (IDP). This will help them focus their energies in a positive direction. Another tool, which needs to be taught, is the Multi-Source Assessment Feedback (MSAF) tool. It is a good way for them to learn about themselves and help them create a plan to improve in the areas they discover they are weak. Additionally, giving them room to make mistakes and learn from them will help the build their resiliency. If they are unaware of their flaws, they will not fix them. If they never fail, they will never seek improvement. By teaching Soldiers about resiliency and helping them grow, they will in turn help the unit grow in resiliency as well. It will increase cohesion and morale and the units overall resiliency level. Conclusion Not many people want to go into a situation where they have no idea what to expect. So they ask questions of those who went before them. This author has already begun to anticipate the kinds of questions he will receive about his experience as a student in the United States Sergeants Major Academy. For the moment, this author can only enlighten those future students to be prepared to learn about critical thinking and problem solving as a Sergeants Major, military strategic environment and the contemporary operating environment, the main idea of developing organizations and leaders as a Sergeants Major, and developing a program to improve the resiliency of Soldiers and organizations. As they learn about these concepts, they will gain a better understanding of the big picture. They will begin to understand why the decision makers in the Army think the way they do and how they too will be able to influence the battlefield. For this author, that influence will impact the Soldiers and Organizations within the United States Army Reserve. References FM 6-22 (2006). Army Leadership. Washington D.C.: Headquarters, Department of the Army.